small actions matter - Small Actions Matter

11 April 2022

How do you want to be treated when you are old?

Yesterday, I visited my 90 year old grandmother in her old peoples home. Whilst we stay in touch via handwritten letters, I hadn’t seen her in person in 3 years. I was surprised how well she looked for her age and how she was able to be part of the conversation.

One reason for not visiting sooner was definitely COVID (which she contracted and overcame last year) and the resulting travel bans in 2020 and 2021. Another reason is that part of me was worried that I would react badly to seeing her in this setting or not being able to have a conversation with her. And what would I do then? Just sit there in silence and stare at her? After all, I only know her as a strong, independent and caring woman who always looked out for me.

Old woman taking selfie (Photo by **Edu Carvalho** from **Pexels**)

The visit was lovely and we had a nice chat where I talked about my most recent activities, what I’m planning for the next few weeks and also some old memories. For example, my grandmother and I had been writing to each other consistently over the last 25 years. I recently scanned all letters and was surprised how many there were. She talked a little less and it was clear that after an hour, she was a little tired.

When leaving the home, I wondered whether I would ever end up in a similar place and how I would feel living there. Would there be anyone visiting me? Or would it be more like the movie “Grandpa’s Great Escape” where a senior is trying to break out of an people’s home? For me, it’s too early to tell.

What about you? How would you like to be treated when you are old?

Really, take a moment and think of the oldest person you have know or interacted with – have ever seen. What went through your head? How did you speak with them? What about?

Now put yourself into their shoes and imagine how life will be like.

I imagine myself being active into old age doing what I do now. That means I have to prepare for it. One way to prepare is to keep (or get) fit and strong, another is to cultivate social contacts, friends and keep in touch with people I’d like around me in old age. I’ll also need to keep learning new things to exercise the mind since I want both body and mind to be functioning as well as can be expected.

Most importantly though, I’ll keep visiting my gran. I do this to be a role model to my nieces, nephews and cousins who are a lot younger and may get inspired. I mainly do it though to keep her company, since this is how I’d like to be treated were I in her position.

7 April 20226 April 2022

Take responsibility for your shopping and its impact

Take action with your wallet and don’t buy products from companies supporting regimes you disagree with. For me, I have long learned to live without Nestle products. I disagree with their politics and therefore I won’t hand over my hard earned money to them. Easy.

In 2005, Brabeck-Letmathe, then CEO of Nestle, called the idea that water is a human right “extreme.”

Nestle was also one of the companies who continued to operate in Russia well after the war in Ukraine started – one month to be precise. Ukraine was attacked on 24 February 2022 and only after consumer outrage and action did they announce that Nestle is “temporarily stopping some” products in Russia. This announcement came out on 23 March 2022.

I am using Nestle as an example since it has been in the news on this topic recently. It is not the only company I am personally boycotting due to their politics or due to the way they treat their employees or due to shady business practices. I urge you to think about where you shop and whether you really need a sugary snack every day. Do you agree with how the company is run? Does the company’s management team and their board behave ethically? What does their record say about them?

I strongly advise you to learn more about where your products and services come from. Look up companies and how they make their money. Do they deserve your hard earned money? If not, don’t give it to them. Find alternatives. If you are lucky, there are local alternatives with your money feeding back into your local community.

As you can see with Nestle temporarily changing their business operations in Russia, your actions matter!

Big actions, small actions – ALL your actions matter!

31 March 20227 July 2022

End of Q1: looking back and planning forward

Yes, the first quarter of the year is drawing to a close. Thinking back, I had a lot of ideas of what I would accomplish and close out in the first three months of the year. One top priority was to get on top of my yearly taxes. I’m pleased to say that this one priority was completed as planned.

Yes, I will be celebrating with a nice meal this weekend. After all, celebrating small success keeps motivation up and trains the mind to pursue bigger and better goals all the while keeping me on track. I know I’ll stay on track since I don’t want to miss out on my treat.

Now, there is off course a flip side to this beautiful coin. I set out to learn a lot more about how to improve this blog. Did I achieve everything? Unfortunately, no, I did not finish my WordPress learning journey. I am the first to admit that I have an unhealthy relationship with news and I binge read – especially if it impacts the lives of millions of people negatively like the war in Ukraine. I did spend way too much time finding out what the latest is instead of focusing on my learning goals.

