Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Light One Candle

Well now, this was a day and a half. But it's almost over. My colorful relatives used to remind me of all kinds of things. Thanks to them, I have a motto for every occasion.

"Darling, I don't know how you'd end up in such a pickle, but if you MUST choose between wearing panties and wearing mascara, choose mascara." (as yet unused advice, just to be clear)

"You don't have to marry a man who knows the difference between a pickle fork and a shrimp fork. Just be sure he can afford to buy you both." (How can I possibly begin to unravel that???)

And on a more mundane level, "Stop complaining and see what you can do to make things better." Followed quickly by "Men don't marry women who complain all the time" -which seems to be false, at least in this case. Nonetheless, the first part is well-taken. So, in that spirit, here are some things we can do today -right this minute- to make the world a slightly better place.

  • Take the recycling out. I'm not kidding. It's trash day (well, tomorrow is) and I need to get the recycling to the curb. I hate that chore. But it matters. Don't think of it as trash to be hauled by someone who hasn't done an upper body weights workout in days and days. Marvel at how much stuff ISN'T going to the landfill.
  • Do some yoga. Or meditate. Today the ability isn't given to me to create peace in Iraq or Afghanistan or Iran. I can't even create order in my closet. But I can create some calm in my heart, and that's peace that wasn't in the world five minutes ago.
  • Connect with like-minded people. There really is strength in numbers and group energy can carry you along when your energy flags.
  • Expand your sense of wonder and possibility. You are beautifully made. You are fabulously talented. You are meant to change the world.


And take out the trash, would you?

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