Yesterday, all I wrote was the date and then something or someone called me away. I have been busy since the year’s beginning. I don’t want to list all the important tasks that came my way, but, but, but…

Yesterday was my birthday and, as a friend described it, my personal New Year.  I owe myself some recognition, some noting, and some planning for the new year.  That planning has, in some years in the past, been a list of resolutions. There was at least one companion who disapproved of the making of resolutions which seemed to them to be limiting in scope and bound to fail. (I’ve probably written about this somewhere but not going to check now.) I have found resolutions to be maps, suggestions, reminders, and the making of them to be a good time of reflection and quiet resolve.

At least one of the resolutions, learning to live with dualities, was on my resolution list for years, seemed to grow my soul into understanding and acceptance. I had no idea of how to do that growing but my insistence that it remain on the resolution list reminded me of its importance until one day, I had that a-ha moment of recognizing how and what I was doing.

My goodness, I fear that makes little sense, but I don’t want to stop and add examples.

Alas, I have not made any resolutions for this year. And I don’t think for last year either. Then, just before New Year, I read about taking up a word of the year and perhaps because I am not finding the time to scribble for a good long time about resolutions, a single word appealed to me.

And that was easy.  Community is my word of the year.  And for an easy reason why. 

I’ve written before, at least I think so, that Ed, my partner, has spent his life engaged in union organizing and social justice work. His interests are far-reaching—Unite Here, Local 26, his union, and almost any other union activity, Somerville for Palestine (which became the first U.S. city to vote in favor of divesting from Israel’s apartheid and genocide of Palestinians), trans rights, especially for young people, and of course, supporting the anti-fascist work we are all engaged in right now. This is, by no means, an exhaustive list. I expect that a few that I list might not rise to the top of his list if he were making one. He goes to meetings, demonstrations, marches, and standouts. He speaks at many of these; these days he is busiest trying to get others to speak when he is asked to—he believes that it is time to pass torches. He writes articles, texts, and emails communicating with like-minded workers throughout the country. So, in a discussion a few weeks ago, and I can’t remember exactly how it began, I asked why he continues doing all that he does. He puts a lot of time every week into his work, for no recompense, for no personal benefit.  No personal benefit that I could see.

And so, why do it all?

And his answer to me was “community.” His energy goes to people and causes that affect his community. And he sees his community as very expansive. In some ways, especially these days, I do the same.  Many of us do the same, but for Ed, it appears to be the core of living his life.

And that inspired me to begin to think in those terms—who is my community and how can I focus my energy for those in my community? I do tend to go down the rabbit hole of self-interest far too often.  I work for Julia, I work for my own artistic endeavors. I spend some time working for Cheshire and working for my church. I give some time, talent, and support to the HILR community. But are those people and places my entire community?  And what is it that I want to do, give, be a part of? What can I do to further the interests of those in my community? And can I be more conscious of my purpose, goals, and actions?

This is not what I was meaning to write this morning, but it feels important at this moment to publicly, as far as blogging is public, commit to this idea and its actions. 

A whole contemplation, a whole pondering, and a resolution to concentrate my energy on community.