Commentary

Buffalo Is Canceled: Caitlyn Lawton

by / Feb. 2, 2019 11am EST

For our special blizzard-impacted issue, we asked the community for wide-ranging responses to a general question: “Where is Buffalo now?” Below is one such submission.

As we round out the first month of 2019, Buffalo is burried under a cocoon of snow. Will the city come out of this grumpy about the inconvenience, or happy for the little vacation? This morning I went to shovel my path to the garage and found it already done. A neighbor on a riding snow blower waved to me as he trundled on to the next house.  From this to hearing from friends using their shutdown furloughs to  volunteer, I have seen more examples of kindness in the past month than ever before. This gives me hope for the City of Good Neighbors.
 
With the current state of the country, it can be hard to want to spread kindness. Politics have become a minefield covered in Legos that we must all navigate barefoot. Its become so much easier to isolate ourselves and avoid uncomfortable interactions, political discussions, and even talking about pressing needs in our community right now. 
 
I don’t have a perfect solution for any of this. I wish I did. Sitting in the warm, cozy nest of my snow day I can come up with a few less-than-serious ideas. I do know that little things can help. Act politely rather than reacting to rudeness. Say good morning, hold a door open, use your turn signal. Race, age, gender, sexuality, religious beliefs, and political affiliations aren’t necessary considerations for these acts. The little things, both positive and negative, add up. Start small, choose kindness, spread positivity. We are the City of Good Neighbors after all. 
 
Caitlyn Lawton, 37, medical assistant

If you’d like to submit an answer to our question to our readers—”Where is Buffalo now?”—email your response, in whatever form it might take, to info@dailypublic.com.

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