Fixing a torn town

Every year I have basic goals that I set for myself. This year I have goals for fitness, finance, and social responsibility. One of the most important aspects of my life is making sure I make someone smile every day. This year I hope to use this goal to change my town.

My town is being slowly taken over by a group of people that is highly homophobic, sexist and overall judgmental of anyone not involved in their church. I try to be an open-minded person however, watching a group of people openly ridicule the populations that seem to have the most judgment placed on them already is really difficult. Before this church started their openly hostile takeover my town was a place where people could be themselves pride parades and drag shows were a fun rite of passage for the high school students here and now it is a battle for basic human rights. I want to help circle it back. I want to spread love. I want to kill this judgmental mentality with all the love I have to give.

I read a book that talked about talking to people you would normally be judging and finding out what makes them more real to you, finding common ground with someone you seem to have no similarities with can help make difficult conversations a little easier, or at least more respectful. I am hoping that at some point this year I can find a way to set up a coffee or something with a female member of the church in our town to find that common ground and discover why they are choosing to live the life they are. It is really hard for me to understand why a woman would want to be in a relationship that preaches that all women are built to “make the sandwiches”, which is a topic the preacher discussed on a podcast. I wish I were joking, but I am not. I feel like in order to try to learn compassion for this group of people I need to befriend someone and get to know them as a person and not a Christ church member.

Although changing my views on that group of individuals is a goal of mine, I also have huge ideas for impacting my town in general. I want to facilitate a town full of people that show care and kindness at every opportunity.

I have been doing random acts of kindness anonymously for over a year. I intend to continue doing so but on a much more regular basis. This year every time I have manifested money into my life, I have taken at least twenty dollars and have done an act of random kindness. I will be taking the same amount from each paycheck and following my new personal rule.

My favorite acts of kindness so far have been slipping cash under the lids of baby formula or into diapers and buying coffee for strangers even if I am not buying coffee for myself. I hope that these choices that I am making can impact my town slowly to pay it forward. In the past people in this town have been very generous towards me and I love being able to keep the positivity/generosity cycle going.

I love my town and although we have been through some painful growth, I know that the two extremes of this town must have some common ground. I want to facilitate the conversation between the outgoing, gay pride celebrating, and beautiful people of my town and the strait laced, God fearing, elegant people of my town. If I can help bring them together, I know this town will be an unstoppable example of love and respect no matter the opinions of the people involved.