Today is a grey fall day. It is beautiful outside, not too cold and the trees are all in bloom. The contrast between the grey skies and the orange and yellow trees quickens my heart.
Today I am at work. I am safe and comfortable and warm here. I will help people of all kinds to commute safely, to find the right size helmet, to find a new pair of cross country skis that they might get outside and appreciate the beauty of the world and move around and feel healthy. I love being at the Portland Gear Hub.
I do not have a piece of gear for today. I do not have an outdoor concept to present. I am not pitching you on tents or backpacking. Here is what is on my mind today:
Be Together.
It is clear that we live in a nation that is deeply divided. Today, I need to find somebody who has a radically different viewpoint than me and connect with them. In any way, we need to connect. We need to be whole and together and we need to understand each other.
Hopefully, somebody today will come into the Portland Gear Hub who thinks differently than I do. It will come up that they think much differently than I do. Please, come into the store. Be different from me. And let’s talk. Let’s talk about skis! Let’s talk about bikes! Let’s talk about that bowling ball that’s still sitting in the window with a sticker on it that says $8. Human connection is one of the most important things. We must have some common ground, right? And if we have common ground, we can then begin a dialogue.
We are a people that are on different sides of many things, and what we need the most is communication. We all want the same thing. To love and to be loved. To be safe and sheltered. To stave off hunger. It’s just that we see different means of reaching that end.
Please reach out to somebody and talk to them. Hear their words. Find common ground and connect.
Kyle
