The Balancing Act: Does it need to be “Go big or go home?”

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Laozi

So I’ve been a bit discouraged the past few weeks.  When I started the Kind Year I had all sorts of visions about the incredible activities and connections that would happen.  Great, big, wonderful, amazing moments of kindness.  However, reality set in. I work full time, have two kiddos in school with extra-curricular activities and my hubs has been traveling for work more and more frequently.  Suddenly I was overwhelmed by everything and my kindness journey hit some major bumps.

Don’t get me wrong – being kind is a way of life for me so I kept on keeping on  - just on a much smaller scale.  I am always gratified by helping – that never changes – but I felt my “grand gesture” was missing.  My kindness journey no longer felt young, new and full of promise…it suddenly felt tired, old and boring. 

I was discouraged, saddened and feeling a bit like a failure.  Then I decided to step back, take a deep breath and really THINK about what was happening.

I wondered – what constitutes a journey?  The answer – a million little steps.

Life is made up of day to day activities strung together and interspersed with moments of great joy and sadness.   This project, I realized, was unfolding in much the same way.

So, here it is.  No – I cannot dedicate myself to massive, grandiose projects.  I wish I could.  I really do.  It would be amazing to end this year with the knowledge that I made a huge, tangible difference in the lives of those around me. However, I can only do what I can do.  And right now that is small acts.

Simple actions like donating bottled water and granola bars to my child’s school so the kids are fueled and full of energy for track day.  Answering the phone when my neighbor calls and asks me to come over and hold her ladder so she can climb off the roof.  And yes – that was one of the strangest calls I have ever received.   It’s taking 30 minutes out of my work day to listen to a friend bemoan the trouble her daughter was having at school this year and help her figure out a solution.  None of those activities was earth shattering. They didn’t bring together a group of people under a shared cause.  But that doesn’t mean they weren’t important.

I’m not a super hero.  As much as I wish I had a cape and the ability to share great acts of kindness, I now understand that this journey isn’t really about that.  It’s about gestures.  Continuous efforts.  Dedication. Determination. Making the best of the time I have to bring about the change I want to be AND see reflected around me.

On that note, I am really excited to launch a simple, cool project next week!  It involves going to the grocery store (heck – I know we ALL spend time there), being a conscious consumer & thinking ahead about how to best help with limited time, energy and money.   I hope you love it as much as I do.

Positively,

Kim