This beach is a mess, right? And this is just one little part of it. As far as the eye can see, there are piles of seaweed and pieces of dead whale. And yet, there is room on the beach for families to gather and play, for surfers to prepare or rest up after, for dogs to run and chase balls. What draws our attention the most?
The anxiety level is ramping up, and with good reason. The world is a mess. I won't name the problems, because the news is doing an excellent job of that. What the news doesn't do is provide hope or sift through priorities. It just keeps piling up messes, like waves keep coming and piling up this seaweed.
I cannot solve any of the world's problems. I certainly can't solve anything by sitting in my house worrying about them. I can't solve anything by trying to assign blame. I can't solve one problem by focusing on another one. It's all deflection.
But I can see that there is good in the world, as well as mess. And I can be part of the good. I can build on the good. I can focus. I can take a deep breath. What is mine to do today? How can I be present, and loving, to the very real people around me, and to this fragile planet we iinhabit? If I want to pitch in and do whatever I can to solve one of the problems I see, there are ways to do that. I can contact an organization that helps refugees, and either give money or explore whether they need volunteers. I can reduce my own reliance on fossil fuels. I can support fire fighters and first responders. I can take a trash bag on my walk and clean up part of the mess.
The only thing that stops me is being overwhelmed by grief, by the number and severity of the messes I see. Today, if you find yourself anxious and overwhelmed, stop the spin cycle. Focus on one thing and do it. I'm going to the farmer's market. I'm going to take a long walk. I'm going to finish my sermon for Sunday. I will smile at people I encounter. I will breathe. In doing these things, I will not add to the world's anxiety. Best case is that for someone, somewhere, I can alleviate it, just a tiny bit.