LIVE UNITED Y’All!

Recently, with the weather patterns Mother Nature has been bestowing upon Kentuckiana, a great many of us have needed a helping hand and it seems there have been plenty of folks more than willing to lend one.  I find it uplifting that in this day and age when many of us don’t know more than two or three of the neighbors on our street, neighborly acts can still be the norm.  It seems nearly everyone in the area either stayed with someone during the recent extended power outages or had a group of people staying with them.  Three bedroom homes were housing fifteen and twenty people, plus multiple pets, and neighbors were stretching extension cords from house to house to share generators. 

It seems I talked to everyone I know during the ice storm as we all checked on each other to see who was in need and who could help.  My daughter’s small college closed due to outages and all the students able to leave were asked to do so.  Over 1,100 students were vacated in about six hours of time and only 45 had to call the Alumni Building “home” at some point during the week long recovery.  Many students able to get home on short notice filled their cars with others who could not and took them with them to wait out the storm with their own families. 

Neighbors helped neighbors and we all made it through okay.  This is how it should be.  Wouldn’t it be great if it always was, not just in times of crisis?  The next time you see your neighbors, take the time to say hello.  Ask them how they are doing and offer to lend a hand if they need one.  Being neighborly doesn’t require a crisis, just a smile and a hand shake.  Be a good neighbor.

Photo credit: David Boyle in DC

General, Volunteering help, Neighbor

And, no, I don’t mean Jay Leno or the colicky baby or your spouse’s snoring.  I mean, what weighs on your mind and causes you worry?  Are you afraid of losing your job…or have you already lost it?  Is your child doing poorly in school and you fear for his or her future?  Is your marriage in trouble and you don’t know what to do?  Are your aging parents becoming more and more fragile and you don’t know what the best choice for them is…or even what the choices are?  Have you had your world turned upside-down by an unexpected pregnancy and you don’t know what to do?

I wish I could wave a magic wand and tell you that everything’s going to be OK.  Believe me, if I could do that, I’d solve some of my own problems!  But I can tell you that there IS help available and it’s as close as the nearest telephone.  2-1-1 is Metro United Way’s 3-digit phone number for information and referral.  Trained 2-1-1 phone counselors are available 24/7 and they have a huge database of community services at their fingertips.  They’ll listen as you describe your situation and then refer you to places that can help.

You can rest easier knowing that there’s a lot of help available in our community.  The solution to your problem may not be quick or easy, but you don’t have to figure it out by yourself.  So call 2-1-1 and then get some sleep, for heaven’s sake!

General 2-1-1, Community, help, how to