Better late than never

[swan_tower]

I forgot to make this post on the first of the month, but that's okay, because it gives me a semi-clever hook for starting it: "better late than never." That's just as true with tikkun olam as it is with blog posts. It may be preferable to do things right away . . . but it's easy to talk yourself into thinking that because you didn't do it then, there's no point in doing it now. Which isnt true. It's never too late to do something to repair the world; the world is never made better by deciding to pass on some action that might improve it.

You know the drill. Share in the comments what you've done lately, however small it may be, however old hat. If you volunteered, helped a family member or friend or neighbor or total stranger, donated goods or money, changed your life in ways that make you a better citizen of this planet, or otherwise did something good, share it here. You're not alone, and seeing other people's stories may inspire you to new actions. Do what you can, even if it comes a little late.

Comments

[tiger_spot]

I have been leading harvests with Village Harvest. I got a compliment on my leading yesterday, and we picked over half a ton of fruit.

I am looking for a good way to help people with voter registration, especially people who have structural barriers (trouble getting ID, language issues, etc), so speaking of inspiration, if anybody knows a good organization to point me at, I'd love to hear your recommendations.

[rosefox]

Try the League of Women Voters or Common Cause. I've staffed voter helplines with both of them and they're great. If they aren't doing voter registration drives, they can point you to people who are.

[gwyneira]

I've heard good things about Spread the Vote (though they aren't yet present in every state).

[rosefox]

We hugged and fed friends who are going through crises, and helped one of them extract timestamped Slack messages so she could write an accurate legal affidavit about her crisis (ugh).

I found this list of daily mitzvot on Coffee Shop Rabbi, and I like it as a reminder of the sorts of simple, small things that can make a big difference. As she says, no one does all of them every day, but I think most of us can manage to do at least one on most days.

Oh, and I helped someone realize that she may have delayed sleep phase syndrome, which can be a life-changing diagnosis, and am gently encouraging her to reexamine things she sees as "bad habits" (and beats herself up for), like often sleeping until noon and being hungry after midnight, and consider them as part of her wiring instead.

[marycatelli]

Monthly food bank donations.

[daidoji_gisei]

In January I donated a coat and scarf to a homeless shelter.

Last Saturday I donated platelets at the local blood bank.

[aishabintjamil]

Last month we were a link in a chain of people who between us got a friend to the hospital in time to keep him from dying of self-neglect (completely untreated diabetes - sugar over 500 when he was admitted, diabetic ketoacidosis, ventricular fibrilation, blood pressure with both numbers in 2 digits, and sepsis). Someone noticed he didn't sound right on the phone, and later wasn't answering at all. They called us, we alerted his housemate, and he got him to the hospital. If not for that, he'd probably have just gone to sleep and never woken up again.

The problem is it feels very much like an exercise in futility. He's been lying to us (and maybe also to himself) about checking his sugar and taking his insulin for a year or more. And in the hospital he's lying to the nurses, in circumstances where they know better. Like saying he ate when they know what they gave him on his tray, and what they took away afterwards. So it feels like it was just postponing the inevitable. But when it happens, we want it to be on someone else's watch, at least.

Oh, and I also spent an extra 4 hours running a cash register for a local non-profit event last weekend, covering the shifts he was signed up for. That, at least, was a success.

Also I got to watch a student receive some recognition at the event, using their preferred pronouns, because I reached out and made sure the presenters know what they were, which was probably as important to them as the recognition itself.

[juliet]

Helped out a friend who was having financial problems. Lent some board games to a local pop-up community centre. Have volunteered to run a home ed Lego club at the same centre & acquired a bunch of Lego for it (which is only partly volunteering, I suppose, because I'm doing it because I think my kid will enjoy it; OTOH when I posted online about it there are around 30 other kids who are interested, so I guess it counts :) ). Filled in a Transport for London survey about proposed changes for air pollution.

[ashnistrike]

Hosted the latest in our neighborhood resistance group's get-to-know-the-candidate events for Maryland's gubernatorial race. (Democrats only; we know the Republican incumbent about as well as we want to.) Our household isn't so hot at making phone calls, but our corner of the revolution will always be well-fed and have a giant dining room to meet in.