Many years ago I had a dream/vision of a time when the United States had broken into bioregions such as the western Sierra watershed, or the Great Plains, etc. Each region had its own tenor and value system, and while they were interconnected, there were distinct differences amongst and between them. They differed in terms of culture, approaches, and demographics, and while some were open and welcoming, others were closed and solitary.

This vision has come back to me lately, and I can imagine it becoming true in the years ahead. I’m finding myself becoming less attached to the idea of the United States, and more interested in what might be possible beyond that. (A huge shift for someone who stood and Pledged Allegiance every morning as a child.)

As a result, I find myself turning more to my neighbors even as I keep my eyes and heart on the world. I’m tending to my East Bay region in ways I haven’t in the past. I love the “mix” here of folks from all over the world, the freedom to walk through the streets filled with humans who look like me as well as those who differ from me in sometimes uncomfortable ways. My discomfort allows me to change my mind and grow – truly a gift.

What if there comes a time where we stop trying to coerce and control each other? A time wherein ideologies based on hierarchy don’t define how we live and who we might call neighbor?

I have a feeling that we have a number of rough years ahead, and then we will be in a position to make new choices as to what the lands currently called the United States will become. I invite us to start imagining now what the possibilities for that might be.

My heart to yours.