Do Something

Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. . . . Make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son.”

—1 Kings 17:13

When the world seems filled with terrible news, it brings me a little peace to try to help. I volunteer sometimes at our church’s food pantry, and often I show up, distracted and stressed, worried that I don’t really have the time away from my computer to do this, that I’ll fall behind, that I’ll never make any writing progress if I keep using writing time to do other stuff. And then I sit across the table from a woman holding a baby, and we talk about her family. We walk together through the pantry, picking out fruit and meat and bread. I walk her to her car and help load the groceries in the trunk. As I leave, I know that I didn’t solve her problems, by any means, but that for a few weeks, her cupboards will be full, and I was a tiny part of bringing that about.

When you’re worried, when you’re overwhelmed, when it all seems like too much, it really helps to do something, even something small. Buy groceries for one person in your life who could really use them. Offer to babysit for new parents. Bring someone flowers. Do something.