I witnessed something special yesterday and it got me thinking... a lot. As my family trudged through the snow covered landscape of our yard to rescue our cars and buy food, I saw a large group of folks across the way with shovels in hand ready to dig. I figured they were doing what we were doing- getting ready to dig their own cars with the hope the salt truck, or even better, a plow would come through to give us access to our roads. Almost two hours later we trudged back on foot from our cleaned off cars, bags of groceries in hand, and a shovel. To my amazement my neighbors had done more than just cleaned their cars, they dug their entire street out of the snow...to the pavement. I was so amazed and it enlightened me about what it really means to be neighborly and part of a community.
We've witnessed many catastrophic events this past decade, some occuring within our own families, many from our televisions in far away places, and some just a plane ride away. Sometimes we shake our heads in disbelief and think to ourselves "how aweful, I wish there is something I could do." And more times than not, we do something about it. Millions have heeded the call for "help" in Haiti using their own two hands or a donation. It's these disasters, however big or small, that get us out of our heads and out of our little incubated worlds. Snowmageddan being one of them. I have met more of my neighbors in a five-hour period of time shoveling snow this week than I have the three years I've lived in my house.
I'm grateful, in many ways, for the snowstorms. They got me out of the house, out of my car, away from my computer, and into the open arms of very kind people. I feel like a neighbor now.
Labels:
Mary Gardella,
Baltimore,
Maryland
[ Posted by mary | 
