My first introduction to martial arts was during graduate school in Kent, OH. The dojo was small, but welcoming, and though I didn’t last as long as I’d hoped, one rule of the dojo still sticks with me today.

Upon entering the space, after bowing in, you needed to find one small thing to clean. Could be the tiniest speck of crumb or errant thread from someone’s uniform. The lesson was in the act of caring for the environment we’d entered, of the show of respect for our space, ourselves, and the other people who were sharing the space with us.

Nobody talked about this lesson extending beyond the dojo, though I’m sure that was the point. And it’s something I still carry with me today, all these years later, and think about as I walk my neighborhood, go grocery shopping, visit the lakefront—whenever I’m engaging in the world.

This small rule further moved my perspective outward while also letting my focus wander inward to reconcile and reimagine my place in this world. I feel a deeper connection to the world when I’m paying attention to the small things that need and deserve my attention, like picking up the napkin that missed the trashcan or telling the person sweeping the floors at my gym that I really appreciate their work.

Many of the actions I try to take every day are not huge and may only be truly meaningful to myself and the person or few people I’m interacting with directly.

But, you can change someone’s day by showing appreciation. You can model good stewardship for anyone who might see you by picking up that napkin and putting it in the trash.

So, my invitation to you today is to take a few small actions, note how they make you feel and how they connect you to the larger world, and commit to doing the same tomorrow.

The Light Links

Jon Stewart’s discussion with Rep. Alexandria Casio-Cortez

Listening to the Quiet with Harrison Ford

The Death of an Asylum Seeker and the Shelter Crisis in Peel

Yale Climate Connections Book Review: The Great Displacement is a must read