Afterthought #1

A writing friend, Charlotte Morganti, blogs regularly at Morganti Writes. Most Fridays she posts an “Itty Bitty”— typically a quote or anecdote and a few words of her own reflection. They often inspire me as I head into the weekend.

Charlotte’s Itty Bitties remind me of a practice in some Quaker meetings of a time for “Afterthoughts.”  After meeting for worship ends, silence continues for a few more minutes during which members are invited to share thoughts or reflect on the morning's worship. Those words often inspire me as I head into the week.

Today I’m adding a new category to my blog called “Afterthoughts.” I expect to use this hybrid drawn from my writing and Quaker communities for brief reflections on headlines, quotes, comments overheard, maybe even bumper stickers.

Here’s Afterthought #1.

Last Friday I attended a pediatric nursing update and heard a startling statistic from child psychologist Christopher McCurry.  He claims that every day, each of us has to depend on about 2000 people we’ve never met.  “Like the people who run the water treatment plant and make sure what comes out of my tap is drinkable,” he said. For me, I think of the engineers who designed the highways, the electricians who grounded the wiring in my house, the captains who pilot the ferries I commute on.

Sure, sometimes people make mistakes and my trust is shaken.  And the headlines seize on those rare, but often devastating, times when someone we depend on intentionally causes harm by abusing power.  But I take comfort in Dr. McCurry’s reminder of our interdependence and of how trustworthy those 2000 people I rely on are.

One more afterthought:  For more information about Quaker worship as well as the Quaker practice of sharing afterthoughts, visit Quaker Information Center.