It Takes More Than A Single Feather To Help An Eagle To Fly. A Community of Feathers Matter

"A single feather can only do so much. A team of feathers, however, can help the bird fly higher than they ever thought possible"

Yesterday, I created this meme after fielding a few phone calls from a young man I've been working with from afar, who dropped out of high school to pursue his music career and whose personal choices have been frowned upon at home and he found himself ousted from the nest. He found another nest, but that didn't work out either and he called me seeking help. He needed advice and somewhere to go to rest his mind and to begin concentrating on how he can get himself on the right path.

I reached out to friends of Chitunga who know the agencies to help kids in a crisis and within an hour I had a list of options the kid could choose from - there are many organizations and individuals looking out for the wellbeing of children in every state. Social workers get little credit for the huge work they do, but they are a reliable source and their connections build highways for which a young man or woman can travel.

I had to laugh, though. When I called the kid to say "here's what I got for you," he responded, "It's okay now. I went home. I heard what you said earlier when I called and I know what I need to do now."

Of course, I got the brunt of his angst. On the phone earlier in the day I seriously thought the kid hit rock bottom. I simply asked a series of questions like, "What would your mother tell me if she made this call? Or your brother?" This angered him and he vented as if I was the sources of his frustration and anger. It was fire. But, I think that is what he needed to do in order to rationalize his predicament.

I made the meme above, though, to send to Chitunga for helping me out. He had connections and resources, locally, that were quickly fielded together to help another bird to land safely in an environment that can best guide his path.

We live in a complicated world and I think it is extremely complicated for our youth. If you're a kid who migrated to this nation from a war-torn country, though, I think there's a battle of living by home culture rules and the mythology created by media that makes the U.S. seem like one easy, giant party meant for a MTV reality show. They buy into the products sold to them and they really think it is much easier than it actually is.

And the laughter continues because such an exercise completely distracted me from my to-do list today. Still, what was done was much, much more important.