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Dreamscape Jewelry Design

September 19, 2021: Making A Difference

“We can choose to be affected by the world or we can choose to affect the world”

-Heidi Wills

It seems as if our whole news cycle continues to be filled with dismaying and disturbing stories. Acts of kindness and positive events are rarely mentioned, which can result in feelings of anxiety, and uncertainty about the future. Whether it’s economic concerns, fears about the pandemic, sadness over the vitriol in our country, or worries about the health of our planet, we can be overwhelmed with feelings of helplessness, underscoring the thought that it is all out of our control and we can’t make a difference. But we can all make a difference, in our own lives and in the lives of others. It comes down to the choices we make each and every day. We can choose to be kind, helpful, and positive beacons of light in a world that too often seems dark and troubled.

“It used to be thought that the events that changed the world were things like big bombs, maniac politicians, huge earthquakes, or vast population movements, but it has now been realized that this is a very old-fashioned view held by people totally out of touch with modern thought. The things that change the world, according to Chaos theory, are the tiny things. A butterfly flaps its wings in the Amazonian jungle, and subsequently a storm ravages half of Europe.”

— from Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

The choices we make impact our own lives as well as those of others. Personal choices, like what we eat, how long we sleep, how we spend our money and/or time can be conscious endeavors to live a healthy lifestyle. But what are the choices that help to restore hope and positivity during times of challenge?

 “Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise again.”

Victor Hugo

Every day, we can make a conscious choice to “flap our wings” with positive actions. Instead of focusing on all of the negativity and ugliness, we can seek and celebrate the gifts of life that both surround and sustain us. While a headline might fill us with dread, a walk in nature will reaffirm that like cycles of day and night, everything changes and nothing remains stagnant. History has proven that even the most horrific events pass away, eventually giving way to better things. Focusing our attention on the beauty and wonder of life, is.a powerful remedy for the anxiety and adrenalin that fear of the future can promote. We can channel our thoughts away from the habits of scurrying down endless rabbit holes of worry, to being fully aware and grateful for the present. Simply observing the beauty of a wildflower or listening to the sweet serenade of a bird can be a balm to a weary soul.

Yellow-rumped warbler-Fall plumage

“We may not have the ability to change all of the world’s wrongs, but we can make a difference where we are”

– Dillon Burroughs

While we individually cannot change the world, we can impact our own small space. Like a pebble thrown into a still pond, the actions ripple out, affecting others. These actions can be simple ones like my friend Barbara, who posts daily messages of positivity and hope on her Facebook account. Or they can be more complex requiring both commitment and time. My brother A,J. and his wife Barbara, spend several Sundays a month at a soup kitchen, feeding the hungry. They’ve witnessed firsthand the impact of acts of kindness. Each time, they return home tired, but fulfilled with the awareness that their efforts have had a positive aspect on the lives of others. In my own life, I have chosen to address my worries about our planet with writing a weekly Nature Corner for our library’s newsletter and sharing pictures of nature on social media, and through cards and calendars. My hope is to build both awareness and appreciation for the natural world, leading to more people caring on how we respect and treat our environment. Whether it’s a simple step or a complex one, each one of us can become a beacon of light in a troubled world.

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy life to read our blog. We welcome your thoughts and invite you to share additional quotes that inspire you. Here are some additional ones which inspired us. In the meantime, stay healthy, safe and positive!

Best regards,

Wendy Oellers-Fulmer

QUOTES TO INSPIRE

“Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light”

– Albus Dumbledore

“Always show kindness and love to others. Your words might be filling the empty places in someone’s heart”

– Mandy Hale

“You can make a difference, wherever you are. It begins with a decision and defined purpose”

– Lailah Gifty Akita

“Every time you forgive, the universe changes; every time you reach out and touch a heart or a life, the world changes”

– William Paul Young

“The mind has exactly the same power as the hands: not merely to grasp the world, but to change it”

– Colin Wilson

and the source of one my all time favorites:

We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.

― Mahatma Gandhi
Tiny flowers when upon close inspection show the beauty

– Victor Hugo

Comments

  • Liz Rosenfeld
    September 19, 2021

    I have a Life is Good t-shirt that says “kindness is free”. Everytime I wear it, total strangers will comment that they not only love the message, but that they wish more people would embrace the truth it so simply expresses. There is goodness our there, but often we are ss distracted be the challenges of coping with life we fail to appreciate the quiet little kindnesses of others. Thank you for reminding me to look for opportunities to appreciate and practice what my t-shirt preaches.

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