I did start however and I have a plan which I started working through and that is always a good place to be. “Well begun is half done!” is an old saying attributed to Aristotle and which I agree with wholeheartedly. Knowing what will need to be done prior to starting is valuable information and allows for unforeseen circumstances and disruptions without derailing the overall plan.

Also, it is said that people overestimate what they can do in one year but underestimate what they can achieve in 5 to 10 years. In addition, I did start to be more physically active which is already showing positive results. I feel more energetic, seem to need less sleep and feel better, more balanced than before.

In summary, I have not achieved everything I have set out to do. Having said that, I have finished all the important items, am well on my way to finishing my learning goals and have taken on an additional task. Not bad, I say.

What will Q2 hold?

For me, I will focus on finishing on my Q1 item. Science has shown that stress arises more from open item than too much to do. So, let’s start with finishing. Once I have cleared the old tasks, I’ll set myself new goals.

How about you? What are you proud of when you look back over the last 3 months? I am sure there is at least one thing you can think off.

27 March 2022

Be gentle – with yourself, with your friends, with the world

The world seems to be going crazy right now. Europe has a major war on it’s hands, the US is divided in a way it hasn’t been since the civil war, Africa and Asia contain the world’s highest number of crisis zones, South America is suffering from economic woes and both Canada and Australia are burning every year.

On top of that come individual issues such as problems with your partner / spouse, elderly parents requiring help, children in need of role models, terrible bosses, bad jobs, no clear path to improve one’s situation… and then… it rains the one Sunday you planned to head out to the park.

Sometimes, it seems too much – too much to take, too much to handle, too much of a burden to carry.

You are right! It is too much. It not only looks that way, but it is.

That’s why the best thing to do is to be gentle with yourself. Rather than despairing with the load of it all, just take a breather. Literally, take a few minutes out, take a break and just sit there and breath. Let your mind wander. What would you rather do instead? Then go and do that. Do it for a little while and see how your mood changes. Often, a short period of time is sufficient to realise that life is good after all.

The same holds true for being with friends, family, co-workers. They may seem a bit much or too energetic or too harsh at times and they surely are. That’s why it’s important to be gentle with them also. Give them the time and space they need without interrupting them and just let them be and listen. They will turn into more manageable people in good time. After all, everyone wants to be listened to and understood.

As for the world, sometimes, we need to be gentle with it also. If life seems overwhelming, we need to be gentle in how we react. Instead of panicking or getting anxious, we simply may need to take a moment to analyse the situation before reacting.

A well known quote come to mind:

“Between stimulus and response there is a space.

In that space is our power to choose our response.

In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

Let’s choose to take advantage of this space, let’s choose to grow and let’s choose to be gentle.

24 March 20226 June 2022

Keep showing your support and remeber to take action

The war in Ukraine has been going on for a full month now!

At this point, the war is still in the news as more and more war crimes happen in the region. There is still support for Ukrainians from civilians and aid agencies all over the world and I hope it will continue.

It is important that the attention remains because there are conflicts which no longer show up on our radars. Do you still remember the civil war in Syria? Did you know that over 6 million refugees fled their country? Inside Syria, another 6 million people are displaced. Yes, a total of 13 million people left their home for fear of death, injury or worse. The worst may be over by now but the war in Syria is still a crisis.

And what about Afghanistan, Lebanon or Yemen? They are still in crisis too. This is not a “what about-ism”. I’m merely trying to highlight how many war zones we currently have on this beautiful world.

According to Wikipedia, there are 57 ongoing armed conflicts at time of writing. 57! That’s too much. Looking at the Global Conflict Tracker, none of them are improving.

Are you overwhelmed yet? Do you think you are too far away to make a difference?

There is always the option to either donate to aid organizations or to volunteer for charities who champion peace and human rights such as Amnesty International.

The most important step is to take responsibility for your own actions. Yes, your actions – no matter how small – make a difference. Stopping a bully picking on a smaller child in kindergarten in a productive way will have an impact on both children. Reporting crime when you see it, is another good example – even if you think that nothing will come from it.

Taking part in protests and calling your political representative to push for change are also a great way to ensure your voice is heard. So is to run for office yourself; even if you participate on a school board, you will have a chance to make this world a better place.

It is important that you do your part.

This includes to show up at the voting booth and vote for the peaceful, democratic, inclusive party. The party that comes up with plans for the future and ideas on how to keep everyone included. Vote as if your life depended on it – because sooner or later, it will.