“Remember, there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” –– Scott Adams
In February, the full moon is called the Snow Moon. On the night of the Snow Moon last month, I woke at 2 AM and saw how the light of that moon appeared along the edges of my blackout curtains. Despite my efforts to block out all light for a good night’s sleep, light was leaking through. It could not be stopped.
I wondered, in these times rife with fear and anger, could there be light leaking through, if only I would wake up and see? Are my own fears blocking the light, much like my bedroom curtains, to everyday goodness?
Poet Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer seems to be saying yes in her poem “Widening the Vision.” She speaks of her own anger and fear and then spots a bunny in the yard. The gentleness of the creature touches her, reminding her of her own capabilities: “… Oh self, this / is how you stay whole hearted — / by keeping your eyes wide open.”1
I want to stay so whole hearted. I want to see the light. But how am I to do that on those nights when there is no full moon?
A TWIST
When first we all retreated to our homes during the early days of the pandemic, my neighbor and I made a practice of finding the good in each day. It is a practice I have been working on reviving, with a twist –– thanks to facilitator, coach, and consultant Troy Bronsink. He shares how he felt one day when a stranger passing him on the street complimented his outfit. The remark was unexpected, but what followed was the real surprise –– and that was how Bronsink felt afterwards. He felt a lightness, an ease in who he was and what he was about. The stranger who told Troy he was looking sharp will never know what her words did, how Troy felt the rest of the day.2
Upon hearing this story, I realized that, yes, I need to look for the goodness in each day. And I need to add to the goodness. Therein lies the twist.
CO-RISING
Now adding to the goodness does not always mean the grand gesture. In fact, the small gestures may matter most. I am talking about complimenting store clerks; being understanding of those answering customer service calls; helping neighbors when there is a need; letting family and friends know what you appreciate about them.
As Mother Teresa said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”3 And often, it turns out to be the small things that have the biggest impact. Certainly, I am not alone in discovering the positive impact a casual comment I once made to someone. Likewise, I know I have been deeply touched by the simple gestures of others.
Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh calls this “dependent co-rising.”4
FOUR STORIES
Fr. Richard Rohr OFM writes that if we are going to rebuild our society –– one which I see as serving the common good, healing the Earth, and promoting world peace –– we first need to rebuild ourselves.
“A healthy psyche,” writes Rohr, “lives within at least four containers of meaning. The first is called my story, the second is our story, the third is other stories, and the fourth is the story.”
The first, of course, is the story of our own lives; the second, the story of our people, our own social group, our “tribe.” The third is the stories of others and their tribes. The fourth is the larger story, the cosmic one, the Divine one, rooted in all of creation, in which all have a role to play.
People who are caught in the container of my story, says Rohr “… are what they have done and what has been done to them –– nothing more. This self becomes fragile and unprotected, and therefore constantly striving, easily offended, and fearful.”5
NOT THE FACTS
I know that in many ways I am blessed. Any problems I have are those of a princess, that is, the privileged. I live in a comfortable home and have the love and support of family members and many friends. In other words, when I fail to see the goodness around me, when I am afraid that things are not going to go my way or seem unable to extend any kindness, likely it is because I am clinging to my story.
In 2016, Trommer gave a TEDx Talk titled “The Art of Changing Metaphors.” She spoke about how the stories we hold dear are so powerful that we refuse to release them even when confronted with facts to the contrary. Quoting George Lakoff, author of Don’t Think of An Elephant! Know Your Values and Frame Your Debate: The Essential Guide for Progressives, she says, “If the facts don’t fit the frame, the frame is kept and the facts ignored.”6
BECOMING LIGHT
Now my story is one in which I am certainly deeply rooted, roots I do not wish to pull up because they are part of who I am. However, maybe they’re worth re-examining for I will never be able to find goodness, let alone be goodness, unless I grow in ways where I can, along with my story, embrace our story, other’s stories, and the story.
I see this as a calling.
So once again as I take up a practice to find the goodness in each day, I know I also need to add to the goodness in each day. Keeping my eyes open to what makes me smile is not enough. I need to do my part to bring goodness to others. I see it is how I become part of the light.
FOR REFLECTION: Are you able to see the goodness in each day, even if it is as simple as the song of a bird or a bit of green grass growing up through a crack in the sidewalk? Are you then able to add to the goodness of the day? Write a list of the goodness you found and the goodness you brought to the world today. Consider making this a regular practice.
1 Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, “Widening the Vision,” February 10, 2025. https://ahundredfallingveils.com/
2 For more about Troy Bronsink, see https://www.troybronsink.com/
3 While the first time Mother Teresa spoke these words is unknown, she is known to have quoted them frequently in public appearances. https://sajeevdev.com/mother-teresa-not-all-of-us-can-do-great-things-but-we-can-do-small-things-with-great-love/
4 Thich Nhat Hanh, Being Peace (Berkeley, CA: Parallax Press, 2005), 42.
5 Richard Rohr, Daily Meditations, February 16, 2025. https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-cosmic-egg-my-story-and-our-story/
6 Trommer, The Art of Changing Metaphors, TEDxPaonia, April 13, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXC3-ZFkhDo&list=PLk9Sgig2v6cg5BoAYhLtXHiznfbjIcT9v&index=15
Top image: Pixbay/Mollyroselee
Midtext image: Unsplash/congerdesign
Side image: Pixabay/Avelino Calvar Martinez
