If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” ——Martin Luther King Jr.

The beauty of living downtown is you are never more than a block or two away from the action. I was at home “working” when I heard the marching band. I had been unable to pinpoint a start time for the parade but figured the route would make its way close enough at some point that I could step out and be part of it all, and sure enough, it did.

It was bitterly cold this morning (that’s what I get for bragging about the balmy winter weather we have been experiencing) but the cold did not dampen the spirit or enthusiasm of those in attendance gathered along the parade route. It was a magical experience to see the sheer magnitude of those participating IN the parade as well as those cheering it on.

It was humbling and sobering and an honor to hear the “I Have a Dream” speech played while being part of this great crowd.

It was a reminder that an educated, well spoken man (or woman) holds more power than any man with a gun. Weapons can silence a few in that moment, but words and ideas and dreams are resilient things. They are touchstones, reminders, mantras to be whispered and spoken and shouted in the darkest hour. They are the stokers of embers, the keepers of fire.

As I was leaving the parade I spotted a family walking across a parking lot. Mother, Father and two twin girls. These girls were IDENTICAL. Same height, same weight, same beaded braids, same blue jeans, same puffy pink jackets.

The same.

With ONE discernible difference.

One of the twins was walking slowly forward, her steps calculated and measured. Her sister was in front, facing her twin, taking cues from her sister, dancing backwards.

It was a game they appeared well practiced in.

What is the difference between a March and a Parade I wondered as I watched these two navigate potholes and cracks in the asphalt.

A March is a walking forward with purpose and intent. A March says “there is work to do.” A March says “I will navigate this path for you. I will make this journey easier for you even if it makes it harder for me.” A March is a call to something higher and bigger than yourself; a belief that there is a cause worth sacrificing yourself for.

A Parade is a celebration of things achieved. It is an acknowledgement that there is still work to do but we are taking a moment and honoring and reveling in how far we have come. A Parade is a joyous coming together, a connection between hard work and results. A Parade is a dance.

These twins were the balance between the two.

The “Marching Twin”, the one who could see in front of herself, who could see the path and the danger and the safe route, was taking her role as guide very seriously. Her eyes were lowered, she was focused on the ground, she was intent on getting her sister safely to the other side.

The “Parade Twin” was joyous. She was exuberant. Her head was held high, her steps were light and exaggerated. Her arms bounced, her head bobbed. She was the twin you noticed first. She was the one who drew the attention. She was the one who claimed the spotlight.

That’s the rub isn’t it.

That’s the hope.

That’s the goal.

That’s the meaning.

That’s the point of it all.

We must see each other as twins.

We must get to a point in our evolution where we recognize ourselves in others. Where we realize that we are all connected, we are all one.

We must get to a point where the success of our “twin” is a success to us as well, even if we never get the glory or the credit, or our moment in the sun.

We must be willing to do the work so that others can make it safely to the other side.

We must get to a point where we can dance backwards, limbs akimbo, head held high, eyes facing Heaven, trusting others to guide us and the Earth to rise up and meet us.