My Summer Vacation

The house is silent. Unohoo is at the X show.

This morning I tabled an event for the city. It was so fun. Someone told me that a group of kids in her neighborhood tried to start a garden on vacant land but got shut down by the city. I said "so they should fight the city, ignore them, or better yet find out why it got shut down and if there is a better place to do it at" I even told her about city repair, how they were the reason that the city changed their views on land use policies, and that the guerrilla garden kids should team up with them.

I met some awesome people. Even a black person that works for the city. Woo hoo! It was feelin' so white up in there! He's super awesome and all about interdepartmental projects, and getting out into the communities changing perceptions. As part of his job last year he went to a biodiesel convention with Randy Leonard and got to hang out with Willie Nelson. Fun conversations!

I met some great and glowing activists that seemed out of a novel. I was teary eyed at one point, just overwhelmed by the energy of the room. I talked to teachers, parents, people who were new in town, hippy types, nice young kids, angry activists and a differently abled guy who left his recumbent bike with me, never to return. I'm sure he came back for it!

I feel like I'm finally starting to realize that people are just people. I've always had this mild feeling of incompetence and of not being good enough. It's kept me separated from so many people and experiences. This internship is changing my reality a bit. I'm realizing that most problems actually do have solutions and that it takes cooperation, effort and a calm mind to get there. I saw today so many people doing their best, some pissed off, some blaming others, some sad, and some excited. In all of it, I see hope in the fact that people are coming out in droves, asking about how they can do their part, what water shed council to join, or how to build a green roof or bioswale in their yard.

I'm also thinking that for myself, the key to happiness is staying calm, not feeling overwhelmed and taking one situation at a time, to push ahead, even when people look at me like I'm a little freaky. I want to always push through fear and do and say what I know to be true to me.

I'm reaching out.