What your tiny actions can do to keep your spirit strong

Did you know that small, seemingly mundane rituals and structured activities boost our spirits? And, when we let go of small rituals, our mood can flag. Getting out of bed, having a cup of tea, sending a routine text to a friend. These small, daily, habits are important in bolstering our sense of self and purpose.

“Purpose” can feel a bit overwhelming. It’s such a broad and intangible pursuit. In Japan, they simplify this by replacing the language of, “Find your purpose,” to something more like, “Be useful to someone today.”

Why does this matter? Because when we have even a small mission of extending helpfulness or kindness, it helps life feel more full. Rich. Alive.

Expanding our lungs; expanding our mission

Keeping things simple and sustainable is really important when we are living this kind of mission rich life. If we add one thing to, “Be useful to someone today,” it might be, “Just notice!”

There are all kinds of names for the ritual of noticing. The Examine. Gratitude. Meditation. In short, it is a practice of being wonderstruck. Attentive to moments of awe. Taken up with gratitude. We become aware of a raindrop on a leaf, the warmth of a coffee mug on a chilly day, or the light of the sun on the building across the street. Tiny moments where, when we pause to pay attention, we notice that we feel alive.

Bring that same attention into your acts of human kindness? Well, it’s an experiment worth trying! Is there anything more enlivening than lending a hand?

Being useful comes in all shapes and sizes

The mission of simply being one who does Good when it’s called for isn’t meant to be overwhelming. Some of us are destined for notoriety and fame and next-level wealthy philanthropic gestures.

But most of us? We’re just simple folx living pretty tiny lives. Simply doing something helpful for someone is meant to be a replicable act! Hold a door. Acknowledge the name on a nametag at the grocery check out. Clear out the dishwasher.

Excess and unused clothing in the closet? Share with your local shelters. ‘Have a stack of old cell phones sitting in a drawer. Re-set them and donate them to a safehouse. Is there an old car just sitting in the back parking pad? Donate it for the charity you love.

When there is no money to spare, consider donating your skill or your time. Simply give what you can, where you can, when you can. If that’s talent or toys or tinkering — it all counts!

Imagine a world where every human made this their personal mission! We can do it. C’mon — let’s do it!

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Goodness. If you say it often enough, it doesn’t sound like a real word anymore. And in a world gone all wobbly and sideways, it’s easy to think that maybe “goodness” isn’t even a thing. If we’re looking for evidence that things have all gone to heck, well, there seems to be a growing body!

Evidence against

You don’t need reminders of all of the ways we know that Goodness is taking a thumping, hey? Have you been hacked lately, and threatened with recrimination if you don’t send money/call this number/set this straight right now? Or had your identity stolen? Maybe you’ve been victim to prejudice or shaming? Is the one who ought to love you best hurting you? Your body may not be cooperating and you could be feeling stuck and lonely. Friends fail us, money is tight, and the world-at-large feels like it’s equal parts dumpster fire and a volcano preparing to violently erupt. So much evidence for not-Goodness.

Evidence for Goodness

What to do? Who are we to be in the face of blaming and hating and self-promotion and ice that’s melting too fast? We don’t want to be blind to the world’s trouble. But we don’t want to be consumed by it either. So, what if we just, each one of us, do our little bit? What if we just determinedly and consistently do our own little bit of Good?

• Make a wholesome meal for your family. Safety and caring in our own homes matters.
• Read. Expanding our perspective and thinking our own deep thoughts is grounding.
• Believe. Aligning ourselves with authentic, thoughtful, experiential Goodness takes an effort of heart and mind.
• Work at doing the good you do. Watch for opportunities to act justly and compassionately. This is no time for us to be lazy about this stuff.
• Listen for the story beneath the story beneath the story: it’s easy to dismiss and to judge when we’re not listening to each other. We’re all in this together — whether we like it or not.
• Just be. Take a breather from the glut of information and streaming and hope-bludgeoning media. Be with people you love; be someone people want to love. The truest, strongest, most vibrant you (you come from innocence). You are enough.

Keep it up!

Everything is (probably) going to be okay. If you do your small bit, and I do mine, odds are good that love will win the day. Let’s take care of each other, care for the earth, and companion the vulnerable — we’ll make it through with Goodness intact.

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