There's nothing like a funeral to make you hungry

"We have all known the long loneliness, 
and we have found that the answer is community."   Dorothy Day


This weekend we said good-bye to the "old Circle Healthcare" building.

The day before this photo, the water pipes broke. The front door lock quit working. 
Our wonderful building was breathing hard. 

Those who could come, gathered in the large waiting room amid the flotsam and jetsam of the moving sale. And like any funeral, people gathered around the food. 

We wrote on the walls: wishes for the 5 stories of apartment dwellers who will be living in the new building. One child with a marker in her hand said, "You mean we can write on the walls?!?" Yeah! 

We asked 2 questions: What will you miss most? and what will you not miss? 
To a person the answer to the first question was "the people," the unique atmosphere of friendliness, "home" and respect that was fostered for all of our nearly 27 years. People nodded when someone said they had never been in a work environment as people-centered as ours. And they laughed when folks mentioned those not-so-peaceful exchanges.

And what would they not miss? Some people: not a thing. 

Those of us who took care of the building were unanimous that cleaning up poop in the parking lot was the worst. I have a friend who's been homeless all the years I've known him. I don't mean to sound like a politician, especially this election year, but I will work for the day when people don't have to look for the corner of a parking lot to take care of human needs.

On a lighter note, I handed out the water pistols and twizzlers I always had on hand to keep my co-workers amused. We had some great skirmishes!

A colleague and friend for 30+ years, Dr. Jan Corwin, wrote later:
​"It was just what we needed, and not too much of what we needed, as I know as emotionally slammed as I feel tonight, that if it had been a real sob fest, I might never have gotten up again."

Now about you.
Think about your life: your body, your relationships, your habits, your environment.

We are always leaving something. So what are you leaving? Some things are easier to move on from than others. Is there something big as a house that requires leaving? If there is, just consider it. Define it. Get the lay of it.

Moving on isn't just "poof!"  It's a series of decisions and actions....but more about that later.

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