After returning from vacation last week, I became aware of a situation in my neighborhood (i.e. community) that concerned me.  The more I learned, the more concerned I became.  So concerned, in fact, that I took action.  Not major action, mind you.  But I did write an email message expressing my opinion about the situation and the potential resolution.  Then, I sent it to people in my personal address book.  Later, I was asked if I was willing to have printed copies of the message distributed in the neighborhood.  I agreed.

The reaction to my participation in this situation has been interesting…

• My husband hasn’t said much.  I THINK he agrees with my position about the situation.  I get the feeling, though, that he’s more worried about what I might say how far I might go in my participation than he is about agreeing or disagreeing with me.
• A couple of neighbors have responded positively and indicated that they agree with me.
• A couple of neighbors, people I do not know personally, have responded negatively.  They have not indicated that they disagree with my opinion.  Rather, they are concerned that my opinion might be offensive to other people in the neighborhood.
• Others have not indicated an opinion but have thanked me for making them aware of the situation.

When I wrote the original email message, I had no thought or intention that it would make its way to the mailboxes of my neighbors signed by me.  I have to wonder what might have been different if I had known that from the beginning.  Would I have written the same words?  Would I have still been willing to participate in this process? Would my opinion about the eventual resolution be the same?

Tuesday, this issue will be resolved in a public meeting.  I am planning to attend that meeting.  It will be the first meeting of this type that I have ever attended.  I’m not planning to speak but I am willing to do so.  No matter the outcome, when I look back on this experience, I’ll remember it as the time I learned that, someday, we all have to figure out what we value enough to make us willing to sign.