I haven't posted much for the past couple of weeks. I have been grumpy. It has been really hard. Today, someone posted this link on fb suggesting it for everyone going through something hard. I'm guessing that's pretty much everyone. It's quick, so check it out if you're intrigued.
http://awakemysoulblog.com/2013/09/02/maybe-we-can/#comment-1870
As I read that, I remembered a couple of people I used to see regularly when walking or biking the beautiful paths around our home. We would walk it really slowly when I was pregnant, and I had very difficult pregnancies. It was a way my husband would show me support through those hard times.
When M was small, I would walk it with her in the stroller. On the hard days, I would sometimes cry (yes, in public) as I walked. It's not heavily populated on those trails, especially at the times I walk them. Some people were concerned about me. A few would ask if I was OK. Most ignored it, looking uncomfortable.
The two people I saw most often when I was on these walks never saw me cry. They inspired me the same way the man in the blog inspires the writer above. One of them called himself "sticks" due to his two metal sticks with braces that enabled him to walk by carrying most of his weight with his arms. The other was nicknamed "curly" - Sticks told me this nickname, and I never asked why or saw any hair, as he was always in a hat. However, he rode a motorized scooter and had oxygen with him and on him at all times. I haven't seen either of them in years. I can only assume that they moved somewhere else or have passed on, as they were both at an advanced age.
They were both cheerful and friendly. Always. They were probably the most caring people I encountered on those walks and bike rides. Today, I find it awe-inspiring that the people who had the most obvious physical struggles were consistently friendly and present to the community. Those of us who were grumpy and wrapped up in our own problems really could and SHOULD learn from them.
Today is about the second day in a few weeks that this reluctant homeschooler has had hope and felt successful in my current adventure. It is my marathon. It is an emotional, intellectual, logistical and psychological marathon. I have chronic health issues that are my physical marathon, as well.
Yet, as the author of that blog, as well as Steve Wiens (The Actual Pastor is his blog, and I have cited is, as does the blog author cited in this post) have realized that others have their own challenges to deal with and are doing something wonderful and tangible to raise awareness and funds for the cause. I would encourage you to check out both & consider supporting their efforts financially, at least. In our country, the financial support tends to be the easier part.
Maybe I can. This is a statement that has been used to help people consider how they can make a difference, and it's spreading. As soon as I read it, I got scared. Does that ever happen to you? I was scared not because anyone was directly pressuring me, but because I knew it would change me and challenge me for an undefined amount of time, and I knew that those things would probably not be a day at a spa, or eating more ice cream.
I'm looking for inspiration from others. I will not be doing a lot of running, but am incredibly proud of Steve for running the Grand Canyon this month for such a wonderful cause - search Rim to Rim and Steve Wiens for more info on that. You can also look for tweets on lunacy if that fits you better.
Cancer haunts me, so I am not chemically treating my hair and growing it out to donate a ponytail for cancer wigs. That is my wimpy way of doing something tangible, but it will be a small, daily struggle for me. I was inspired by a friend who never gets a haircut except to donate a ponytail for a cancer wig. I am committing to do it once. Anyone want to do this with me and symbolically donate a full wig? The number of ponytails required is stated as a different number in different places. The more ponytails, the more wigs is a fact.
I am considering some other, crazier tangible adventures in an effort to love others. Love is a verb. It requires doing. I'm not ready to commit to them by elaborating here. Not yet.
If you've followed this blog, you know about our unusual parenting situation and some of the things that are included in that. Along those lines, I have found a number of ways to try and reach out and support others who are in parallel adventures. Why do we do this? Our family does because it is the best solution for M. I know many other families who do something similar for the same reason. I am actively looking for ways to make it less of a marathon for my entire family, as well as other families who might benefit and keep their natural hair color longer.
What are your struggles? What potential action makes you a bit nauseated to consider? Maybe you can. Believe it or not, I actually studied marketing at a respected business university. I know it's hard to believe after that sales pitch!
If you have ideas, I'd love to hear them. I promise to pray for you and your adventure if you share it with me. I know at least one other person who reads this will do the same. You just might inspire someone else.
Update/Post Script:
Rim To Rim raised enough funds to save 57 "women" (teenagers seems a more appropriate term to me) from sex trafficking. Way to go, Steve! Way to go everyone involved!
That year that Steve ran Rim to Rim, I made 30 quilted stockings & offered them to people who donated to that same non-profit that houses and educates young women for a different job, and allows them to get out of sex trafficking in an area where opportunities for females are quite limited. I used fb to spread the word & asked for a copy of their receipt before I mailed them (and my husband covered the postage to support this effort). My family supported me in amazing ways. We raised enough to save 1 person. 1 person isn't as much as 57, no, but it's 1 whole person's life changed forever. That's powerful enough for me.
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