Written: 07/03/2010
It’s been a while, a lot has been bouncing around in my head. I’m taking a short break from writing my last post, it’s big and unwieldy, and I’m going to need some serious editing time to make it coherent. Ed note: if it’s what I’m thinking, it’s still a giant work in progress that will probably never see the light of day. Probably better that way.
But I found a little bit of hope at work, and I wanted to write it down before I forgot it.
Sometimes I have to remind myself, that even though the organization is hateful and bigoted, a lot of the volunteers (and even some co-workers) are more sensible, and more often than not, just don’t care what’s going on between my ears (that’s a little bit of a reference to Savage Love).
Case in point, one of my favorite volunteers (and I do have a lot of favorites, actually) and I were talking about a man I used to work with at summer camp. We reconnected on Facebook and I saw the pictures he posted of him and his boyfriend traveling across the country. The volunteer was even closer with him, as he was very involved in a project together and they worked on it for years, forming a mentoring relationship. The volunteer refereed to him as one of his “Chiefs” and they stayed close after his term was done, the volunteer even co-signing a car loan for the Chief.
And so I’m reminded that people really are awesome. That volunteer didn’t have to co-sign for that car. He was in no way obligated. But he did, because he cared about this young man, because he knew he was a positive force in his life, and because together, we all work together and make good things happen.
So back to the conversation. I mentioned that I had just reconnected with him on Facebook (the Chief had moved out of state for med school and residency and that whole process that I don’t understand), and the volunteer recounted when he told him he was gay:
“I don’t understand it at all, but I knew that I wanted him to be happy. And he told me, and I asked him, I said, ‘[Chief], are you happy?”
No judgment, just honesty, and concern. And a wish to be happy.
All my best,
The King of Spades
