I made a list of places I wanted to live and experience life in. Places I wanted to soak up knowledge in. Places I only dreamed of visiting. Places rich with history, good and bad. Places that may not be pretty, but which were real. Places I read about in books. Places that sounded cool to a 16-year-old girl making lists in her Finder Binder while daydreaming in Algebra 10.
New Orleans was always at the top of that list.
Because I was young, I had no idea that living in more than 20 cities (as far flung as Honolulu and Paris) was probably not going to happen in my lifetime (although I'm only 26 and I'm already at six cities, so you never know). I picked a career that would mean constant movement and travel.
To tell the truth, I never really gave up the dream of one day living in New Orleans. I've always drifted and never really put down roots and I don't know that I ever will, but in my heart of hearts, I wanted to see if New Orleans could be that place where I settled.
The Tragically Hip are, tragically, right. New Orleans IS sinking and so many do not want to swim. Poor and black, they stayed because they had no choice.
I grieve this city. I grieve its people, its small, dark corners, its history and its immense cultural impact on music, arts and life. I grieve the fact that I will never experience it as it once was. I grieve the new ghosts that will linger there, lost among the older ones.
The first ladies of
fug have made a list of charities. Pick one. Donate what you can.
OR take the PBJ CHALLENGE with me.
I can't give much. I was sitting here thinking how much I wanted to give to one of the charities listed. I was racking my brain thinking of a way to do it.
This is a challenge to all the people out there like me. The people who are living paycheque to paycheque, but who want to help.
I thought about what would take my money from my next paycheque. Rent, student loans, bills. Groceries. And that was it.
I pledge that I will not buy the typical cart full of food to last for however long it lasts. I pledge to buy milk, appels, bread, peanut butter and jelly and some balogna. That's about it. I'll eat that until it runs out and I'll use the money I didn't spend on expensive food I don't need to donate to the Red Cross.
I challenge everyone who can do this to do it. Or a version of it. Buy your bare essentials. Donate the rest. Eating mac and cheese or ramen for a couple of weeks means you can give something. It means you can, even if you think you can't. You did it in university, you can do it now. Somebody needs it more than you.
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