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The warmer weather, and my dog India\u2019s insistence on more outdoor time, has meant longer walks.<\/p>\nThe warmer weather, and my dog India\u2019s insistence on more outdoor time, has meant longer walks.<\/p>\n
The snow has mostly melted and what was a series of nervous steps around icy patches of sidewalk has morphed into a more enjoyable experience. We\u2019ve been traveling a little farther on our three-a-day forays. I\u2019m seeing some front yards and yard signs that I haven\u2019t seen since last November.<\/p>\n
The pandemic has reduced the number of casual encounters I have with my neighbors. I\u2019ve been grateful that the toilet habits of my dog has forced me to go outside.<\/p>\n
Even though exchanges tend to be limited to exhaling a muffled \u201cgood morning\u201d from behind a mask, this neighborhood ritual, where dogs take their owners on walks, has brought a comforting sort of normalcy to my daily routine. I think my neighbors would agree.<\/p>\n
Besides following my fur baby, a roll of colorful plastic poop bag bulging out of my coat pockets, I love to take in the signage along my route. I\u2019ll see signs congratulating graduates of local schools, deprived of the normal hoopla that should mark the milestone.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll smile at \u201cHate has no home here\u201d signs.<\/p>\n
In the absence of much conversation, these signs remind me that this neighborhood is where I want to live. I can see that I share values with others in my zip code.<\/p>\n
My favorite sign reads\u00a0 \u201cLas vidas negras importan.\u201d<\/p>\n
This week, as jury selection has been going on for the trial of the policeman involved in George Floyd\u2019s death, as President Biden\u2019s national address actually mentioned the increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans, the idea that any ethnic group, in their own language, would show their support for another group\u2019s dignity and struggles echoes deeply inside of me.<\/p>\n
There will always be differences between individuals and between special interest blocks. In hard times, people will often cling to a sort of tribal identity and can easily lose sight of broader commonalities.<\/p>\n
But the past few months have been especially assaulting on my sense of fairness, how much I value empathy and compassion.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been outraged by the refusal of many to wear masks at social gatherings or in public places. I don\u2019t get why someone would refuse a safe and free vaccine. If not for you, it could save someone else\u2019s life.<\/p>\n
I recently saw photographs of a eighty year-old Chinese grandmother, her face discolored and swollen. She was beaten by young men who listened to a politician not interested in solutions, only in scapegoating and blaming.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve seen people try to justify unconscionable acts of violence under the guise of patriotism. I\u2019m not sure how to engage them in discussion on possible flaws in their thinking.<\/p>\n
Government sets public health standards, including mask mandates. They don’t impose rules to take away someone’s rights.Their guides are reminders that someone’s right to free expression is not more\u00a0 important than someone else’s right to live.<\/p>\n
George Floyd is everyone\u2019s brother, is everyone\u2019s uncle. The bruised Chinese NaiNai whose photograph has been circulating online is everyone\u2019s \u2014 is my grandmother.<\/p>\n
Seeing that I live in a neighborhood that acknowledges that all<\/strong> lives matter is no small thing,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The warmer weather…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4958,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[462,464,300,463,461,465],"class_list":["post-4957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-black-lives-matter","tag-fur-baby","tag-george-floyd","tag-las-vidas-negras-importan","tag-nainai","tag-nosmallthing","grateful-dozen-neighborhood-discoveries"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n