@altruistic is running a little writing contest that looks fun. Just to be clear, I'm cross-posting, but I'm writing it mainly for Whaleshares - especially as my stories aren't going there yet... Anyway, I'm going to do a little freewrite (maximum of 500 words...) on the subject which is:
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"The greatest of all mistakes is to do nothing because you can only do a little. Do what you can."
-Sydney Smith
"I'm just a little guy," said the mouse to Aslan.
“There are thousands of starfish on the beach!” said the young girl picking up a starfish along the edge of the surf.
I like to research genealogy from time to time. It’s an awe-inspiring task at times. I am confronted with the millions of people who are in my direct lineage, but at the same time, learn that I’m related to half a dozen presidents (so far) and many other famous people! Yet, if any one of these people had not had children, I would not be here today. Every one of these millions of people were important!
Even The Doctor says:
“900 years of time and space and I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t important!”
The insistence that we are not important is seeking permission to be lazy. Doing nothing is just that – laziness. Whether we’ve been asked to figure out how to plan dinner or to figure out how to reduce pollution and waste as a society. We may not have the best situation. We may be someone (like myself) who is low on energy (chronic fatigue and PTSD) without the physical reserves that we need to have, but that’s not an excuse for laziness.
(image from PXhere)
Maybe you get me wrong. Laziness isn’t about lack of energy or lack of will-power. It’s about having the capacity to help, and refusing. Even when I have no energy to move, I can sit here and type. Even if I have no energy to type, I can sit here (or lie in bed) and think… If I cannot think, then I rest to replenish my body until I can think again. Resting isn’t laziness, but refusing to do what you can is…
Remember:
(Image from PublicDomainPictures)
Maybe today, you can only manage one step… like planning how to make extra meals next time you do have the energy (I can meatballs for such emergencies) or reducing the waste in your home. The efforts you put in today will have repercussions tomorrow – your children will take the “waste less” attitudes to their homes, their workplaces, their industries. Your little pebble today will have ripples throughout the generations.
"But you can chew the ropes that tie me down," Aslan replied to the mouse.
“But you can help this starfish,” said the still small voice to the little girl.
And so can you.
Lori Svensen – A'mara Books & Viking Visual
Banner by @shai-hulud
I enjoyed reading this and was encouraged by your strength and optimism. Great definition of laziness, will have to keep that one in mind!
I'm glad you're encouraged. :-)
I am often frustrated by my inability to do more. I'm a terrible housekeeper, but there are so many things I am good at. Sometimes, it's easy to get bogged down by what I can't do. But then it becomes an excuse to not do what I can... or a reason to beat myself up. That's when it's important to remember what I can do - and start again, one step at a time.
I completely understand, when I was in my spaceship, I felt like I had an infinite amount of mobility but now that mr. Carpenter confined me to the brutal gravity of this place, I can barely move so trust me, I understand. I also like how you make that distinction about laziness. With clear intentions to help others, low energy cannot be called laziness at all. I too sometimes struggle with my limitations but it WILL get better, for the both of us. I Myriade have resteemed you from the Steemit Dreamit account.
Thank you for the laugh first thing this morning. (I was low energy due to disrupted sleep, so didn't reply until now.) It is definitely important to be able to distinguish low energy (need to concentrate on feeling better) vs. laziness. Sometimes people can be quick to judge (most of all, ourselves...)
I like that you are speaking from the heart. We could all do more to quiet the negative self-talk which eats up our productive time with self-doubt and other nonsense. I find this article very encouraging!
Yes, I think negative self-talk is one of the worst things we can do to ourselves. Sometimes, it requires hearing other people saying good things about us to realize that we're not as bad as we think... But often times, those good things aren't said within our hearing. It was an emotive experience for me when people started saying good things about me to my face (or, over the internet, anyway.) Slowly, I've started learning what I mean to others - and it's a lot better than my ex (or other abusers) made me think!
The compliments could reach into deeper onion layers, that’s for sure!
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