Project Mayhem: Spread some love

For this blog, you need three things:

The name “Project Mayhem” comes from Fight Club, and refers to a project meant to disrupt the normal order.
2016 – and specifically, the incoming government – has made a lot (a LOT) of people feel frightened, threatened, and hated.
We can make change in the space immediately around us, but we often forget.

When I refer to Project Mayhem from here on out, I’m talking about doing things to effect positive change in the world. Yes, you, all by your little lonesome old self, can spread some love. Make people feel better. Make your neighborhood a little safer. Here’s a handful of ideas, some of which I’ve done:

Messages: Take chalk with you when you go out. Write something good, like “You are not alone”, or “Love your neighbor”, or “Fight hate”, or hell, “Stay in school” if you like. Make it something good. Draw a heart nearby if you like, or a star. Whatever.
Support: Make a sign out of cardboard and poster paper – again, with a good message. I stood with a sign and some daisies outside my kid’s high school for an hour with a sign that said “You are not alone”. I got smiles, I got questions. A young man talked to me, and then he and his friends all asked for hugs. I gave out hugs.
Solidarity: Ask your local mosque, or homeless shelter, or food bank, if there’s anything you can do for them. It’ll probably mean quite a lot to them. (P.S. Be prepared to actually do something nice for them, if you ask.) There are also groups looking to
March: There are marches coming up in January, but they’re not the only ones. Find a protest, march in it.
Help if someone needs it. See the comic below, by Marie Shirine Yener.