My Nails on a Chalk Board

Toilet seats left up, toothpaste left open, cars that cut me off, don't really bother me. I see them as part of living together, par for the course.

My pet peeve came at a very young age. My sister, who was far more mischievous than I was, got caught and punished severely for something I had also done. But she was picked on, not me. She was really being punished for who she was, not what she did. I wanted to hurl my small body at the unfairness and punch it with my little fists. But I knew it pointless and was afraid to take on such a giant. Since that day injustice has been my nails on a chalk board.

If I'm honest, my experiences with police officers are pretty even. They were there for me when I was assaulted by my ex. But on the other hand, an officer who stopped me acted heartlessly when I told him that my friend in the car, had just had minor surgery. She was in pain. But, he wouldn't let me go or hurry up the process. And he was not very pleasant about it.

Still, I truly had a healthy respect for the force. I taught my children to address them with respect, to obey the law because it made sense. I told them that the police were there to protect us all.

All of this lovely confidence evaporated last year when I saw how the police behaved at the G20 summit in Toronto and it's a very difficult climb to get it back. Of course, I know that many officers did not agree with what happened and many officers have their hearts in the right places. But I am still traumatized by the injustice of what happened. The protesters were punished for who they were not for what they had done.

Again, my "not so small" body was filled with anger. How could I take on this giant? As before, I did not know what to do with my rage. It would no longer fit in my unconscious mind. So I cut my own hair and planted a garden. I meditated and read spiritual materials. I concluded that every problem, every injustice has a deeper cause. It is fundamentally about right and wrong. So the solution is to do more right, spread the knowledge, the love, the joy. That's the activism I choose to be engaged in.

I have changed in this process. In my personal life, I am drawing more lines in the sand. You behave badly, I will let you know. I see the wrong, I will say it.

Little Mary has a voice. She not punching the giant but she's blowing it's cover!