A Call to Action

February 4th: I have always wanted to do more.  Be more involved in my community, be more involved in our democracy, do more to contribute to the well being of others.  It’s been this idea in my head for as long as I can remember — almost another life that I’ve imagined for myself.

A pocketful of excuses is always at the ready for why I have not acted on this desire — working long hours, can’t add one more task to the multi-tasking juggling act, too many commitments, don’t have the skill, afraid of failing or making a fool of myself, afraid of getting in over my head, don’t feel comfortable in unchartered territory, someone else will take care of it, it’s too hard getting started because I don’t belong to a group that facilitates community involvement or political activism — the list goes on.  My excuses for not being politically active are that I can’t remember facts to support an argument, I’m overwhelmed by the amount of information, I have difficulty forming opinions because I can envision good and bad downstream ramifications for almost anything and I know that almost anything, if presented only partially or out of context can be made to support an argument.  In my mind nothing is clear-cut or black and white.

But I’ve come to realize that these are not valid reasons to do nothing.  I don’t need the entire roadmap to travel the first mile.  I am not alone in struggling to take the first step.  Participation could help me overcome my inability to formulate and support a point of view; writing this blog has already helped me write my thoughts in a way that can be understood by others.   I don’t need a formal organization to make things happen; I have friends and family.

Today I took a tentative step into the political activism arena.  Following the action plan outlined by the Women’s March organization I invited a small group of people over to complete the first step — write letters to our representatives.  This was a first for many of us, myself included.  The meeting was positive and energizing and everyone left feeling a little more empowered and a little less anxious.

Where to go from here?  Well the Women’s March organization recognizes that many of us are newbies to activism and need help heeding the call.  They have assembled a comprehensive plan for anyone interested in participating in their democracy.  Collectively we decided to follow their plan and to that end scheduled our next meeting, a “huddle”, so that we can identify our vision and define an action plan to turn that vision into reality.

So what I am grateful for today is this — the desire not to live my life on the sidelines; the Women’s March organization for recognizing our need for help; and family and friends with similar desires, endless ideas and resources, and strength to draw upon.  Together we will achieve our desire to be better citizens.