Packing

Time for a time-out from saving the world and the more concrete, mundane but effective practice of … packing my suitcase. I can’t stop those heartless bastards from wreaking havoc on my country, shredding any sense of human decency and fair play. But I can pack a suitcase!

It has been six weeks since I stepped into an airport and that’s just been fine, but I’m feeling that “Oh, boy! I’m going on a trip!” feeling as I get ready for the first of four trips in the next three weeks. But it’s not just the travel—it’s the work. After sitting around writing about creating a fun, connected, vibrant, helpful community of children and/or adults through the vehicle of music, now I get to do it.  Not that I haven’t done any— I’m singing weekly with the preschoolers and the folks at the Jewish Home, gave two local teacher-training workshops, had two fabulous workshops with kids at SF Jazz. But now—and soon—many to come in Oklahoma, Vancouver, New Jersey, Ohio. And without any false humility, I’m as good at this work as I am packing a suitcase. Maybe even better and certainly with more satisfying outcomes. And in addition to the writing and the letters and the petitions and the donations, it’s my primary means of “saving the world.” Not in any dramatic heroic sense, but just my little contribution to helping people live deeper into their own kindness, creativity, humor and sense of being welcomed and valued so that they might consider welcoming and valuing others.

Seat 8D and my ritual Crostic await me. More to come.