One Small Thing

Seven years ago I felt that listening to the news was bringing down my energy with all the negativity. As an experiment, I decided to go on a news fast for a month. I liked the result and never went back to the habit. Naturally, I do hear or see news items whether I want to or not. But my reasoning is that if I have a personal bucket of energy to get me through the day, how am I going to spend it? I find all the negativity in the media overwhelming. It makes me feel hopeless and helpless. Whereas when I concentrate on doing what I can to change things for the better, I feel empowered. A few months ago I read No More Plastic by Martin Dorey, a short book from the man who came up with the #2minutesolution. It involves picking up rubbish from the beach, street or park for 2 minutes. Of course it is addictive. Once you start, it’s hard to stop. I had already been doing it but I do it more consciously and consistently now. It ties in perfectly with one aspect of my work which is as a dog walker. I get to leave the park cleaner than when I arrived in it, putting my collected rubbish in a biodegradable bag, and also it increases my fitness level – all that bending down and straightening up! A win-win methinks! So what I am saying is: don’t despair. Don’t think that the actions of one single person don’t matter. They do. Guard your energy and use it wisely to change the world one small way at a time. The earth will thank you.