A manifesto of the itty-bitty…
Sometimes I think about the state of the world and find myself at the doorstep of “expletive deleted.” OMG, my desire to tune out is tremendous. No, no, I don’t want to hear, read, or view ANYMORE of the painful chaos. (You, too?) No place to hide and, gee, I couldn’t live with myself if I did.
A heartfelt “Sigh.”
Wow, that deep “sigh” made a little more room in my chest for breathing, always a good thing. (It is, isn’t it?) With a greater sense of spaciousness, I begin seeing a bit more light. And out of this light emerges….
….A Manifesto Of The Itty-Bitty!
Yep, you read that correctly. Manifesto for the Itty-bitty. What the heck is it?
It’s living in a world in which our capacity to influence large-scale change appears to be limited. But, first we need to talk about pebbles.
Pebbles? Excuse me? Did I miss something?
Have you ever tossed a pebble into a pond? (Of course, you have; it’s a human thing.) What happens when you go pebble-tossing? Ripples. That’s what happens. Those little ripples, products of an itty-bitty pebble, mind you, appear to flow off into infinity. Kind of magical to watch those pebble-impelled ripples move beyond our capacity to see them. Ripples with an impact we may never know…generated by the apparent careless toss of a small pebble into a pond.
…Ripples like the unexpected email I received from a neighbor a couple of days ago, after doing an infinitesimal favor for her, and I do mean infinitesimal. Rather like, off-handedly, throwing a pebble into a pond, well, because it was there to toss. My neighbor shared, “Little things like this just make my day!” No need to go into the nature of the favor, but I was startled by her response which seemed so out of proportion to the reality of the favor. Made her day? But I only…. Stop. A last minute small gesture on my part made-her-day. Creating joy with the impact of an itty-bitty metaphorical pebble tossed out as an afterthought.
One more pebble for the road. We have two HOA-supported parks in our neighborhood which include doggy waste bags and trashcans in which the doggy bags’ contents can be dumped. And trust me, there’s lots of dumping since no one wants that aroma in their own trashcan! HOWEVER, every week, the large trashcans must be wheeled to the parks’ curbs for pick up. One devoted neighbor (and her dog) perform this task and I suspect most folks don’t even know her identity! But it’s a gift to our animal-loving neighborhood and supports many, many fewer complaints regarding “I stepped in you-know-what while on my morning walk!” Oh my, that particular neighborhood pebble has created seismic ripples in our pond of community.
So, yes, when I’m feeling over-powered by the chaotic state of life, I try to stop and remember:
All the (heartfelt) pebbles I know (and don’t know, but trust) are being tossed into the world’s pond;
AND all the pebbles in my mind’s eye just waiting for the opportunity to manifest their ripples in life’s pond.
AND I feel so much more buoyant.
So true!