walk and push

funny how things turn out

Today we received our end of the cold front that the rest of the nation has been struggling with, bitter cold with a wind chill factor that is just...out of control.

So I bundled up, just like in the days when I worked in construction and went out to do my thing. As I stepped into the wind, all warm and snug in all my layers, I thought "I must have been seriously crazy to have been out all those years working in the winter when it was below zero."

But there you have it, another skill I have in my back pocket. The ability to wander around for hours in bitter cold.

Which was not my intention. My intention was to go out in the am to continue doing my family thing and then tuck myself back into the cave for the remainder of the day. But as always, I tucked myself back in and an email arrived and off I went across town to attend a press conference. I will talk more about that later.

On my way back I decided to get off the bus and walk the rest of the way.

This turned out to be my version of going to the gym because, all bundled up and prepared and walking along the main street I was right where a helping hand was needed to be to push 4 cars out of the road when they upped and died in the cold.

Gas here has passed $3 a gallon. None of the cars or people are happy. I am very grateful that between my feet, the bike and the bus I can reach anywhere I need to go to in the state.

Not so happy that in all my layers I was completely soaked after the walk and push home.

The reason I dragged myself out to go to the press conference (and I will get more specific about that later, not now I am tired but I recorded it and will broadcast it on blogtalk) is that while the purpose of the PC was very good - the announcement of a new shelter being made available from the combined efforts of the faith council (building donated by the RC), the press release (which one can crib from to write a short article) only mentioned two members of the council (and quoted them) - both white and both mainstream catholic/christian faiths.

No harm in that, except that I knew from an earlier announcement that there was more involved - more communities of faith, more leaders of every minority - in the list of speakers were Rabbis, an Imam, a Muslim Chaplain, a Hispanic Minister from the Gloria Dei Lutherans, a UCC Minister, and the female Episcopal Bishop of RI.

To me...it would have been a lapse in judgment to have stayed tucked in my cave and not gone rather then to bundle up go and record it, take notes and "punch up" the article bit so that more people can see that their communities are working towards finding a way to come together and solve a common problem - homelessness.

It was not so much the politically correct idea of having "one of every kind" but the fact that as they were all lined up and waiting to speak it was like seeing a snapshot of the communities that exist in the state. While we are known as one of the most Roman Catholic states, we have become so much more and it would have been an affront to those communities efforts to have ignored them in print or via a radio broadcast.

Now...I have a scant few hours to work and then I have to bundle up and go back out.

c.2010 Cassandra Tribe. All Rights Reserved.