Labor Day 2026 we both had a day off. We did lots of goofing off. Riding bikes on the lakefront. Lazing on the grassy knoll, looking across the lake at the shimmering Emerald City a tiny city of toy skyscrapers way off in the distance. Eating vegetarian Beyond Meat sausages (no animals were sacrificed in preparation of this meal) (yes, that's woke), and saueted potatoes for lunch.
Then, we decamped to our secret garden, played CDs (Steely Dan, Mono, Fontaines D.C.) on our amazingly great Sony boombox & left most of the drama & trauma behind. We marveled at the geese honking and flapping in the blue sky overhead. We watched a tiny little spider building a silky web, yes, we were entertained and amazed by that little spider tossing irredescent, silky threads, pool-side, from one metal handrail to another. The spider web was an intricate, complex, gorgeous thing. Talk about working for a living, working for the next meal. That spider showed us the value of the doing good work, one silky thread at a time.
We sipped non-alchoholic drinks (yes, that's for sure woke), & sat in silence for long stretches of time. Time seemed to stand still. The day just elongated.
We were still talking about, & laughing at, that white, middle-aged, prosperous-looking woman who accosted my partner the day before. It was at the local Trader Joe's. My partner stopped to give some change to a young girl (from a marginalized segment of the population), panhandling at the entrance of the store. My partner & I always give money to the panhandlers (men, woman, mothers with children, men with children). Sometimes it's quite the scene. It's part of our shopping routine. We are even casual friends with some of the needy folks, chatting, laughing, talking about the weather, and the spooky, uncertain ways of the world.
The store is a popular location for down on their luck folks asking for money. The woman walking behind my partner shouted: "That's just like you woke people, rewarding bad behaviour." My partner was stunned, and firmly silent. She gave that woman a stern look in return. The woman then marched into the store, stormed over to the store manager and complained about the panhandler. The manager replied: "She has a right to be there."
Why were we laughing?
We couldn't imagine the thought-train of being against lending a helping hand, reaching in a pocket for some small change, an easy gesture of kindness & care extended to one of our fellow human beings. Why was that young girl asking for money? Really? Who knows? Bad luck, unfortunate decisions, trying circumstances, self-sabotaging habits, accidents, trials & tribulations, the hurly-burly of life, difficult childhood, an inordinate amount of trauma & drama, you know, I mean, whatever. A person who appears to be in need. Treat them kindly. Not such a big ask, or heavy burden.
WTF?!
You know, we fall back on those two old Biblical-style ideas "There but for the Grace of God, Go I." "Do unto others as would have them do unto you." And one we coined ourselves: "We are all one catastrophe away from catastrophe." Empathy & compassion are good, necessary drugs. We see ourselves in the faces & places of other people. We aren't really even church-y people. Small acts of kindness, that just seems like a logical & rational way forward; we imagine a world of kindness, care, & generosity, I mean that is the world we certainly want & hope get to live & to thrive in.
Anyway, yes, it's good to know, and to live by, the ideas & actions you are aligned with, and to know & walk awary from what you don't really believe in at all. Embrace: Love, Kindness, Genrosity, Compassion, Empathy, Reject: Hate, Racism, Selfishness, Greed, Cruelty.
It was a very good day. No labor, all casual goofing off. Good medicine for the headspace & the heart & spirit too.
