My wish. I live in a neighborhood and in a City where I am surrounded by people of every color, race, creed, and religion. I am able to spend time and benefit from daily interactions with people of all faiths and races. Just yesterday, I was able to buy beef from my whole grass farmer, honey from a farmer in the Finger Lakes, travel to buy bacon from my German Butcher, get lunch from a Spanish restaurant, sit with my rainbow colored neighbors to hear two RPO cellists at my local library, and celebrate the lunar new year with neighbors at a neighborhood Asian restaurant. Today I was able to protest with Rochesterians of all colors, races and religions, and hear my black female Mayor talk about how my city will stand together and continue to embrace all of our residents. This diversity does not weaken me, or my City, it strengthens it and me.

As Americans we have so much, but we let people make us feel so afraid. Maybe we are afraid because we don’t want to share what we have. Maybe we have been sold a vision that we must have more and more and more. But really and truly in America we have enough.  It is certainly not evenly distributed, and it should be.  The problem is because we have it, and because so many of us don’t travel, we don’t appreciate what we have.  The vast majority of us, have things that many, many people in the world do not have. We have housing, and public housing, we have roads paved and otherwise, we have running water, we have public schools, we have a functioning government, and we have a court system.  

But we also have this fear.  Between this fear and the fact that most people don’t live in communities like mine, we have become soft as a nation and we have for to long let politicians and others tell us to be afraid.   Too many of us live in communities that are monocultures. It is as if we live in a giant field of tulips, just tulips everywhere.  While that is beautiful, a garden, a rich, and varied garden is healthier and ultimately more beautiful. No matter what the season, there is beauty and growth.   My wish is that my fellow countrymen could spend a week with me, and see what I see everyday, and not be afraid.  Not be afraid to be with others that do not look and believe just like them. Not be afraid to not have what others have. Just not be afraid. If we could, then you would see my world, and your world, as the beautiful garden, that it really is.