A Simple Practice for When the World’s Got You Down
Wifi worked all day.
Shower drain didn’t clog.
Keys were just where I thought I’d left them.
Library had the book I wanted.
I’ve been thinking of all the stuff that is overlooked, that easily falls into the category of unremarkable.
And yet stuff going right does seem worth remarking on.
I had a friend who used to get spectacular migraines. When she felt one coming on, she took aspirin and then set a timer for 15 minutes.
Why the timer? I asked.
When it goes off, it’s a reminder to be grateful that I’m not in pain, she said.
It was such a profound practice in appreciating stuff going right.
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The other day, we had a brief and fierce storm. A friend’s veggie garden was leveled. Half-century-old trees fell to earth, taking down fences, cars, powerlines with them.
When the dog and I go out walking in the morning now, I give a silent thanks to the branches that are still in the trees, the trees still standing, the power still flowing through the lines still intact.
The poet Billy Collins wrote about being someone on whom nothing is lost. This seems especially useful when pushing for change. This long, slow democracy caretaking can grind us down, go off track in 99 ways. I don’t want to lose sight of all that’s quietly on track.
Much in our world is broken. And still, much is working as it should. But our amygdala dials in on what’s fearful rather than what’s functional.
When we are burned out and hollowed out, it can help to say a quiet thanks for the car that started, the family members who aren’t sick, the plants that didn’t die in the drought, the parts of our body that aren’t sore.
It might seem Pollyanna-ish, but there’s a deep practicality to it.
There is a lot our democracy needs right now. Top of the list isn't necessarily people with technical skills and legislative know-how; much of that can be learned (and Policy is for Lovers is a good place to do some of that learning!).
Our democracy needs people who have the belief that things can be better and the juice to help make it so. If all our attention goes to what’s wrong, it can be a fast track to exhausation and cynicism, why bother trying. Which is exactly what the powerful want: people to give up the fight.
But if we can make a point to appreciate what’s easily taken for granted, it can help keep our head above water and our heart in the good, loving fight.
Do you have a friend or family member who is feeling depleted and could use a boost? Why not forward this along to them with my great thanks!