heal the world

the fourth of july had me thinking this year about what it means to be a patriotic american. i want to be my own brand of patriotic, one that means questioning, challenging, dissenting, changing. helping to shape a better future for our children. where true freedom reigns, and rad journalists don't die mysterious deaths....but i won't get into that. the other night michael jackson's song "heal the world" popped into my mind and for the rest of the night i could not get the chorus out of my head! (so annoying. but i kinda loved it.) do you remember? it is soooo cheesy but the lyrics are all about love fighting fear and providing the inspiration for trying to make the world a better place. 

what do pool parties with big fun rowdy groups of friends and their children have to do with healing the world? probably nothing. but i hope a tiny little something.

because when you go to a pool party hosted by this little family of rad people driving veggie oil cars and making sustainable clothing, 

among a million other healing choices, and your other friends there are farmers and musicians and artists and dreamers, you just feel part of something wonderful. you can just feel that you are all influencing each other in becoming better friends, parents, americans, human beings.

not to mention the simple act of sharing good homemade healthy food together seems to promote a unique sense of capability. not only can we be good to each other and laugh and spread love, we can make a difference! 

 

my particular challenge is to not think about this once and a while, but to put activism into action. there are things we do as a family that come naturally, that are really just pretty easy for us to do: we live a frugal life and avoid over consumption, we believe that eating vegetarian is healthier for the planet in general, we try to buy our food locally grown as much as possible. but we know there is so much more we could do! for example, in the interest of time, i often drive my car down the street to the bookstore where we both work. it would be so easy, and so nice, to walk or ride a bike every single time; why is this a habit i cannot get into? the answer is, as always, i run out of time. i'm too busy. this is a mindset i am trying to change, among other things. 

and if there is one thing i love about being an american right now, here today, it is the embraced cultural value of change. i like to think that we are open as a society to the idea of change, it seems to be one thing everyone agrees on. what changes need to be made, well of course therein lies the dilemma, but i hope that it is a dynamic path we can all traverse together.

meanwhile i will take notice of the many lovely things my friends are doing that are making a difference in our world, whether it is spiritual healing work, creating a tarot deck, always riding her bike downtown, growing her own tomatoes, or attending protests.

these two little darlings put on a rousing "show" for us all complete with announcements, singing and dancing, and costume changes. enchanting indeed.

we rounded out the evening with fireworks at the fairgrounds. it's an event i've avoided for at least the last ten years because the crowds are insane, but we picnicked up on a hill by darin's work with a nice view. a bunch of our friends joined us, lucy stayed up till ten pm, and i have to admit, the finale really got my heart racing. it was so beautiful to see all those bright exploding colors just up above the ridge of pine trees, and i truly felt lucky and amazed to live right here amongst these wonderful people and in such a beautiful place. 

hope you are all feeling patriotic in your own personal favorite ways this summer! any particular thing you do that makes you feel like a "good american?"