“Let us renew the true spirit of that day: not the human capacity for evil, but the human capacity for good; not the desire to destroy, but the impulse to save and to serve and to build. On this first National Day of Service and Remembrance, we can summon once more that ordinary goodness of America to serve our communities, to strengthen our country and to better our world.”
---President Obama, speaking at the Pentagon on 9/11
I'm off and running, in this marathon of sorts, and am happy to report a wonderful first day!
Instead of my 17 year-old daughter Caroline and I sitting at our computers, as we routinely do when she gets home from school, this afternoon we headed down to a nearby creek wearing dishwashing gloves and holding black trash bags as we walked along and picked up pieces of styrofoam and other garbage along the creek-side trail.
Instead of being in our own worlds behind our screens, we talked to each other about our day, observed the beauty of a rushing stream surrounded by woods, and picked up trash along the way. As anyone with teens knows, having the opportunity to talk leisurely with a teen in an peaceful outdoor setting that has no technological or other distractions is a rare treat.
Later in the day I sat at a PTA table, signing parents in for the back-to-school picnic. I volunteered for this at the last minute, as it seemed simple enough. It felt good to help out, but again there was a hidden benefit - getting to see and talk to friends as they arrive and to meet a lot of parents whom I had never seen.
I'm beginning to think there are going to be lots of unexpected benefits during this undertaking....--RK
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