As the Winter Turned the Meadow Brown

"Mykonos," Fleet Foxes

It's raining. A lot. My non-scotch-guarded (and real, by the way, because they were a gift from my dad) Uggs are streak-stained and soggy, and the essays I've been lugging back and forth to my car are slightly damp and water-warped. The bottoms of my jeans are muddy, and these southern California teenagers I teach just don't know how to handle this (gasp!) water that comes from the sky. But it's awesome. I've been so ready for this change in weather; content to wear sweaters to work and borrow umbrellas and heat Campbell's on the stove in a soup-appropriate environment. I had the windshield wipers blasting on the way home from work, stopped at 7-11 for hot chocolate, and curled up under a Snuggie when I got home. I realize the idea of a "San Diego Winter" is laughable at best, but I'll take what I can get. I mean, I did go in the ocean last week. I might have worn a short sleeve shirt to school on Tuesday. There's a chance Tim brought home frozen yogurt tonight. Yet, these rainy days and weekends allow a chance for rejuvenation, extra blankets, and a (sometimes needed) reminder of why I love to live where I do. While I can handle (hell, appreciate! welcome!) the stormy weather for a few days or weeks, I also know these days are fleeting, and the So-Cal sun will be back before I remember where I lazily hastily stored last year's scarves. True, there may be a "tornado watch" in Carlsbad, but there are also kids shrieking about the "gnarly off-shore lefts" coming off the Terramar break. To my east coast friends: I get it. "Winter" is NOT synonymous with "Good Surf." I'll be sure to remind Tim as he heads out with his shortboard and his "heavier" wetsuit. You know, the 3 millimeter instead of the sleeveless.

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Act as if what you do makes a difference.  It does.  

-William James

On an unrelated note, I got home tonight (hot chocolate in hand) and watched the Hope for Haiti telethon. While I admit I've always been the kind of girl to ask for a People magazine subscription at Christmas, I have to be honest and say it wasn't the celebrities who drew my attention tonight. Once again, as has been the case too often in the last week and a half, I was drawn in, shocked, saddened, and sickened by the images and pictures flashing across the screen. Pictures of rubble, tears, limbs, dust. Pictures of suffering, of loss, of heartache, of confusion. Pictures of emptiness and the seeming inability to rebuild. Faces of terror and guilt. Pictures of a country so ravaged and shaken, the needed transformations and rehabilitation seem so foreign, so far off, so...hopeless.

But as I watched, the donation amounts continued to rise. People continued to call, to text, to log on, to fax, and to e-mail. Foundations pitched in thousands. Communities came together in support. Churches and their members relied on faith and prayer. Money kept pouring in, and despite this country's current dire straits and meager funds, Americans continued to find dollars to donate. And it reminded me of a recent conversation, during which I was told people are inherently immoral, filthy, greedy, and lost. Out for themselves. Unconcerned with their global peers...disconnected from their neighbors...apathetic to their families. And I have to disagree. Because, while I'm certain those people exist, there is still so much... good in this country. People who believe their time, their money, and their concerns matter. Individuals who are willing to recognize strangers in need and act. Some of these people can relate to losing an important possession, a home, or a loved one. Some of these people donate almost blindly, willingly, in an effort to make an impact. And, again, I think of the people of Haiti: poverty-stricken and underprivileged to begin with, they now face an uncertain, calamitous, and frustrated future. They face the reality and the immensity of rebuilding their homes and communities. Their schools. Hospitals. Their families. Inevitably, then, I think of my own current and personal aggravations: I have too many papers to grade. I'm overdue for a dentist appointment. I ordered that vest on-line from Land's End two weeks ago, and it's still not here. And, I really should make time to hang those new pictures and clean out the freezer...While these might have merit in their own right and within my own personal bubble of priorities, I have to stop and put my life in perspective. Because while I might be struggling to finish grading all of first semester's Poe vs. Twain essays before first semester is over, I'm not trying to locate a relative in the broken rubble. I'm not looking out at a sea of personal heart-breaking devastation. And because of that, it's my responsibility to do what I can to help their cause. Because if the situation were reversed, I would hope for the same...

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a 

single moment before starting to improve the world.

-Anne Frank 

www.hopeforhaiti.com/org
www.unicefusa.org
www.redcross.org
www.doctorswithoutborders.com
www.ifaw.com (Haitian animals)