Years ago, I warmed to the idea of establishing a personal Board of Directors, a board made up of people - living or dead - whom I admire. The idea: Envision what wise humans would suggest I do in the face of major dilemmas and dicey situations. Reading quotes help me decide who among the famous should come to the table.
Ben Franklin (1706 – 1790) who valued not wasting time - "The stuff life is made of" - was my first choice, followed by Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who ruled from 161 A.D. until his death in 180 A.D. Along with my artist husband, Vincent Mancuso, and Albert Einstein, they have served the longest.
Marcus was born on April 26, the same day as my 10-year old granddaughter. She strikes me as wise and may one day take a seat between my daughters.
Ben Franklin offered blunt words to live by - professionally and personally: “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”
Recently, I discovered about two dozen of my articles, published in The New York Times in 1989 – 1991, are archived on line. They cover issues large and small – from post traumatic stress syndrome among Cambodian refugees to preserving an historic Connecticut inn to building playgrounds for physically and emotionally disabled children to the Audubon’s seasonal raptor count from a hilltop in Bedford, New York, to how sports can be a source of healthy esteem for at-risk teens. No frivolous waste of time here.
Worthy use of my personal time: This year, I logged onto a Florida Democratic phone bank and texted registered voters, asking them to vote and canvass voters. If they did act, I would be thrilled.
The words of the philosophical Marcus Aurelius challenge: “Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together; but do so with all your heart.”
In Florida, fate has bound me to some people who refer to the deplorable 45th president in glowing terms. Take last week: We met with a contractor to go over a master bath project. As he left our place, out of the blue, he dreamily said of Trump, “I don’t know how you feel; but I love the guy.”
How stunning! We didn’t ask this stranger for his opinion. What made him venture to say he loved the guy ... in our home?
Thanks to my Board of Directors:
- I did not show the contractor my “Resist” button.
- He did not know in January 2017, the day after the Trump inauguration, we joined 26,000 protesters in a St. Pete Women’s March.
- Another day, we marched to defend science and support the Environmental Protection Agency.
- Another day, we lined up with peaceful Quakers on a beach, forming the word “Resist.” (See photograph.)
- Another day, we stood at the shore with thousands who oppose oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
- Another day, we protested assault weapons used to slaughter young people in Orlando and Parkland.
- Any old day, I remain among the volunteer commentariat who rail against the outrages of Trump's administration in The New York Times.
I figure the contractor - just like his guy - does not care if he offends me or the majority of Americans in our country. As Trump ginned up his rally crowds with talk of “Beautiful barbed wire,” at the southern border, deploying soldiers for the "invasion" by Central American asylum seekers, the contractor’s statement seemed "In your face." So, much as I admire Marcus Aurelius, I’m struggling to love the contractor, let alone have him ever darken our door.
Time to call a meeting of my board. Gather thoughts from the brilliant former President Barack H. Obama, the compassionate Mother Theresa and Dalai Lama, writer Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., clever Galileo and many more. They'll remind me I can calm down after the midterms, even as Republicans attack vote counters as they did in 2000. But, like Florida's son, the late singer Tom Petty - I won't back down.
Democrats will control the House and serve as a check on the unhinged 45th president. I want to oppose his run-away administration and also respect the humanity of colluding Florida neighbors. They are selective in what they see and hear and wildly misinformed by right-wing outlets masquerading as news. Still, they have a right to be here, and we have a right to join the Women's March on January 20, 2019.
May we all seek wisdom for the living of these days.
Quakers Organize 2017 Event on Gulf