@HomewithDean - Homily 10/9

Today’s thought is inspired by the sign on the restroom door at the coffee house Tina and I regularly haunt just down the road. By the way, if you happen to live in the Conejo Valley you too should up your beverage game and get over to 507 (that’s its name) where you’ll not only enjoy the best coffee in town but also meet the proprietors—Amber and Shawn—a delightful young couple who will restore your faith in the future of humanity. <br /><br />Anyway, 507 hosts a diverse crowd of patrons. Everyone from coffee-clutches of senior citizens to young families to dog walkers to first date meetups to the requisite huddles of university students that form the foundation of any successful coffee house. Diversity is one of the things we love most about 507 and I can only assume it is sensitivity to that diversity which led to the sign on the restroom door. It’s a unisex restroom but on the sign you’ll not only find the universal stick figures of male and female but there’s a third symbol of an extraterrestrial almond eyed alien, just in case it wasn’t already clear that this restroom is available to anyone. But my favorite bit of the sign is what’s written beneath all three images. It says, “WHATEVER. Just wash your hands.” It’s perfect. Male, female, or something wildly other … whatever … just wash your hands.<br /><br />And as I stood there amused by this silly sign it dawned on me that it pretty much sums up what I have come to hold as most sacred in my life: It doesn’t matter to me who or what you are, just be kind, be thoughtful, and do the right thing. <br /><br />There was a time when I believed you and I would only truly be friends if we shared similar philosophical, spiritual or political beliefs. There was a time when I believed our belief systems, our politics, and the power of our opinions were the most important part of how we impact the world. Thankfully, real life has a way of confounding abstract ideologies. In the real world I’ve found myself time and time again deeply enjoying the company of people whom