by Kerry Williams
Lately I’ve been struggling with how large a circle to draw around myself of my connections and relationships. When my community is tight I feel so much love and support, not only directed toward me, but in the general sense that people are good and kind and take care of each other. I imagine that these close circles of relationships are replicated all over the world, and that bit by bit we are bringing peace and understanding to the planet, and growing spiritually as human beings. Even in the slightly wider circle of the Gallatin Valley, every person that I have a face-to-face conversation with seems to want to make the world a better place, whether we agree on the details of how to go about that or not. It is a good space for me to be in, to stay local and focus on personal interaction. But then I wonder whether I am willfully ignoring larger forces that can and do have a strong effect on the community that I care about, such as the situation that my coworker finds herself in as a single mom with unreliable childcare. I was in that industry as a new graduate, working toward high quality universal childcare, convinced that one more push in Congress and we’d have the issue solved, and yet here we are, 20 years on and after a pandemic that showed the gaping holes in that system, and nothing has changed. Should I be focusing on the bigger picture and making change at the state and national level? Am I being selfish by surrounding myself with the people and work and hobbies that bring me joy and give me hope? Because taking on the country’s social issues sounds exhausting and quite discouraging. And also confusing. I marvel at the fact that polls show the majority of U.S. citizens want to see changes in parental leave and childcare, in gun law safety, in environmental policy, in civil rights - and yet the news that surrounds us wants us to believe that there are divisions too wide to bridge. There are a few loud voices who shout down ideas that most of us support, and I wonder if spending my time enjoying my family and friends and neighbors enables those voices to go unchecked. If I’m at a backyard barbecue and not at the School Board meeting or the Capitol, am I betraying my priorities? And then I look even wider, at the global situation, and my sense of hope comes back. Seeing how the citizens of the world have responded to the invasion of Ukraine, sending support to those who need it and sending clear messages to their governments to stand up to this injustice, makes me feel that we are on the right track and that we can make a difference. Knowing that all the Ukrainians want is the chance to fill their backyards with those they love and chat around a hot grill makes me proud for the life I have built here in my own community. I am someone who cares for others and gives what I can to help when needed, and I am hopefully raising my kids to do the same. So here we are, back again, cherishing the tight circle. Are the daily activities that life throws our way (bad - doing taxes, going grocery shopping, cleaning the toilet - or good - getting a pedicure, having wine with a friend, playing with puppies) distractions that take us away from what we’re here to do, or are they the whole point of being here in the first place? I struggle with this daily, while doing my best to be there for the people and issues that I can help. Right now, I relish time with people that help me stay hopeful for the future and I pray that everyone finds their own supportive community, because that is my vision of a wonderful world. I hope this is enough.