No Celebration

 

The Things That Are Free

 

We are close to one of the well-known rituals of the Columbia year: the Fourth of July fireworks. We all know they are at the Lakefront. We know they are sponsored by Howard County and that all are welcome. There will be announcements about when it is permissible to come down to the Lakefront and stake out one’s spot with a blanket. There will be folks who disregard this. 

Afterwards there will be complaints about the traffic or the parking or something or other that was displeasing and inconvenient.

Perhaps this is why there are alternative viewing spots around town that provide a good-enough view without the hassle. Many are shared by word of mouth. Some are whispered only among close friends, like the secret knock at a speakeasy.

In my neighborhood the elementary school nearby has been such a gathering place over the years. (I don’t think it is anymore since the reconfiguration of the school’s footprint.) It has taken on its own personality, its own festival atmosphere which is enhanced by the diversity of our students and families. Children run on the grass with glow sticks. There may be ice pops.

When you have risked everything to make a better life for your family and are working multiple jobs to get by, there are many, many extras that you cannot afford. There are many times you must say no to the eager requests of your children when you would rather bring them joy.

That is why my memories of those fireworks at the school have such a pure and holy feeling for me. Everyone there was enjoying the same glorious experience - - without any division by income or enthnicity - - because Fourth of July Fireworks are free.

Everyone is welcome. It will not cost anything extra. It will bring joy. 

How many of those families will be outside enjoying the fireworks this year? How many will stay indoors, looking at the teary and uncomprehending faces of their children and keep their doors locked against the horrors outside? 

Independence Day is meant to remind us of what we rejected and what we embraced when we created a new nation. 

If children who have every potential to learn and grow and become valuable members of our communities are to be hidden in the dark on a night when should be celebrating freedom…

What are we rejecting? What are we embracing? 

Village Green/Town² Comments

Doing the Work

 

Friends, watching people cheer suffering is breaking me.  I have entered a new phase of doubting the world can go on.

And yet…and yet.

People are getting up today and going to work. Bookstores and libraries will be inviting us to read. Childcare workers will nurture children, restaurants will feed people, hospitals will treat the sick, and people will keep going to work.

Except the people who have no more jobs because of DOGE. Or those who have been kidnapped and disappeared by ICE. Or those who need to work but are afraid to leave their homes because of same.

People work in most cases because they must. And the more desperate they become (and/or the more ignorant) the more easily they will be conquered. Not by a foreign adversary but by native bigotry and greed. 

Because in desperation you have no choice.

Those of us who still have a sliver of choice are called to take on more. I’m moved by local examples and I suspect there are plenty we don’t see. 

People in our community are still planning Fourth of July parades and celebrations as though we still live in a normal world. No, more likely because they fiercely refuse to give up on the America that they believe in. 

I have no earthly idea how they are doing it. 

Here’s a lesson I have learned over the past week. I have always struggled to know how to help people because I didn’t feel my financial situation made it possible to do everything that was needed. I felt too small, too incapable, too helpless. Often I’d say I want to win a megamillions lottery so I could meet all those requests without limit.

But here’s the thing.

Since the ceiling in our home fell in and we were displaced so many people have reached out to help us and not a one of them was a large jackpot lottery winner. I don’t know if they wonder if they are too small, too incapable, or too helpless but I do know that they didn’t let that stop them from taking action.

From large offers of help to small gifts - - all were acts of love and all were so valuable to us.

Somehow I feel that the first part of this blog post and the second are connected. I’m trying to make that connection for myself.

Village Green/Town² Comments

Postcards and Bagels

 

Postcards. When you go on vacation, do you send them? Do you enjoy receiving them? Has their meaning changed over the years? Now that anyone can go online and enjoy vistas from far away places, does the shiny image of the Statue of Liberty or the Eiffel towel have the same impact?

I’m inclined to believe that the relationship you have with the person who sent you the card has become far more important.

Last week this postcard image popped up on BlueSky. I did not know there were Columbia postcards.

