Be A Spark

The world is a dark place.

Environmental disasters. Political and civic discord. Wars. Oppression. A burgeoning crime rate across America. A pandemic that still claims more than 1,000 American lives each day. Poverty. Homelessness. Hunger. Religious zealotry. Politicians who care only about holding on to their power and serving their corporate masters. Rampant gun violence. Overwhelmed health care workers and hospitals. Mass extinctions on the horizon. People in my part of town report having their outdoor Christmas decorations stolen.

It all seems very overwhelming. What can I as one person do? Truth be told, not much. I do what I can, which isn't much. I recycle everything that is recyclable in the city where I live. I drive a fuel-efficient car. I drive only a few thousand miles a year, far below the national average. I turn off unneeded lights. I keep my house at a comfortable temperature without having the furnace or air conditioner run constantly. I try to buy products only in recyclable containers. All of the junk mail gets recycled. But in the big scheme of things, when against up against corporate polluters and countries that don’t care about the environment, my efforts seem puny indeed.

But perhaps if each of us determines to be a spark of light in our daily, mundane lives, the world won't seem quite so dark. I alone cannot feed everyone who needs food. But I can donate food and funds to my local food bank. I can volunteer. I cannot save elephants from extinction, but I can symbolically adopt an elephant orphaned by drought or by human violence and help those who will raise it until it is ready to resume its place in the African savannah. At least I can offer a friendly word or a complement that just might brighten someone's day. Kindness and a smile cost nothing.

I know. This isn't much. But maybe that spark will ignite a spark in another person's life. Maybe that person will pass that tiny spark on to someone else. Just as a stone thrown into a pond creates ripples, so, too, can a small spark possibly be the beginning of something much bigger. Maybe all it takes is a small spark to brighten the world for someone else.

It is so easy to be overwhelmed by the darkness of this world, especially during the winter when daylight is in short supply and temperatures are uncomfortably cold. I know the feelings all too wall. I love the sun, and I bought a house with large windows and lots of skylights. So staying upbeat is a struggle during the winter. But I find solace in doing what I can, small as it may be, to help others. I like to think I am a spark in some small way. And that spark helps to brighten my world just a bit.

Be a spark.