*NOTE: This essay first appeared in my monthly newsletter, June/July 2022. You can read it in its original form here. And if you’d like to have my newsletter delivered straight to your inbox, you can subscribe here. I promise to be an ideal guest at your email party: I arrive on time, leave before things get weird, and never show up uninvited.

“We’re not helping out because it’s me needing to tend to you.
We’re helping out because it’s us.”

— Ram Dass

It's time for a pep talk.

I had an entirely different letter written out, scheduled to send today.
Like some other things, however, schedules can apparently be overturned.
I’m putting that letter on pause for now, because the world feels too heavy to be carried alone lately, and what I really need is a pep talk.
Maybe you could use one too.

It's ok if you feel overwhelmed.
It's natural to feel
angry
sad
afraid
frustrated
etc., etc., etc.

It's ok if you need to let it out.
Give yourself permission to
cry into your pillow
angry-sing in the car
stomp your feet against the ground
hide under the covers
etc., etc., etc.

It's ok to make time to take care of yourself.
Make sure you are
fed
rested
clear-headed
in one piece
etc., etc., etc.

But one thing you and I are not going to do, is give up.
I know some problems may seem too deeply embedded to solve,
some things so broken they cannot be fixed.
We might lose our nerve, start to feel helpless, even hopeless, if we get too fixated on “fixing.”
Do not overwhelm yourself by looking for an ultimate solution, a conclusive answer.

The surest antidote for feeling helpless is to start helping.

You don’t have to save the world.
You don’t have to have all the answers.
You only need one question:
How can I help?

Start there.
Start by
dropping off dinner
picking up groceries
giving a ride
making a phone call
signing a petition
sharing information
offering your spare room
etc., etc., etc.

Do not let anyone convince you that what you do does not matter.
Do not trust anyone who would devalue your imagination, your compassion, your joie de vivre. Use it all, every unique gift, to help yourself and others.

"Helping out is not some special skill. It is not the domain of rare individuals. It is not confined to a single part or time of our lives. We simply heed the call of that natural caring impulse within, and follow where it leads us."
(Ram Dass)

You are the most valuable tool you have for making a difference.
Hold on to your power, and use it to help, in whatever way you can.
Who knows? It may turn out that all our "small" acts of helping will heal the world after all.

Head up + heart strong,

Jamie