[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” hundred_percent_height=”no” hundred_percent_height_scroll=”no” hundred_percent_height_center_content=”yes” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” status=”published” publish_date=”” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” link=”” target=”_self” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_image_id=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” hover_type=”none” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” border_radius=”” box_shadow=”no” dimension_box_shadow=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_imageframe image_id=”36091|full” max_width=”” style_type=”dropshadow” blur=”” stylecolor=”” hover_type=”zoomin” bordersize=”” bordercolor=”” borderradius=”” align=”none” lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” lightbox_image_id=”” alt=”” link=”” linktarget=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″]http://consciousdancer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Monday-Love-to-your-Care-and-Contribution-plus-Insight-from-Write-in-the-Beats-Margaret-Wagner.jpg[/fusion_imageframe][fusion_separator style_type=”shadow” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”30″ bottom_margin=”30″ border_size=”2″ icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_title title_type=”text” rotation_effect=”bounceIn” display_time=”1200″ highlight_effect=”circle” loop_animation=”off” highlight_width=”9″ highlight_top_margin=”0″ before_text=”” rotation_text=”” highlight_text=”” after_text=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” content_align=”left” size=”1″ font_size=”” animated_font_size=”” fusion_font_family_title_font=”” fusion_font_subset_title_font=”” fusion_font_variant_title_font=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_top_mobile=”” margin_bottom_mobile=”” text_color=”” animated_text_color=”” highlight_color=”” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]
“There are so many men and women who hold no distinctive positions but whose contribution towards the development of society has been enormous.“
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~ Nelson Mandela
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What’s a sure-fire way to make your day? How often do you assist other people? Why is it that offering help or something thoughtful to someone else boosts your own well-being?
Contribution is a quirky concept. All too often folks have the mistaken impression that the only way to contribute is to financially support some cause or another. But there’s more to contribution than simply wishing one was a philanthropist.
With everything that’s going on in the world at the moment, it’s more important than ever to keep your spirits up. A lot of the things we are used to doing are simply not in the cards at the moment.
Thanks to the interminable pandemic we can forget gathering in groups or relaxing in our favorite cafés. With the smoke from the fires here in California and much of the West, we can’t even go outside for our usual walks or exercise!
So we summon our patience, we count our blessings, and we keep on keepin’ on. We metaphorically put one foot in front of the other and stay the course. Steady as she goes. It’s good to have a personal project to work on, some goals to achieve, and progress to make.
But for all that inwardly directed activity and individual idealism to buoy you up sometimes it’s what you put out into the world that makes a difference to you inside. When some small action on your part makes someone else’s day it’s like a cosmic pat on the back from the universe itself.
We’re not all scouts, and there’s not always an elder to escort across the street. In fact, a lot of folks are at home alone, riding out the pandemic solo. If you’re able to read this, then you’re online, and if you’re online, then you have the means to help.
If you’ve ever spent much time in any special-interest corner of the inner-webs then you know how helpful folks can be. It’s a phenomenon worth thinking about, why is it that folks can be so stand-offish in public yet so eager to help online?
For one thing, the anonymity of the online world makes it a far different place than any in-person environment. It’s not just that people are more helpful, it’s that people are more comfortable asking for help. It feels safer to open up to folks you’ll never meet.
If there’s one thing in the face-to-face world people are reticent about, it’s asking for help. In the mirror-image world of the internet, the tables are turned, and asking for assistance is easy.
Maybe it’s just the expectation that all the answers are there somewhere, after all, Google is now a verb. Indeed, information is free — it’s the models and mentoring that cost money. Knowing the elements is one thing, learning the proper way to do something is another.
It should be obvious that if you’re seeking advice about something that needs professional attention such as a medical problem that “random anonymous internet user” is not who you should go to for advice. Quite the opposite.
But for things like home improvement, gardening, computer problems, or virtually any craft or hobby you can think of there are any number of forums, groups, or subreddits full of folks who are happy to help. And guess what, it costs you nothing to contribute.
And contribution is key. Online or in your person-to-(socially distanced)-person world you can find a way to make a difference every day. Sometimes it’s as simple as passing along something extra from one of your own projects to someone else.
The dead-end street that I live on is a case in point. Each house has its street number painted on the curb for fire safety and delivery convenience. Once every couple of years some guy comes around and offers to repaint them for $20 bucks a pop.
Last year I noticed that mine had faded again and I began to wonder if cheap paint destined to fade out within a year was part of this guy’s racket. So one day at the hardware store I picked up a set of stencils and some spray cans of quality reflective paint.
There are only about eight houses on our street and we’re pretty friendly with most of our neighbors. So once I was all set up to paint my number on our curb I decided to go ahead and spend another hour using up the rest of the paint at the other houses on my block.
Some of my neighbors saw what I was doing and came out and thanked me right away. Others didn’t notice for a week or so and commented later when they saw me and our dog out walking. The bottom line is that it was an easy and fun act of goodwill with nothing expected in return.
Transactions are one thing, contribution is another. Whether it’s online, on the phone, or on your street, any time you contribute you’re putting goodwill into your cosmic karma bank. When it comes to goodwill, you can never build up too much!
Take care and be well, much love till next Monday!
M+
Mark Metz
Director of the Dance First Association
Publisher of Conscious Dancer Magazine
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