Sometimes we need to dive in and move out of our comfort zone. COVID-19 has taken a lot of us and transformed our lives in many different ways. Parents are learning about teaching. Teachers are assembling technology while trying to keep their classes flying in some type of formation. And the nation is discovering that rural broadband is not a luxury, it is a necessity.

How can those who are in the “last mile” communicate easily with physicians without Tele-medicine? How about students who are now distance learning in the rural areas of our state? In some places school districts sent out buses, delivering breakfast and lunch, and once parked acting as a giant wifi hotspot. Granges with halls and wifi across the nation, broke through their comfort zone and opened their parking lots to make sure that communication connections could be made.

But, as I said sometimes we have to move out of our comfort zone. The most comfortable place for many of us in the Grange has been “being quiet peaceful citizens“, doing great service within our communities and then shuffling our feet and whispering “Ah shucks, it wasn’t much.” We need to change our mindset and begin tooting our own horn. Reporting the number of COVID masks that we have made, tallying the food that has gone through the pantries we set up on the Grange hall porch, inviting people to learn about us, sharing our talents, and even posting events on Facebook and tweeting on Twitter are steps that need to be made.

Learning that we can hold successful meetings using Zoom, GoToMeeting or any of the other online meeting platforms is another step out of the comfort zone. Once we can meet again together we need to continue to use this new found knowledge to extend our reach to all of our members. If necessary (and make it necessary because they might end up joining us too) reach out to the children and/or grandchildren in the families and have them assist older members in continuing to participate in all the meetings, even if eyes have weakened or weather and driving conditions say it safer to stay home.

The more that we step out of the safe confines of the old comfort zone, the more we will realize that we can “accomplish great objects“. For example, yesterday I played BINGO with folks in Pennsylvania, Florida, and New Jersey. Today I joined a group of Grange gardeners in Connecticut and next week I plan to travel virtually to New York for an old fashion Grange Visitation after working in my California classroom all day. I couldn’t have imagined doing that two and a half months ago.

I hope that you will step out of your comfort zone and dive in too. Perhaps, even start planning for a Grange road trip in July of 2021.