When the “appropriate” opportunity to participate presented itself, I realized I had to carefully weigh the options. I saw a notice about a protest on Jacksonville Beach, and I was relieved for the opportunity to participate in a locale that was proximate in both distance and…
soul.
I mean, why not?
I LOVE the beach, Though I didn’t know it when I made the decision to join this march, the protest path led to the part of the beach where I spend most of my time. It led to the part of Jacksonville where I most rest my soul. If appropriateness was what I desired, this was definitely it! Why not participate in a march that traveled the same paths that bring rest to my soul? Participation in this journey created the embodied participation that I was looking for. Walking these paths during protest demonstrated the DERAILMENT my soul feels due to the current state of brotherly separation. SO! Excited as I was to participate in a protest, any protest, it is quite possible that I was fearful of participating near the center of local activity, downtown Jacksonville.
On the day of my participation, rain created a challenge for protest participants. Mixed messages were sent out as a result of inclement weather. I decided to participate no matter what, yet I moved according to the direction that said the protest would start later. By the time I arrived, it seemed that decision-makers changed the start time on site. Therefore, I had to chase the protesters down.
From my car, I attempted to get as close to the protest as I possibly could so I could park and hop out without having to run too far to get in the mix.
Well…
That did not work at all!
The policemen who were encircling the protesters did not allow for much closeness at all. By the time I could park, I was likely six blocks away from the protesters. For the majority of my time in the protest, I seemed to be chasing them down, which was haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard WORK! SHEESH! I thought that was really crazy, yet I know it provided me with the distance that I needed in order to actually participate.
At the end of all these logistics… I suppose I realize that the embodied protest that I have been feeling is more of a spiritual protest for me than it is anything else.
I don’t know how I feel about that.
I don’t know how TO feel about that.
…to be continued…
