Tuesday of Lent 2

"...a free future must begin with the right to talk freely about the past." George F. Will

On Tuesday of Lent 1 I started some actual story-telling that included a list of some things I'd done to prepare for working in an urban, inner city setting.

Late Speaker of the US House of Representative Tip O'Neill insisted, "all politics is local." Despite the proliferation of the internet, and the true opportunities for participation I've gotten there, I can tell you "all [real] life is local."

This is not a hunter-gatherer society! I may have paraphrased Preacher to Boston University Howard Thurman: "Don't ask what the world needs—ask what brings you to life! Because the world needs people who are fully alive!" What brings me to life? What sustains me? What's my go-to activity! Recently I realized my first serious serious internet activity at the start of this century was an urban group in the now defunct msn groups. I was smart enough to save the content, some of which I posted on preservation project.

Of course, that's only a tiny part of my answer.

inspirations

A few weeks ago we watched Magic of Belle Isle [2012]. It was new to me, and so affirming, as the cynical, heavy-drinking writer of a once famous book who basically had quit writing a long time earlier found himself next door for a summer to a family with kids, one of whom turned into the muse that started him writing, creating, and being more fully human again. Later we watched Eat, Pray, Love [2010], another inspiration and confirmation of our need for human contact and interaction. Oh, I know, I keep acting as if I need someone from outside myself to assure me, and yes, that I do!