Rather than complaining about all I see that is wrong in the world, I went out into the world and did my little part to try to fix it.
Today I volunteered for HRC's "No Excuses" campaign. The idea behind the campaign is to meet with our representatives, face to face, while they're on their August break, and discuss the issues that are important to the LGBT community.
It was the first time I've ever done anything like this. Until a few years ago, I couldn't have told you who my representatives were. So meeting with them was truly out of the question.
I've never felt as empowered as I felt today.
Our government is not something distant and untouchable. The laws that govern our lives do not get shaped in a far off distant place. You can make your voice heard. They pay attention to your letters. They pay attention to your phone calls and your emails. But it takes a commitment. A commitment on your part to do something. To stop merely complaining to friends and neighbors. To stop merely complaining to your carpool buddy on the way to work. If you're unhappy with some of what's going on in your world, you can begin to affect change in that world.
For the first time today, I did just that. And if I weren't so tired right now I'd be much more eloquent in describing it.
I would love nothing more than to go into the details of the meeting, but I've got to go to bed. I will just say this: today I volunteered my time and my energy and possibly made a very small dent in a very hard world.
It is a feeling unlike any I've ever had before.
And I want to have it again.
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