There is a story about a forest on fire from where all animals are running away, except for one bird carrying water in her beak flying towards it, to help put the fire out. When asked how her tiny beak's worth of water will help with the large forest fire, she simply says, atleast I will be remembered for trying to save my home, rather than abandoning it.

I have several small acts I practice routinely as my own way of saving the planet from the path of destruction it seems to be on due to human activity. Most times I feel like the little bird carrying the tiny drop of water towards a forest fire. I know that me turning off the water faucet when I brush, or lights when I leave a room or drying my clothes on the line in the sun instead of the dryer, or buying things without or with less plastic packaging, or just buying less, etc are completely insignificant acts when it comes to what it will take to ease the suffering of the planet. Yet, every now and then, these small acts lead to connections that raise my hope.

At a recent event, where food was served with disposable plastic spoons, I decided to forgo the use of spoon and eat in the Indian style, by simply using the fingers of my right hand to eat the food with. As I sat down to eat, I noticed Anuj sitting next to me eating with a steel spoon he had found in the kitchen. I felt an immediate connection and kinship. I let him know that it made me happy to see him forgo the plastic spoon too. We both bonded over the shared values and actions.



Another thing I do is volunteer at a local Repair Cafe so broken things can be repaired, reused and repurposed instead of being sent to the landfill. At a recent Repair Cafe event, I got a pleasant surprise of meeting Pat, who had brought somethings to be repaired. We both were happy to see each other and a connection over shared values beyond attending Awakin's together was reaffirmed.

These unexpected connections linked to my small acts gave me hope. The little bird putting out the forest fire is certainly not the only one. There is a tribe of us, each one of whom is quietly acting consistent with our shared values of respect towards our shared planet, in myriad different ways. May the tribe thrive and our connections keep growing.