Attitude of Service

I am in the middle of a very blessed week - down in New Orleans, LA volunteering with Rebuilding Together New Orleans. We have a great house captain and a wonderful set of volunteers. The best part about it is the cooperative spirit within the crew. There is no whining about who does what job, no complaining (except for occasional comments about the humidity, which is indeed brutal), and everyone just working together.

I believe that the reason for this is that we are all here to serve someone else and not ourselves. The whole reason we came down to NOLA is to give of ourselves to someone who needs a hand. And when you start with that mindset, everything else comes easy. Yes the work is tough and sometimes boring, but when you have the end in mind, in our case to allow someone to return to a livable home, then you realize what is important.

And if we were all able to extend this attitude of service to our every day lives, it is possible that we wouldn't have many of the problems that we do have, environmental or otherwise. It all goes back to what most of us learned in kindergarten - treat others as you want to be treated. If you want to make a difference in this world, start with a change of attitude and a change of heart.

Donate the stuff you don't use/need

Give your neighbor a ride to work or to the store

Spend some time with your kids outside - take a walk, play a game, whatever

When we look to fulfill the needs of others rather than spending our time trying to satisfy our wants, we end up happier, healthier, and richer (in more ways than one). A pretty simple game plan - now its time for me to get back to work!

Let's rephrase...

I often get frustrated when I hear the same arguments and the same polarizing opinions over and over. Often its because I think we have lost sight of what is really before us - the real reason we are having these discussions.

Perhaps we need to rephrase - maybe it should go something like this...

a. Do you believe that you should be able to use as much energy, water and resources as you can afford?

Or

b. Do you believe that you should use only what you need, and what you do use should be easily replaceable?

I want to say that I always choose answer b......but then I would be lying. There are times when my selfishness takes over and I want what I want regardless of the consequences. But that doesn't mean I should stop trying - I have to continue to move towards the right choice; the choice that values people more than things - as in love your neighbor as yourself.

Perhaps there is a better way to frame the discussion - any takers?

NIM Revisited

A while back I introduced readers of this blog to No Impact Man - author Colin Beavan who, with the help of his family, lived for one year doing everything possible to leave as small an impact as possible on the planet. Colin now has both a book and a documentary film out (both titled No Impact Man) and continues to write posts on his blog about environmental issues.

One recent entry caught my attention. This was a guest post written by Colin's wife and it gave an insight into some of her experiences during the No Impact Year; and it is truly inspiring. Her post serves as a reminder what our lifestyle actually costs us.

Would you be willing to change your life and your habits if you knew it would....

• Improve your health;
• Improve your finances;
• Improve your relationships with your family

Notice I said nothing about saving the earth, and yet the actions that provide the good things above can do just that. If we are willing to change, even just a little.