Doing the Work

“Happiness is when what you think, say, and do are in harmony”

--Mahatma Ghandi

 

 

On Labor Day, the beginning 
of my Swim for America swim-a-thon

As we approach Election Day many of my friends and family have been inundated with news of my Swim for America to benefit Joe Biden for President and my phone banking on behalf of the Biden campaign. I felt called to play a part, no matter how small, in this historic campaign season. 

    In my humble opinion, Joe Biden better represents my philosophy that government is here to help people and solve problems that some of us cannot solve on our own. In addition he embodies the character, temperament, and intelligence that I am seeking in my President.

    In recent days, I’ve spoken with many people who feel frustrated, hopeless, and helpless. I empathize with their anger and despair. And I also know that I don't want to fall into that trap. How could I make a difference, what could I do to channel my energy, my enthusiasm, my commitment? 

    Call me a dreamer. I’ve always found it easy to imagine possibilities rather than limitations. I think it is possible for one person to make a difference. And during the dark times of this pandemic and our coming to terms with America’s racist history, I’ve asked myself what can I do? So on the morning of my birthday this summer I marched in a rally from Harborview Medical Center with health care workers  committed to drawing attention to the racial disparities in our system of medicine, especially in light of the pandemic. It felt good to gather with people and still do my best to remain physically distant.  I attended another rally on Juneteenth in the Central District neighborhood close to where I live in Seattle. 

    And now I swim with a greater purpose.

    I love swimming so decided that I would make lemonade out of lemons. As the end of the lake swim season approached in late August, my open water swim friends lamented that due to COVID-19 many of the city pools would remain closed into the fall.  I decided that if I could keep swimming in Lake Washington until early November, i.e. Election Day, I could somehow use my love of the sport as a way to benefit the candidate I dream will be President in January 2021 and lead us to a better place as a country.

"The Emperor's New Clothes" at
Cleveland's Lakewood Little Theatre, 1976 

    The past seven years, as many of you know, I’ve pursued another dream that first materialized when I was a boy in Cleveland. I fell in love with a church production of “Hello Dolly” and confided in my mom that I wanted to be up there on the stage. My mother enrolled me in children’s theatre classes at Lakewood Little Theatre, where my first show happened to be “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” (I know, I laugh now thinking about the significance of that play to the current mess we find ourselves facing).

    I fell away from the theatre after college graduation until 2014 when I felt called to audition and then study acting at Freehold Theatre Actor’s Studio. 

    Due to the pandemic, theatres have closed until at least the New Year and maybe longer. Large crowds of people gathering in a close space just isn’t safe, unless you are willing to risk it all and attend a rally for the current occupant of the White House. I am okay with waiting until the stage curtain rises again. It is a small price to pay to ensure that we minimize exposure to people who may be vulnerable to this insidious virus.

    So I’ve employed my acting technique in fulfilling another kind of objective. A political one. The past three weeks I have volunteered every Saturday afternoon to phone bank on behalf of Joe Biden. My calls have taken me to Virginia, Texas, and Florida. I have to say that I didn’t receive a warm welcome contacting various voters of the Lone Star State. Out of 35 calls, 17 people hung up on me after barely saying  “Hello my name is Jack, and I’m calling with the Democratic Party.” On the positive side I did speak with 2 voters who confirmed they had renewed their registration and another one on the fence about whether to vote for Joe or the current President. I did my best to convince the fence sitter! I met much the same fate in The Sunshine State. 

    However, my acting experience gave me some practical tools to use while phoning for Joe. During scene work in my classes I learned how to stay present in the moment, craft a character and pursue an objective based on something real, yet imagined.  We are encouraged to practice, do the work. Employ the techniques we‘ve learned to get the job done. Discover authenticity and breathe life into a character.

    At the end of my shift I realized my theatre training had provided the best preparation for this political foray. I’ve learned at the ripe age of 57 how to handle rejection. Gracefully. Every time I make a call I make sure I’ve got a smile on my face. And if someone hangs up or says they’re not interested or are supporting someone other than my candidate, I smile again and say thank you, have a nice day. Not in a mean way, for I truly mean it. I’ve learned it’s always better to come from a place of love.

The Magnificent Seven, Labor Day 2020,
swimming from Denny Blaine

    I shall not let rejection deter me either in the theatre or at the phone bank nor in the crashing of waves while swimming on stormy days into November. I just tell myself “Keep doing the work.” And I am grateful that I live in a country where each of us can speak freely on behalf of the candidate of our choice.

And don't forget to vote and/or pledge: https://joebiden.com