i don’t remember ever seeing as many political signs over the course of a decade as this past decade. i – frankly – am weary of it, though, i must say, it gives you a shortcut into someone’s mindset. without even a conversation with the stranger in a particular house with a particular sign, you can pretty much assume (and, yes, i know the perils of assumption) their stance. though earlier decades would have necessitated intelligent conversation and debate, this decade has made staaaaances abundantly clear.
with flags flying and banners bannering and yard signs standing tall and proud, the political fight has taken to gardens and yards and flagpoles and suspended from the eaves of peoples’ homes. enough already.
in vapid displays of tactlessness, there – apparently – is no longer any leaning to abide by the ‘political signs should be removed within seven days after the election’ legislation so often mandated by municipalities, cities, states et al. enough.
and because it always seems like we are in some sort of election cycle, it is now never-ending. signs galore. enough.
it is exhausting. and rather depressing. to see – without a doubt – what you are surrounded by.
there is never a time that is not the right time to be reminded and to remind others: “you are worth so much”. in these times – fraught with all sorts of difficulties – any and all positive outreach to each other is of value.
never should we take another for granted. never should we undermine another. never should we dismiss that others are in need. never should we forget that others are hurting. no matter their age, their race, their gender, their sexual orientation, their ethnicity, their religion, their socioeconomic ladder rung, their anything.
we spotted the first sign after hiking. on the side of highway 64, we passed a driveway and i exclaimed, “did you see that sign?” i pointed it out the next time past. and then we saw more. transylvania county in north carolina was responding to crisis they had experienced. three teenagers committed suicide since august and the community is reeling. but they are not just jolted into grief; they are jolted into action.
a retired physician with seven children, four of whom are still in the community’s secondary schools said, “the conspiracy of silence has to end, both in our community and elsewhere. the evidence is clear — talking helps and silence hurts. what we’re doing with this sign campaign is a love letter from our community to our kids. this is just a small expression of the depth of our concern…”.
organizations in the community are addressing needs and are trying to sort ways to raise awareness. people are mobilized. much like the way dontgiveupsigns became a thing, transylvania county has started a thing. because every person counts, every person matters. and without aligned action, mission is void of truth.
we didn’t get a photograph of the yard signs. you can see them in an article in the transylvania times. but when we decided to use this as our quote for this first merely-a-thought monday of the new year, it seemed right to pair it with this silhouette of a chandelier, crystals – a symbol of wealth, success, status.
for each of us is worth so much. each of us – rich in possibility, in ways we contribute to the whole, in interaction with the world, in love of each other.
and there is never a time to forget that.
as amy wolff, the co-founder of don’tgiveup said, “life is messy but we’re in this together.”
reverse threading 