—
In a recent post on my sister Jan Weinstein-Sparta’s Facebook page, one of her friends who made his worldview clear indicated that liberals bash #45, whine and stomp our feet about what we can’t change. He feels we haven’t gotten over the election results and encourages people not to waste time and instead enjoy their lives. The following was my response.
I don’t whine, bash or stomp my feet. I do march with them. It isn’t about getting over it for me. It is about doing what I can to ameliorate the damage done. If people didn’t attempt to create change, women wouldn’t have the right to vote, unions wouldn’t make certain that working environments were safe, same-sex couples wouldn’t have the right to marry. I could go on. I enjoy my life tremendously. I have people dear to me. I connect with new friends every day. I want to be sure that my grandchildren (and everyone else’s) have a healthy and sustainable future. I don’t believe in only accepting what I can’t change (as is expressed in the Serenity Prayer:
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference), but also at least attempting to change what I can’t accept.
I grew up in a family of changemakers who made a difference. My parents were dedicated volunteers in our community. My dad was a firefighter (despite having asthma; not sure how he did that), led a Sunday morning breakfast gathering for youth in our synagogue (it was originally for boys, but my sister and I broke the gender barrier) and worked with a girl in our neighborhood who had Cerebral Palsy, using a modality called Patterning. My mom was a room mother when Jan and I were in elementary school, chaperoned field trips, was a Girl Scout cookie mom, volunteered at our swim meets and at our local hospital. Even in their retirement, they helped in their Ft. Lauderdale community.
They modeled that for me as I jumped on board as a candy striper at our local hospital at 14, donning an orange and white jacket over white pants, feeling every bit like a creamsicle. In Junior High School, I had a blast at our community recycling center, smashing bottles in big drums with a sledgehammer (fantastic way to work out anger and frustration), stacking bundles of newspapers and doing clean up in a nearby creek.
As an adult, I have volunteered for Gift of Life Donor Program as an organ donor educator after my husband died while awaiting a liver transplant, and with Gilda’s Club, (a non-residential cancer support community for those living with cancer, named for comedian and actor Gilda Radner.)
I have written promo pieces for various non-profits and have spoken at numerous events. For two years I was a mentor for a young man in a court-mandated treatment program as I watched him blossom beautifully. I have put my body where my heart is by offering FREE Hugs as the founder of Hugmobsters Armed with Love. I attend marches and vigils for the purpose of bringing about peace and social justice.
I recently took my sign and open arms across the pond as I hugged my way across Ireland. I share these things not with the idea of self- aggrandizement nor, as my dad would have said, “tooting my own horn,” but rather to encourage others to step up and follow their passions as they are of service.
My son has followed suit and in High School, volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and as an adult, has lent his cooking skills for a fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House. I imagine if called on, he would do more.
What I have difficulty accepting, in no particular order:
- RacismSexism
- Homophobia
- Transphobia
- Violence
- Abuse of any kind
- Smoking (especially around children and animals who have no choice about inhaling toxins)
- Unwillingness to treat an addiction
- Pollution of the environment
- Lies and deception
- Name calling
- Those who expect others to clean up their literal and emotional messes
- Demanding and entitled people
- Stealing
- Irresponsibility and lack of accountability for actions
I freely admit that some of these might sound judgmental and holier than thou. We are each a work in progress. When I look at my own shadow, I see elements that I am not proud of. The good news is that each day, I make a concerted effort to transmute those unsavory aspects of the person in the mirror, changing that of which I am capable.
—
—
Photo credit: Pixabay