Image from BlueSky account postcardbot, this card sent by Ann from Southern, Maryland, U.S.A. on December 20, 1994.

Text on the reverse: 

Columbia, Maryland

Completed in 1967, Columbia was one of the the first of the modern planned cities. Designed by the Rouse Co., the city was termed a "garden for the growing of people." In the foreground is Lake Kittamaqundi; the background, office buildings and Columbia Mall.

Does any word there leap out at you? Read the blurb again.

“Completed.”

I’m not sure what word would have been exactly right, but “completed” is not it. I think of 1967 as much more of a birth year than a completion. We could safely say that Columbia was “something-something” in 1967 and people have pretty much been arguing about it every since.

No, that’s not right either. I’ve only been here since 1999 and I can’t possibly speak accurately about life here before that. Research, yes. Learn, yes. Speak authoritatively - - no.

I think we can safely say that 1) the New American City drew unto itself people with plenty of opinions and 2) it was not completed in 1967. This may be a question for the Columbia Maryland Archives.

What do you think? 

*****

People are buzzing online about the new bagel place on Broken Land. Have you heard? It’s called 

Über Bagels and it looks to me as though they originated in Ocean City. On Friday my husband drove me to a doctor’s appointment in Glen Burnie and I asked him if we could get some breakfast on the way home. 

“How about a bagel?” he asked me. He grabbed his phone and started looking for something.

And that’s how I ended up at Uber Bagels on their opening day, no less. I was worried that it might be too crowded. My husband talked me into it with these words:

“You might get a blog post out of it…”

It was not too crowded. The bagel was tasty. We will be back. 

Have a great Monday.

Village Green/Town² Comments 

Think, Play, Tinker, Celebrate

 

Today is one of the coolest events of the year and it’s free.

Downtown Columbia Maker Faire , Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods, 12  - 4 pm.

I’m not recovered enough yet from surgery so I can’t be there but I hope you will go. If you are as intrigued as I am by this quirky and wondrous celebration of creativity, tinkering, and just plain fun - - don’t miss it! 

It’s more than just looking at things. It’s a very open-ended, hands-on experience. So, if you have kids, or you happen to be someone like me…Maker Faire is for you. And there are plenty of well-cared for trees in The Park so you will have shade if you need it. 

Tickets are free but you must pre-register so they know how many people to expect and how to manage the parking logistics.

Downtown Columbia Maker Faire Registration 

From the event page:

Maker Faire is a gathering of fascinating, curious people who enjoy learning, creating, and love sharing what they can do. From engineers to artists to scientists to crafters, Maker Faire is a venue to show off hobbies, experiments, projects, and careers.

The Inner Arbor Trust is happy to bring this fun, educational, and creative family friendly event back to Merriweather Park in Symphony Woods, right in the heart of Downtown Columbia, MD!

Join us for family friendly workshops, demonstrations, and presentations on painting, sculpting, robotics, digital art, and so much more!

Curious about what kinds of things you’ll see? 

Makers and Exhibits

I want to tell you that food and drink will be available for purchase but, as of this moment, I can’t find a link for that. Will update as soon as I nail that down. And here it is!

Last year I fell in love with this guy and started following him on Instagram. You never know who you’ll meet at the Maker Faire.

I am putting it out there to the universe that it is my wish to be at next year’s Maker Faire as an actual maker. You heard it here first. 

If you do go, and you’re the kind of person who likes to take photographs, send them my way or post them on social media so I can enjoy it vicariously.

Village Green/Town² Comments

This Is What Changed Me

 

Fear. Everyone has it. Here are my top three fears from my early childhood:

• Being forced to participate in gymnastics activities in PE class.
• Going for car rides after dark with my family.
• Old, wrinkled, dusty balloons.

My top three today look different:

• Having my Social Security cut off.
• What the future holds for my children.
• Unremediated pain or asthma

But I’m not here today to talk about what I’m afraid of. I here to talk about what I am not afraid of. 

I am not afraid of Zohran Mamdani. 

