This is my Thinking Rock. I go here now that my Hand of God Tree has fallen into the Chattahoochee River. I took this photo earlier this week as I was pondering, yet again, how best to be effective in hearing and living my life’s ever-evolving calling. How best to honor that it’s ultimately all between me and my Maker (and it always was).

I decided that whether or not I am invited to serve in the Peace Corps (which I’ll know by December 1), I am done with advocacy work where I currently live. I never intended to be a local advocate for anything, but there was a time my voice and hands-on, rubber-hits-the-road experience was valued and useful. It no longer is. This is not debatable. Please don’t waste one moment of your life thinking I simply need positive reinforcement (however much I appreciate your kindness). I don’t. What I need is my own honest assessment of my lived reality and my remaining potential while in human form, and I am doing that right here, right now.

I know issues relating to some of the seeds I’ve tried to plant will come up as our communities continue to struggle to find a way forward in our undeniably changing world. These issues have sucked me back into the abyss in past years (including recently) when I’ve known in my heart of hearts I was actually long-past-ready to move on. This time, I’m not going to let that happen. All the “receipts” you need are in my books and blogs (including thousands of videos and photos) if you are looking for truth when city and national conversations get muddy. Please feel free to help yourself to them (with a credit line, thank you, as is protocol).

If you have a paid consultancy need, however (which represents value in our society and a readiness to act) relating to experience I have that might be useful to your organization, company, or municipality, please contact me here. I am happy to apply my passions and purpose professionally when it can actually make a measurable difference.

As we come to the end of a series of Jewish holidays, I am reminded of the words from the Talmud that I love so much:

“Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly now; love mercy now; walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.”

And so I will continue to do, and love, and walk. And I will leave my local work undone, in the hands of others.