(I posted this yesterday on my other blog, but since it deals with that pesky concept of suffering – something that mindful/yogi/Buddhist types generally spend some time thinking about – I thought it might be appropriate here. I hope you enjoy it, and happy holidays, yogis! Here’s to another year of backbending!!)
I’ve always been one of those people who gets overwhelmed by the world.
I think my emotional nature is a left-over occupational hazard from being an actor during my formative years. For 18 years I needed to be able to cry on cue, and it seems those floodgates just never closed. Suffering of any kind leaves me weak in the knees and injustice makes me feel like clawing my skin off.
I still have a touch of the drama, apparently.
But I realized that I can’t just shut my eyes to the suffering in the world. I tried putting my hands over my ears and singing until it went away. That didn’t work. So, instead of crying about it, I’ve decided there might be a little something I can do. But what? And how do I handle the fact that I can’t fix everything? How do I save the whales and cure hunger and stop global warming? I’m one small person so how do I make a dent? How do I pick just one thing in this sea of need? It’s useless, right?
But then I read this:
I am only one,
But still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
But still I can do something;
And because I cannot do everything,
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.– Edward Everett Hale
Hells yes, Mr. Hale.
I started volunteering at my local non-kill animal shelter. Which happens to be the place where we met our darling girl, Grace. I figure that I owe them, big time.
So, I cuddle cats and clean litter boxes and let puppies chew on my fingers. I address thank you notes and fill out donation forms. I thought it would be too sad to work in a shelter. It’s not. It’s joyful. Even the photocopying is joyful. And it is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. They are short-staffed during the holidays, so I’ll be there to try to fill in the gaps.
The other day, I was opening up their mail and organizing the checks that came in. When donations arrived for $200 or $300, my heart leapt. That would buy so many treats! New beds! Pay for more surgeries!
But when I opened the checks for $5. That’s when I lost my shit. That’s when I cried.
Because those people understand so much better than I do that even a little bit helps. Those people, regardless of their financial situation, made the decision to do what they can and speak up for what they believe in.
I want to hug every one of them. Because they remind me of something that I don’t want to ever forget. It’s good to have empathy, but it’s not so good when I drown in it and apathetically throw up my hands in defeat. The whole point of life is to wake up and do something meaningful. Make the moment count.
I can’t cure cancer and I can’t make sure every animal is in a forever home for Christmas. But I can spend twenty minutes talking to the new scared kitten that just came in and encouraging her to eat some food. I can write a note to the man who donated $5 and tell him that his donation meant something. That he means something.
And if I can do that in this season – this season that at its core is about love and giving – that’s all I really need.
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Just here. Just now. 
OH MY … I love this post, thank you! It brought tears to my eyes – such beautiful sentiments. I forwarded the link to all my animal loving friends and family. My husband and I volunteer for our local no-kill shelter and it’s a huge pleasure to be involved. In fact, we’ll be heading down there tomorrow to spend some time with the pooches. Thank you again & Merry Christmas.
What a fantastic thing to do together!! Lovely… Thanks for reading!
Lisa, I’ve missed your posts (but I’m cheering you on as you work on your book!). As a fellow highly sensitive person, I can “fall down the rabbit hole” of despair when I see another school shooting, another catastrophic weather event, a story about starving or suffering people or animals. I have sat on my couch crying and wondered whether I can make even a small difference or whether I’m not strong enough for the world. But then I make myself turn off the radio or TV and do my best to go on and make a small difference – volunteering with a tutoring program, smiling and talking to strangers, making an effort to listen to people and donating what I can afford whenever possible.
“I can do no great things, but small things with great love.” ~Mother Teresa
Yes! It is so difficult to be highly sensitive in this world – but it seems like you are doing it just right. Thanks for the reminder that even a smile can be a valuable contribution. (And many thanks for the support and still reading, even though I’m here a little less. My wonderful justherejustnow yogi community is never far from my thoughts!!)
I started volunteer walking for the nearest rescue kennels to me about two and a half years ago, thinking I might only be able to do it for a few months (it takes a whole morning as it’s nearly a 2hr round trip on top of the dog walking). Here I am still doing it, though sometimes only once a fortnight. And I have my own lovely greyhound from the kennels (photos and more about her and greyhounds on my blog if you are interested). A few months ago I also started volunteering for 90mins a week – an after school club supporting young carers (kids age 8-12). After the holidays, now they know me better and trust me, I hope to be doing yoga with them.
I know my help in its small way makes a difference and is appreciated, but both these things have reminded me how hugely the volunteer benefits from the voluntary work! I often feel embarrassed if people hear I’m doing it and make comments like “that’s so good of you” because I get so much out of it!
That’s fantastic! And I LOVE greyhounds! I had an Italian Greyhound and we’d love to adopt a racing Grey someday. I love doing yoga with kids – they are so open to it. I wish you all the best with all the awesome work you are doing!
Thank you!
We hardly ever see Italian Greyhounds here – we met one in Edinburgh last time we were down south, and I thought my husband was going to melt with delight: he was cooing “it’s a mini-Amy!” …it did look quite like a teeny tiny version of our own ex-racer!
I totally recommend adopting a hound someday – it’s a bit of work initially to learn what’s ‘special’ about them and then settle them into household living, but they repay the effort a thousandfold: they are such gentle, elegant, easy, loving dogs.
Lisa, I love this post. It is exactly what I needed to hear. My daughter and I have been thinking of volunteering at our local shelter and talking about it, but now, I think this weekend would be a good time to take a drive to our shelter and volunteer our services. I love your comments about wanting to change things and throwing up your hands and going, “but I’m just one person, how can I possibly change this”. Everyone can make a difference in any small way they are able. Because it’s Christmas, I was watching the Band-Aid videos from 1984. Bob Geldof caught a news clip on the horrendous famine in Ethiopia. He said he had been feeling miserable because his record (Boom Town Rats) was doing poorly, and when he caught this news clip he was jarred into action. He forgot about his own album and went on a quest of putting together a song with the proceeds going to Ethiopia. The result was “Do They Know It’s Christmas”. Everyone interviewed said he was like a driven maniac trying to get them to sign up, on very short notice to put this record together. He would not take no for an answer, and thank God he didn’t because he accomplished so much, just by a vision and his determination to do “something” to help the effort. I admire anyone who gets past the defeatist (is that a word?) attitude and just gets in there and does something. Way to go Lisa !!! I love the quote, too. Thank you for continuing to blog – you are a great writer. Namaste, Ramona
Thank you so much! And what a great story about Geldof. Wonderful. I hope you went to check out the shelter – please let me know how it goes!
Wonderful set of words I got to read, perhaps when I needed them the most. Just now coming out of an argument with certain someone on how important it is for someone sitting somewhere to just hear this person’s voice. But because someone sitting somewhere is not so important in this person’s scheme of things in life, she refuses to budge. And this is being done by a perfectly fine, well educated, so called empowered human being of today. Honestly, good to see someone emphasizing exactly the same things that I vouch for – a small smile can make such a big difference … a small conversation can make or break someone’s day. But unfortunately the world today has less people like you, and more like this certain someone. Thanks Lisa!
Glad you liked it – thank you!