There are a lot of folks out there telling me I should be, but: I’m not. I spent some time on Thursday investigating my feelings about this and I realized I have been blessed by something that a lot of people haven’t: I have a Muslim friend. 

I’m not saying: I can’t be Islamophobic because I have a Muslim friend. That’s not a claim I could fairly make because I was raised swimming in white culture and I make mistakes all the time. I am saying that I look at this candidate for mayor, read about his proposed polices, his professional background, and not for one moment does the fact that he doesn’t look like me or share my religious beliefs evoke any fear inside of me.

The fact that I have a Muslim friend is largely due to her persistence. In general I’m a very shy and insecure person and it’s hard for me to believe someone would want to be my friend. It’s far, far easier to crawl back in one’s shell than to keep moving forward and see what happens. What if I fail somehow? What if something bad happens?

And yet, here we are. Hopefully I’m getting better at it.

When you decide you are going to keep moving forward with someone in friendship, you learn things. You learn what you agree and disagree on. You share the stories that made you who you are today. You discover the rough places where you will need to negotiate or apologize. You learn the deep joy of acceptance and support.

These days I have begun to realize that so many hateful responses to things on social media could truly be replaced with the words “I don’t understand.” Whether it’s LGBTQIA rights, social justice, fair housing, or a new community initiative, when trolls come out of the woodwork what they are are betraying more than anything else is that they don't understand.

And, somewhere along the line, they have been taught that the natural thing to do in those circumstances is this:

• I don’t understand and I am afraid.
• I don’t understand and I mock this.
• I don’t understand and I reject this.
• I don’t understand and I must destroy this.

The opportunities we have in life to move beyond that can come at school, in libraries and in neighborhoods where not everyone is like us. Have you noticed that those are the precisely the places that are under attack right now?

Any place where it is safe to say “I don’t understand” and then be welcomed to learn what you need to know to understand is a place where bridges of empathy can be built. That is why Social Emotional Learning is so important. That is why the Arts and Humanities are so important.

We all have fear. We all have things we don’t understand. It can wreck us, or it can invite us into a different place. A better place. Not perfect, and not without fear, but a place where we have more of the tools to be fully human.

What changed me? Having a friend.

******

nota bene

If anyone comes back at me after reading this to lecture me about what’s wrong with the candidate from New York I will know that they really, really didn’t understand.

Back to Work

 

Good morning, beautiful people. It has been oh, so therapeutic to talk to you about my life for the past few days. But now I think I should try to get back to work. 

****

Elections. We haz ‘em. If you haven’t noticed, the magic alarm clock that indicates the next election cycle has sounded. People are “declaring.” There’s some preliminary info on that over at The Merriweather Post Blog, along with commentary if you are interested. 

So far I’m noticing candidates for County Executive, County Council, and State Delegate. Have I missed anything?

Here’s my question. How do you feel about these upcoming local elections? What are you looking for? What issues are the most important to you? 

Are there qualities of the public servants we have now that you truly value and you’d like to see more of? Are there things you really wanted out of the last election and they didn’t materialize? 

I will make an embarrassing confession here: one of the things I dearly wanted out of the last local go-round was for the different factions of the Democratic Party to make peace and work collaboratively with each other. What can I say? I’m a sap. 

The possibility exists that they could have come together in a group hug and committed to loving one another and then gone forward to govern terribly. I’m not sure my wish was a fair or realistic one. You work with the people you have. If that doesn’t work, you try again.

Many of my friends are extremely informed about local politics but I’d like to be clear that I’m asking these questions of anyone who is reading this piece. Think about it. Ask your friends. There’s no perspective to be gained by asking the ten people I know already. 

If you don’t feel comfortable sharing your opinions publicly, feel free to message me through the blog. 

There’s only two groups I’m not particularly interested in hearing from: people who don’t live here and people who are running. Of course everyone is valuable but you aren’t my target audience for this. Bear with me.

As always, if I get enough response I will write a follow-up piece. 

Before I go, one thing: The Doubletree on Twin Knolls has great breakfast coffee. They may have to kick me out. 

Village Green/Town² Comments