The curtain rises on a gorgeous, warm, blue-sky summer day. Mother Nature is playing her role with expertise and generosity. And so am I. This day, I play the role of victim.
The list of grievances is long – going to work, a general lack of vitality, the chore list……There seems no end to the tiresome slights against my happiness. Employing my fail-safe tool, gratitude, I expect to feel better any minute now. But the negative thoughts hold me hostage.
When friend calls late in the day, I am all but depleted of energy from dragging my sorry butt through my sorry day. Friend asks me for help. A situation has arisen with her parents and I am ‘exactly the person who can help.’ I am honored to try, glad to be needed, and apparently effective in lending perspective. Instantly, I feel lighter. Helping others does that to people.
It’s said that you can’t give without receiving. Intrigued and eager to play with this theory a little more, I set off on a mission. Like Superman changing into his leotard (yes, it’s a leotard) I transform myself from Deb Dunham to Super Giver. I hand out compliments, silent blessings, hugs, courtesies – anything I can to everyone I encounter. It quickly becomes a fun game.
And the give/get theory turns out to be true! In exchange for my gifts, I receive countless smiles, thank yous, and not surprisingly, a pervasive rise in energy. I am smitten with the ability to change someone’s day for the better while simultaneously elevating my own.
It occurs to me how infrequently we utilize the tools at our disposal – like service, gratitude, positive thinking, faith, love….We are well equipped to change ourselves, and therefore, the world, for the better. I’m convinced that a concentrated focus on any or all of these can move mountains. Like the mountains of hatred and competitiveness and resentment for example.
Mother Teresa said, “We can’t do big things. We can only do little things with big love.” Ironically, she was a little person who accomplished big things by giving big love in little ways. The best part is that we don’t have to set out to move mountains. In fact, we don’t have to try to change anything. We just have to give little bits over and over and eventually, a mountain will move. And we will move with it.
Chaos & Clarity 