We Need To Be Friends

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This old gal…

Has been subbing a lot…kindergarten…second grade…third and fourth…

It’s interesting…getting the feel of a new classroom…the dynamic…the flow…how the kids navigate their little community…

There’s teamwork…to some extent…but there’s angst…lots and lots…of angst…and dissonance…bickering…tears…

Teacher me…finds herself using one phrase…over and over…again…

We need…to be friends…

It’s as simple…and as complex…as that…

We need…to be friends…

Friends…listen…friends…are kind…friends…work together…want what’s best for others…

Friends…compromise…share…lift each other up…have empathy…take turns…show respect…

And so…this husband and I…voted early…at a library…stood in line for two hours…a new town…a new precinct…didn’t recognize one familiar face…

But standing in that line…surrounded by those books…surrounded by those people…that phrase…resonated…

We need…to be friends…

For this community to work…for this country to work…

It’s as simple…and as complex…as that…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…