The Secret Sauce for When We're Bummed
At the hardware store, I got a trash picker, the technical name for that long-handled thingamajig with little claws at the end that you use to grab soda cans, cigarette butts, shopping bags off the ground.
When I am bummed about what's happening in the world, I grab a trash bag, go to an area thick with litter (there are areas aplenty), put on a good podcast or audiobook, and start picking.
I'm not some do-gooder, Patron Saint of Trash Pickup. I do this for entirely selfish reasons.
Discouragement so easily tumbles into why-bother-ism, buying the falsehood that our actions don't matter. And believing that falsehood is a fast, slippery slope to cynicism and disengagement. As the saying goes, Demoralization is demobilization. Precisely what the powerful want.
The secret sauce for me when I'm bummed is putting up small, visible wins on the board. It stokes my confidence, reminds me I'm capable of impact. And it fuels my confidence for the longer-haul, bigger wins where impact might be harder to see in the near term.
Litter pickup is a terrific small win: it's easy to do and there's concrete evidence of our work. Where there was once crap, now there's a clean sidewalk, trail, median.
But it could be any number of things: pulling the neighbor's trash and recycling bins in, culling our bookshelves to find things for the library or cabinets to find stuff for the food pantry.
A friend checked out her food pantry's wishlist and committed to buying at least one item off it every time she goes to the grocery store, then donating when she has a bagful. Which inspired me to check my town food pantry's list: tuna fish, grape jelly, and chicken noodle soup. Totally doable.
Another friend vacuums. We could clean that kitchen junk drawer with the twisty ties, flashlights, matchbooks, batteries that may/may not work. Whatever juices up our confidence; nothing builds momentum like a sense of accomplishment.
And we need a sense of accomplishment: it can be so hard to see the immediate impact of protests, calling our Senator (a few useful tips on how to do that), registering voters, thinking about running for office (open seats in your area can be found here!).
Each of those things is impactful (here's more on why our actions matter even when they don't feel like it). But the fruits of our labor can take real time to show. Small wins can help keep our confidence fresh, energized.
On an overcast day, I took my trash picker to a busy stretch of road right off the bridge. I didn't plan to stay long; there was plenty of litter, but lots of loud traffic and I was straining to hear my audiobook already cranked up to AC/DC concert levels.
But then, out of nowhere, a huge white truck drove by, rolled its window down, and called out, "THANK YOU! I really love that you're doing thattttttttttttt!"
Which inspired me to stay and finish the job.