Welcome to Coffee Hour on the Street! This is an open thread for anyone who wishes to discuss their day, their concerns, their happy times and not so happy times, and whatever else is on their minds. I am the newest regular hostess for Wednesday. As the new hostess, I must admit that I prefer wine, beer, or Wild Turkey instead of coffee—so I am thinking next Wednesday the community should be looking for Happy Hour instead!
So I am taking a deep breath, as I want to discuss something that has been on my mind for quite a while: Community.
I have thought a lot about this, as we know our beloved Blue Street Prophets will be moving into DK4. It feels as if our little town is being sucked into the big city, and many in our town are making a decision about whether they will come to the big city with us or they will move further out into the suburbs.
We have heard stories about TROLLS—nasty creatures that, were they to attend a coffee hour, would probably steal all the cookies we put out. We have also heard that there may be SOCK PUPPETS—people pretending to be others, sometimes wearing many masks. Some of us know we are not nearly as eloquent and up-to-date as some high-falutin city folk. There are so many places to go when we get to the city. How will we ever find our way around? The big city can be scary.
But, there is another side to a city; as I found out years ago (26 years ago!) when I moved to a big city from a town so small that we had to go to the post office to get our mail. Cities have neighborhoods. My neighborhood has wonderful people who watch out for each other and take care of each other. We have to work on the neighborly part sometimes—not all neighbors are your best friends. But, we are civil and we talk to each other. We smile when we see each other out, and when it snows we shovel the sidewalks together.
We know what is important in our Blue Street Prophets neighborhood—health care, jobs, veterans, education, LGBT rights, equal access for people with disabilities, environment, care for homeless, feeding the hungry, elder care, peace, WIC, and on and on. We do not always agree on how to solve problems, but we work together despite our differences. We attempt to see how our faith—whatever faith may be for each individual (Pagan, Jewish, Christian, Wiccan, Atheist, Agnostic, Native, Buddhist, Hindu, Searching, etc.)—can guide us to working together to make our community a better place. We are Liberal. We are people of faith. We respect each other, listen, and care.
For those of you on the Blue Street who are nervous about making the jump, I encourage you to come along for the ride into downtown. If you need help, let us know. We will be glad to help you set up a new home in Orange. There is much to learn and many people who are ready to welcome you. For those of you at DKos 4 who would like to join in this community, please feel free to come in. We ask simply that people from all communities listen and communicate with respect.
Well, we also do want to know what you are having for dinner. Recipes are welcome. Pooties and woozles are welcome, as well. Come join us and tell us about your day!