One Mile

After reading the October 2010 issue of The Atlantic, I came away being a bit torn by a paradox. On  one hand I was frustrated with all that my generation of Baby Boomers has done--not the Civil Rights victories, not the discoveries, not the innovation that comes from our 1946-64 little group of several million. I was frustrated by the fact that even though we've done remarkable things throughout history as a group, we've also done some pretty ugly things as well. Like leaving our kids with trillions of dollars of debt, using our own sense of entitlement to plow through resources of all kinds with no regard to the future, and even though we been given the opportunities to intelligently and wisely  fulfill our "destinies" as this special group of kids born of the earlier "greatest generation", we sometimes just make some pretty knuckle-headed moves.  But then comes the other side of the paradox.

We still know how to care; we know how to look for things that need to be done and make the effort to change things for the better. We CAN make things better. Sometimes we just need to turn off the yammering national reports of gloom and doom and look closer to home. Maybe only one mile. Here's my idea...

For the next few months, let's each think about where we live as the epicenter and measure out a one mile circumference. Not hard to do--grab a map, a GPS, or a Google ap. Really study that mile and then think about what you could do to make that mile perimeter a better, happier, and healthier place. If everyone who reads this humble little blog would practice this and tell one other person, we'd have a good start.

Some will have massive populations of people with in that mile circumference. I'm guessing within that there are a few that could really use an ear, a shoulder, or a sturdy back to move something, to haul something, to cook or bake something, or just to visit and maybe help write letters or share a cup of coffee...the list is infinite.

Here we're short on people, but heavy on land...we can be better stewards and take good care of it by not consuming so much packaging that needs to go to the trash, by composting more, and by using things until they're worn out. Around here there are churches and cemeteries that are just getting by with fewer and fewer people to help with upkeep...another opportunity.

So...measure that mile. See what's out there. Do some simple good things. We don't have to set the world on its ear; we can, however, make our backyards good, healthy, and happy places once again. That's a pretty good legacy not only for us Boomers, but for everyone before and after us.

Have a fine day.