#think small

Helena Norberg-Hodge, Founder and Director of Local Futures, shares the power of local connections and building resilience - even against the globally-scaled abstract monsters threatening human sustainability and sanctity today.

I broke my fast Tuesday.

It had nothing to do with Lent. I broke my fast from news channels.

Up until now, all I’d been watching was the Governor’s daily press conference. So I’d know what was happening here. What I needed to do. How I could help. And that was it.

For the big picture? Pray and leave it to God.

But Tuesday, I decided to watch one of the news channels. To make sure that I wasn’t missing something important.

After an hour or so, I switched to another news channel. One with a completely opposite perspective from the first one. To make sure that I had the big picture.

Two hours of the news firehose. I learned all kinds of stuff. What we’re doing wrong. Who to blame.

But mostly, I learned that I should be worrying. A lot.

That there were all kinds of problems, from the immediate crisis to the “what-ifs” of the future. Big stuff, national stuff, international stuff.

All of it very important. All of it demanding my attention.

To be blunt, I fell for it. I tried to pay attention to all of it. Even to make sense of it. I left none of it to God.

All I did was succeed in getting myself more and more wound up about it.

Most of it? Stuff I can’t really do anything about, if I’m honest. But I could worry about it. So I did.

Without really meaning to, I took the big picture back from God.

You can imagine how much I didn’t get done on Wednesday.

Worrying about stuff I can’t do anything about? It’s a very effective way of not making a difference with any of the stuff that I can do something about. Not to mention a very subtle way of letting my fears get between me and God.

The solution? Think small.

Think about the things I can do something about. And leave the rest to God.

So today, I’m back to my news fast. More importantly, I’m thinking small.

Making a difference with the stuff that I can do something about.

Praying about all of it. And leaving the big stuff to God.

Something tells me that today I’m going to do a lot more good.

Pecha Kucha 180: Batman Who Laughs

Batman +Joker = $$$$$$$