Be a verb . . .
Written by Phoebe . . . Talk is cheap. Talking about needing change is not the same as acting on it.
As a parent, I am appalled that our kids do not understand grammar. Autocorrect and Spellcheck have taken over. Anyone remember Mad Libs? (Come on and comment, I know you do!). I used to love these. One person would ask you for different parts of speech. “Give me proper noun. Give me a pronoun. Give me an adjective.” How about those adverbs? (Hint: My 8th grade teacher taught me a trick about identifying adverbs. She said they usually ended in -ly. Examples: quickly, swiftly, aggressively, quietly.) These random words would then be filled into a story that often made little sense and generated lots of laughs. This is how we occupied ourselves on long car rides (yes, sometimes in the back of station wagons with pillows and blankets – and no seat belts).
I bring up Mad Libs because I recently tried these with a group of kids. They struggled as a result of their lack of grammar proficiency. So, here is my lesson to all my readers. If there is one part of speech for you to understand, understand the VERB.
Verbs are action words. They aren’t things you talk about. They are things you DO. We have grave concerns and frustrations about the registry, but will it ever change if we fail to put action to it?
We want change, but we want someone else to do the work. We want someone else to be the voice. Are you a noun or are you a verb? I am a VERB and I am encouraging you to be a verb.
Now listen, I fully know we all have different skills, gifts, and resources. It is time to find a way to put those to use. Are you an influencer? Can you convince people to join NCRSOL to help fund the group’s work? Are you financially stable to a point where you can donate yourself? Are you persuasive and good at talking with lawmakers? Are you gifted at writing? Maybe your call to action is to GO…go to the NC conference this summer. There are so many ways to use your talents. So do it. Be a VERB. Put action to it.
Be the change you wish to see in the world. Be a Change Agent. Be a Verb…
–Phoebe