Growing up in a Catholic family, my brothers and sisters and I heard a lot of stories about saints. We were supposed to emulate them, but frankly, most of them were way too amazing for me to consider as role models. My patron saint, St. Joan of Arc was particularly daunting, so when it came time to pick a saint for my confirmation name, I lowered the sainthood bar. St. Therese the Little Flower got to be a saint by doing lots of little things - she called it "The Little Way".
As we start to awaken to the sorry state our country is in these days, many people are looking around and asking, "What can I do?" Part of the problem is that, as the economy gets worse (yes, it's not your imagination - the economy for regular middle class folks isn't what it was 5 years ago, before you-know-who moved into the White House) we're all working a lot harder just to stay in the same place. Add to that the effect of cut backs in funding for programs that used to make life easier or more affordable and most of us don't have much time left for being a "government of the people, by the people and for the people?"
Maybe it's time to resurrect St. Therese's Little Way. There are lots of little things you can do to save democracy and our planet that won't take a huge chunk of time. Some things are as simple as making small adjustments to your daily habits that will consume fewer resources. For example, it takes a lot of oil to manufacture plastic bags, and they last for eons in our landfill. Why not throw a few canvas tote bags in your car so you have them the next time you stop at the supermarket.
Speaking of the supermarket - you can support our local farmers and often get fruits and vegetables that are organic or not sprayed with pesticides by shopping at your local farmers market.
Write a letter to the editor about something you read in the paper that you have an opinion about - you can submit it on line.
Try taking the bus or the train instead of your car, once in a while - you might just like the time it gives you to read or just see life from a different perspective.
And of course, because I'm a candidate, I'm going to suggest that you consider getting involved in my campaign. You don't have to know anything about politics -- believe me, you'll learn fast.
What can you do to help my campaign? The first step is really easy - just go to our volunteer page on the website and check the boxes of the things you'd like to do. Be daring and try something you never did before. I guarantee it will all be fun! Really! I always enjoyed working for any of the campaigns I've volunteered for. I think that's because it's so much more satisfying to actually be doing something than it is to be thinking about everything that isn't going right. Once you've added your name to our database, it won't belong before one of our volunteer coordinators will be giving you call to lend us a hand.
And finally, be sure to look over the events listed on our campaign calendar. Just getting out and adding your voice to all the others who are ready for a change will help the cause and make you feel a whole lot better too. Our Funeral for the Constitution on Wednesday evening would be a fun place to start. Go here to sign up.
So that's all there is to it - lots of little things to do. I can't guarantee you sainthood, but you might just discover you get a whole lot more out of this pre-heaven experience.