The reality of being "only one person" has been acutely present in my day-to-day experience of late. I find it lurking along the edges of everything I want to do, all the places I want to be, in all the causes I hope to support. Being only one person often times feels incredibly limiting.
How are we to embark on this world with enthusiasm when there are so many places to bestow our enthusiastic energy? Take me for instance. I want to own my own business making "things" that other people will want to own (I have yet to decide what kind of things I want to make, but it's a minor detail at this point). I've dreamed of opening my own day care where 3 or 4 toddlers can have an awesome time dancing in my living room, taking naps in the tree house beds I'd create for them, and going on field trips to the bakery, farmers market, ceramic studio. Blogs yet to be born are calling for me to place hands to keyboard and document all the wonderful things in this world that are worth celebrating. I want to open a soup kitchen and teach people how to care for themselves. I want to start a post-high school year of service program where teens can learn to appreciate their gifts by serving others in less fortunate circumstances.
How can one commit to a single mission when there are so MANY worthy causes to support? And on top of this, on top of allll of this, how do you stay sane!? How do you allow yourself the time to take a break, enjoy the moment, "just be" when your seemingly minimal efforts leave you feeling so under-utilized?! The back and forth leaves me exhausted!
Just the other night, GC and I watched The Cove. For those of you that haven't seen it, the film exposes the murder of tens of thousands of dolphins in Taiji, Japan every year. The dolphins are killed in ruthless, in-humane ways. Harvested for their meat and for the money they could earn as performers at Sea Worlds across the globe, these animals are truly the victims of human greed and folly under the guise of "tradition".
It was an impactful film to say the least, so powerful were the images and message. That said, I couldn't help but think, "Get in line dolphins. There are too many other causes I found out about before I learned of your horrible plight." I don't have time to add "dolphin saving" and "teach Japanese fishermen not to do a$$hole things" to my list of "How to Save the World"
In my life as it stands, I am big fan of small changes for big impact. As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day. You can't change the American culture of government subsidized low-income obesity all on your own, but you can join a program like Big Brother Big Sisters and take a little girl with you to the grocery store, show her healthy options and then take her home for the afternoon to teach her how to prepare it. I can't heal the environment of 200 years and counting of human abuse, but I can choose to reuse containers and walk or ride a bike whenever possible.
Still though, most days it doesn't feel like enough. There is so much more I could be doing, so many others out there in dire straights. Some have asked for their condition, others were taught to accept it, and some are innocent, but all could be given a break. So how do I pick? Of the one person that I am, whom do I choose to get a piece of what I have to offer while keeping myself sane and mostly happy?
I suppose the short answer is to take the advice of the Allman Brothers and "Keep on Keeping on." For the long term, I'll have to get back to you. Something tells me the wisdom of years might be the only route to enlightenment on this one...
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