Mending Fences

Whew! 2020 is over but there are some collateral damage and ongoing challenges that didn’t just disappear on January 1st if you haven’t noticed. We can see the light at the end of the tuel but we know it’s going to take some work to get there. Some of us have been hurt or are hurting due to losses that we’ve experienced. Other acquaintances have been so wrapped up in the political divide that seems to have hit a crescendo and cool heads should prevail. The times should return where we didn’t have to talk about politics as our first topic of discussion, in fact, it might have been around number 15 on the list! There were a lot of other areas in our lives that we’d rather talk about…let’s get back to those times.

So, what about mending fences? We often hear people describing our leaders and saying things like, “Well, this person will unite the country” or “That person has done nothing but divide us”. Even though leaders can have an unmistakable impact, “We the people…” don’t have to allow someone else to own our thoughts and actions. We don’t need to wait for someone to unite us, we can start it ourselves today. And we can start this at a very grassroots level. Start with a family member with who you’ve had a strained relationship. Move on to friends, neighbors, work associates, be kind to a stranger whom you’ve never met.

Let’s make it a movement and unite ourselves from the ground up! You, yes you, be a Fence Mender. How many fences can you mend today, this week, this month, this year? How about starting right now? I’d love to hear your stories so reply in the comments. And by the way, some of these won’t be easy. You may have to push your patience, empathy, and love to the limits, but you can do it. You’ll be really happy when you’re done, and you’ve had time to reflect. Good luck and don’t forget to share your experience below.