Self Photo

“Be All You Can Be” used to be the slogan of the Army. I was glad the Army moved on to a new slogan so now we can all use this one. Often we associate others or ourselves with what we do, not who we are. At times in my life when I was unemployed I would say, when people asked me what I did, meaning what was my employment, “nothing.” Often our work defines us rather than our being. A little labeling like someone being the “worm guy” is not bad but it can be used to dismiss someone. Dorothy Day, the co-founder of the Catholic Worker used to say, “Don’t call me a saint.” Although she is now being considering for sainthood by the Catholic church, what she meant was really do not dismiss me by saying my work with the poor or my peacemaking was only for “saints.” There are all kinds of tags out there, some complimentary and some insulting. But for me the only legitimate ones are ones that persons give themselves. For example when I was a youth minister working with youth who enjoyed rap music, I used to say humorously that I was a rapper. I even had a rap name “reject” and came up with a few lame raps. Now if someone calls me the “worm man” I accept it with humor. However, I resist if called a liberal, prophet or some not so nice names. To any name or stigma there may be an element of truth but no one is how they are defined. Persons with a mental illness are not mentally ill, no more so that a person with cancer is cancerous. We are who we are and if we are true to ourselves often what we do reflects who we are and what we do influences who we are.

With the help of my adult son Peter, we took some steps forward today in preparing part of the front lawn to be a rain garden. Rain gardens, like growing power gardens, take a good deal of work the first time around, but then are sustainable with low maintenance. In some ways dong the rain garden will perhaps influence who I am. But persons already say I am “all wet” so maybe the change will not be detectable.

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