People Power!

Growing up in Southeastern Montana, I gained an independent spirit coupled with a deep sense of interdependence. I am sure a sociologist could give me sound background on the formulation of regional attitudes, but I have some ideas of mine own to share. There’s a surprise!

I think our Montana sense of connection without intrusion was a byproduct of remote locations coupled with extreme weather conditions. If you passed someone whose car was broken down along side the road—you stopped. The aid you offered might be the only assistance to pass their way for hours. Have you traveled across Southeastern Montana? Just look at a map and trace the route between Miles City North to Jordan. You will notice that a) the “dots” that signify towns are all teeny tiny dots…generally the smallest available to cartographers, and b) the light gray lines connecting the dots stretch for nearly 100 miles with nary a speck in between. Of course, if you’re traveling that road in person, you will be enjoying some of finest wide open spaces on God’s great earth. However, the scenery is little comfort if you are a stranded motorist. In the winter, being stranded can be deadly. So, everyone is ready to lend a hand…or a shovel. Whatever it takes to survive together.

Another hallmark of my upbringing were the neighbors. I grew up on a block where the “neighbor ladies” regularly gathered around our kitchen table for coffee. They shared stories and possibly concerns. I don’t remember specifics. I just remember that they seemed to share me! Lundena Talarsky, Ruby Taylor, Nellie Davis and Dorothy Provost watched over me. Whether making sure I crossed the street safely; that I recovered from spills on my banana bike or roller skates or that my 4-H projects were completed in time for the Fair, they were part of the village that raised this child.

As we hear about programs that might leap to life via Federal stimuli to save the economy; as we wait for policies that make sure people behave nicely; and as we anticipate the point by point ascension of the Dow Jones Average to restore our collective happiness, I find myself wanting to climb a local water tower…not to shoot anyone, but to shout “WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?”

The power to change anything lies in one place—within people. People help people get unstuck, whether they’re in a snow bank or in the quagmire of a weak economy. People help people establish the same kinds of networks of care today that the neighbor ladies created on Merriam Street. But people have to remember that…hello…it’s up to us!

Whether you have a neighbor out of work, or a friend who has the blues, it is your job to help. Unless you want to live a life in solitary confinement, we are all connected and we are our brother’s keeper…even if we just know our brother through the friend of a friend. Sure, you have to decide to help yourself and you shouldn’t sit and engage in personal pity parties, but you also should decide to help others even if it appears they are stuck in a rut of their own creation. (Nothing throws off healthy interdependence like judgment and casting aspersions when you’re supposed to be helping and casting safety nets!!)

Here’s a brief list of ways to jump start the power of people to help people who need people. (After all, Barbara Striesand, didn’t sing, “People who need programs are the luckiest people in the world!”)

• Listen for ways to use your network on behalf of others. Instead of thinking how sad that Jane’s daughter is out of work as an auto mechanic, remember that your friend Joe’s brother-in-law owns an auto shop. Call him, reintroduce yourself or introduce yourself as a friend of Joe’s and say, “hey, I know of a great mechanic and wondered if you have any jobs.” Of course, you have to feel confident in the abilities of Jane’s daughter, but a connection as remote as a friend of a friend of a friend isn’t too many degrees of separation when the world is in need of helping hands. The internet makes this even simpler. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn make it a breeze to introduce people to one another who might find some connection mutually beneficial. Why should you take the time to work on behalf of someone else. Well…because it’s nice and I hope you are nice…and if you need to look at it from a self-serving perspective, you could be the next one who slides off the road into the ditch!
• Throw a party. As many times as I’ve mentioned this in my blog lately, I probably sound like I’m desperate for social opportunities. And remember my mantra…chips, beer and soda pop are all you need to get a party started. Have each guest bring something and it’s a breeze. I read of one woman who threw a pink slip party when her friends were laid off. Why? Because in the best of times, in the worst of times and in the in between times, lives improve when they are shared and when the powerful medicine of laughter and lightheartedness are allowed to take hold.
• Smile at people. Please!! Say pleasant things to one another while you ride in the elevator; pass in the supermarket aisles; waiting in line. The simplest connections create community. Mother Teresa said, “Peace begins with a smile!”
• Volunteer and donate. Donate time, money, stuff (you don’t need it; you’ll feel lighter without it; and someone else may really need it!), food, and your talent. If you are a good proofreader, offer to read cover letters and resumes and at any of the community job service locations; if you’re a good cook, drop off the gift of a meal or spend the afternoon baking cookies with the children of a friend who may be exhausted.
• Pick up trash. On your walk through your neighborhood, pick up trash. It’s amazing how quickly we let ourselves and our communities go when we’re depressed…so plant some colorful flowers where passersby can enjoy them, pick up trash and bring a bit of beauty to bleak times.
• Sing, whistle and dance. My daughter taught my sister to tap dance this week. While they were at the mall.

What can you do to make your little corner of the world a little better? I don’t know, but I do know this, it’s time to do it!

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