[PAEE] FW: Call for Community - Blizzard 2010 or Did we know that Sustainability also implies Community?

Mon Feb 8 10:17:49 EST 2010

Ruth Roperti

965 Edgewood Rd.

Beaver Falls, PA 15010

(724) 843-7046

rroperti at zoominternet.net

From: Iona Conner [mailto:ionaconner at embarqmail.com] 
Sent: Monday, February 08, 2010 8:15 AM
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Subject: Fw: Call for Community - Blizzard 2010 or Did we know that
Sustainability also implies Community?

Sent: Monday, February 08, 2010 6:15 AM

Subject: Call for Community - Blizzard 2010 or Did we know that
Sustainability also implies Community?

(hi all, feel free to share and have your own community gathering... ;~)

It’s 4:45 on Monday morning and something has kicked my brain into gear on
this very cold February morning. Baltimore just received upwards of 36
inches of snow two days ago and ‘paralyzed’ is the best word I know to
describe my street, at least. We have not seen any sign of a plow here. Not
to mention most of the region, from what I’ve gathered. (From the internet
solely – my TV digital converter box decided to die on Friday night too. Ah,
the timing
)

So I lay in bed and pondered how to still my mind to return to slumber. Then
my heat kicked on. Mind was already kicked on, and the heat joined it. You
see, I keep my thermostat at 55º, so this house is cold. 

When the heat came on, I thought of two of my friends who lost electricity
in the past two days. One was without it for 24 hours, and the other for 8
hours. Both of them lost their heat in these frigid temps. I’m mighty
grateful for having natural gas to heat my house. But then it struck me that
I don’t even know what will happen if my electricity does go out – will this
affect my furnace?

We’re supposed to get another 6 to 12 inches of snow in another day and a
half. This will be on top of all that is on the ground. Is there such a word
as ‘super-duper-paralyzed’? I mean, we’re talking about up to 48 inches of
snow in less of a week!

But then again, one of my neighbors has a new land rover car which might,
might be able to get out. I have lots of butter and munchies in my larder.
Maybe another neighbor has an extra good supply of kitty litter? 

What if we all got together tonight for a fun block gathering, ala trudge in
the snow and got our heads together to see how we could help each other make
it through the next week or so until our roads are clear and we can pick up
on our ‘normal’ lives.

(Is anything normal anymore, with this climate chaos that we’re
experiencing?)

So I got the brainstorm to organize a community gathering tonight. We’ve got
several elderly widows in their 80’s on my block. Another older man has
leukemia. We’ve all got cabin fever of various levels. And maybe someone on
my block can tell me whether my heat will go off if we lose electricity. 

I’m going to suggest that we keep it simple, make some tea and coffee and
share some potluck snacks. We can bring a list of personal necessities in
short supply for the coming few days and see if anyone has some surplus. We
can tell jokes about the snow and wax poetic about its beauty. We might even
get silly.

But more than anything, we’ll remember that we’re a community and we can
truly behave like one. And if there is one thing about this whole concept of
sustainability that does not get aired enough, it’s that sustainability also
means creating community and learning to share more and listen to each other
more, and be there for each other – more. 

I’m looking forward to tonight. It’s going to be fun. And I’m tired of
trying to entertain myself at home alone anyway. Plus, I could use some more
kitty litter, soon. 

-- 
Mare Cromwell
Sacred Gardening Specialist, author, speaker
410-448-3679
http://www.sacreddogllc.com
Blog: http://marecromwell.wordpress.com/

“If I gave you God's phone number....Searching for Spirituality in America”
http://www.tocallgod.net
Read Now - http://bit.ly/8NlqZw

"Not only is another world possible. She is on her way. On a quiet day, I
can hear her breathing.”
   - Arundhati Roy

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