Be Of Service

Give away all your possessions, live in the slums and minister to the poor.

 Noooooo, not that.

 Well, if you’re up for it, if that’s what’s calling you, go for it.

 But most of us don’t have that dharma, that wouldn’t make us happy. In fact it may make us miserable and that doesn’t serve anyone. However, there are simple acts we can do that make our world a better place. Things like smiling at a person when they pass you in the street. Planting a garden so you create some green, even if it’s a few pots on your dining table. There are so many little things we can do like helping someone who can’t climb a stair. Even texting a friend to say hello and ask, “need anything?”. These make the world a kinder place. And when the world is a kinder place, we can be kinder in it.

Once cultivated, these small habits grow. You may find yourself volunteering at a dog shelter or nursery school. You may start coaching a sports team or handing water out at a road race.

And it actually starts by asking the question, what serves me? You receive as well as give. For example, if practicing yoga makes you happy, invite a friend to class with you. If saving money serves you, put some aside for your favorite charity. If loving on animals is your jam, volunteer at a local rescue or adoption center. If holding a hand serves you, volunteer at a nursing home, hospital or nursery school.

We are part of this living organism we call Earth. The more we serve each other, the more we serve ourselves.

Be Creative

Can being creative save the planet?

How do you think we came up with a product that absorbs micro-plastics from water? Or one that collects the petroleum discharge from tires as you drive? Its creative ideas that can make the world a better place. And you don’t have to be a scientist. What about the people who filled plastic bottles with sand to make bricks to build their homes? What about planting roof gardens to reduce ambient heating? Or fences and windows made with recycled glass bottles? That’s all about thinking outside the box

We are creative beings. The more you stimulate that part of your brain, whether in how you make a smoothie or solve a mathematical equation, the more creative you become. We get good at what we practice. So close the recipe book. Sit under a tree and wonder. Figure out what to you could actually do with those old yogurt containers. Paint a wall a new color and add a curved line. Add a colorful scarf or tie to that business suit.

Get wild.

Have some fun.

Let your creative self come to the forefront of whatever you do and see if it doesn’t make your world a better place.

Practice Gratitude

Thanks for Reading

 Doesn’t that feel good? For me and for you, it does. You see, gratitude saves us in so many ways, lifting us up emotionally and allowing us to become aware of and appreciate what we have. When you are grateful, you generally feel better. You shift the paradigm.

Doubtful? Try this: when you waken, before anything else, say thank you for another day. Speak to god, the day itself, your higher power, the universe, to whomever you pray. But say it, out loud if you can and whether you’re looking forward to it or not.

 Then, when you place your feet softly on the floor, say thanks for the support. Then say thanks for your feet. Brushing your teeth, thanks for them. Washing your face, thanks for the skin. Thanks for the wrinkles that remind us of smiles and of wisdom gained. Drinking a glass of water before all else, (you do that right? First thing?) say thanks for the water because with it we have everything and without it, we have nothing. Say thanks for the birds and the flowers and even say thanks for the problems, its how we figure things out.

Say thank you for all of it and see if you don’t feel better, happier.

It’s a gift to be alive.

Let’s be grateful.