Waiting For That Rocket

So. Today I’m supposed to meet with a woman from the Big Offices Down the Road about why I volunteer. The meeting was supposed to happen 45 minutes ago (according to what I put in my calendar), but I completely own that I may have gotten it wrong based on the fact she’s not here yet. Since she’s not here, I’ve decided I’m going to write about why I volunteer and maybe then I’ll have a coherent thought when I eventually DO meet with her.

So. I try and do a lot in the community. I’m on the planning committee for the Greater Portland Relay for Life. I also take every opportunity to do trail maintenance through work. These activities really only fill a small hole in the need that overwhelms our communities. So. Why do I do it?

One: my parents raised us to give back whatever we could to the community. They have both been active in Rotary for years, participate in whatever philanthropic or volunteer activities through Church, friends, family, and schools they can. They taught us that giving back to the community does not always have to be about money. Time is sometimes an equally valuable resource for an organization.

Two: I have so many blessings in my life. A job I love, friends and family who love and put up with me, and more than the minimum when it comes to material possessions. With all this…Good…around me, who am I to keep it to myself?

Three: People need help. Whether it be cancer survivors/caregivers, folks who don’t have access to trails, or folks who need the services of the United Way, it’s within my power to give (albeit not much) so why wouldn’t I give all that I can?

Four – and perhaps most important: It’s fun. I get to be a part of something huge (Relay) and play in the mud (trail maintenance). The warm and fuzzies are not to be underrated either.

I don’t have a witty and/or brilliant close. Just an entreaty: take stock of what you have in your life. Think about what you wouldn’t be able to do without the help of others. And pay it forward. It sounds trite, but we should never take for granted all that we have, and we should always think about how many people have so much less. It’s our obligation as human beings to do all we can to help.

What is mundane? And why does it have such negative connotations?

My life does not involve jet setting, parties, fame or fortune, but so what? Every day is different than the one before. I’m constantly challenged by my work. I get to give back to my community. I am surrounded by some of the most supportive people I have had the privilege of meeting.

There is nothing “mundane” about my life. Thanks, Rob, for making me think of this.

PS Please remind me of this post next time I’m bemoaning not having a life ;)

I have already at least tried to establish that I am an incredibly associative person. “How to Save a Life” by the Fray automatically transports me to the days following Calvin. “River of Dreams” by Billy Joel now makes me think almost exclusively of the early days of Bard Coffee. “Stretch” by the Ryan Montbleau Band reminds me of going to the driving range with AM, DB and ER.

These are all songs that I have learned to anticipate. I know when I hear those songs I’m going to think of those events.

The toughest part of having so much music coursing through my memory is when I’m caught by surprise.

For years I couldn’t listen to “Run” by Snow Patrol because of the memories it represents/-ed. I have of late been able to reclaim that song, but sometimes those memories come from left field.

I was not expecting to think what I thought. I was not expecting to feel what I felt. And I certainly was not expecting to cry the tears that I cried.

Maybe someday the shock will fade. For now, it’s just on to the next song.

It’s funny to me that I count myself a student of history mainly because I’m not a very good student. I tend to turn off my brain when it’s challenged by events or ideas that offend. This means I end up with a basic knowledge of chronological events, but no real understanding.

A case in point: Israel-Palestine. I know that the fledgling UN semi-arbitrarily ceded then-Palestine to survivors of the holocaust. I know things turned radically violent in 1967. I know there was a tenuous peace brokered in the 1990s (and came unravelled soon after). But none of this explains the “why.” I get where both sides are coming from, but I don’t understand the hate that builds a wall between pride/history and the general welfare of the population. Is pride worth having kids blowing up themselves , their neighbors?

I was watching a special on World War II last night. World War II, the Good War, the Just War, the Necessary War, and the atrocities committed (by both sides) are overwhelming. The Vietnam War – My Lai. The latest Gulf War – Abu Ghraib. And none of these include genocides perpetrated by governments within their own borders: Turks/Armenians. Russians/Ukranians. Serbs/Albanians. Khmer Rouge/Cambodians. Hutus/Tutsis. This is just a small sample from the past 100 years. But it begs the question: how is this acceptable?

Is it because people like me bury our heads, pretending it doesn’t exist, doesn’t happen because acknowledging it is to acknowledge hatred, pain and a powerlessness to stop it?