The best of all of us
Dear Mr. Vogel,
You have undoubtedly received letters like this one about the November Project in Washington, DC and the vibrant community it has created. I’d like to add my voice to that chorus.
In March 2014, I moved back to Washington after several years living abroad. I returned home to my city pretty broken and bruised. While outwardly I looked fine, inside I was a thousand tiny pieces, and I didn’t know if they could be put back together again.
Friends and family helped pull me up and keep going, but the one unexpected solace I found was running. I’d been an athlete in high school, but lost the drive in college and beyond. But out on the road in DC, I found relief, inspiration, and something to ease an anxious mind. I put in miles, ran races, did triathlons, and kept my feet moving. But in that time, I still felt like something was missing. Was it love? Was it a new job? Was it a new apartment? Did I need a dog? Then I found the November Project in March 2015. The support of this crazy, inspiring, supportive community helped me find the version of myself that I thought I had lost.
The November Project represents what’s best about community, fitness, and inclusion. The hashtag #JustShowUp is more than a reminder to come to the workouts. It’s an invitation to come as you are. Whether it’s getting a hug and finding a running partner that morning, or sharing a smile and running on your own during the workout, we find the best versions of ourselves in the November Project. Coming to the Lincoln Memorial and Meridian Hill Park every week unites this community, this family, and isn’t that what these spaces are intended to do? Bring us together in a shared, positive experience. That is what this group and these sites have meant to me.
Today, it’s as if the world is on fire. At a time with so much negativity, hate and violence, I hope that DC officials would champion a group promoting positivity, health, and friendship. Allowing the November Project to continue expressing these values in our nation’s preeminent public parks speaks to the character of the city and the principles of its leaders. When people see us out there every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning, the feeling is contagious.
In the General Authorities Act of 1970, Congress stated that the National Parks, “derive increased national dignity […] through their inclusion jointly with each other in one national park system preserved and managed for the benefit and inspiration of all people of the United States.” November Project epitomizes this ethos and is exactly the type of community we should be encouraging in our National Parks.
I am about to embark on the next chapter of my life, and I do it with the conviction that I am, once again, my whole, best self, with a tribe behind me. This is true for countless others. We invite you to join us. #JustShowUp.
Sincerely,
Blair Greenbaum
