A cartoon
A thought
In the spirit of rebirth and healing, on this Easter Monday, I rediscovered this beautiful poem by
, which became famous during the early days of the pandemic.Small Kindnesses by Danusha Laméris
"I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walk
down a crowded aisle, people pull in their legs
to let you by. Or how strangers still say “bless you”
when someone sneezes, a leftover
from the Bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we are saying.
And sometimes, when you spill lemons
from your grocery bag, someone else will help you
pick them up. Mostly, we don’t want to harm each other.
We want to be handed our cup of coffee hot,
and to say thank you to the person handing it. To smile
at them and for them to smile back. For the waitress
to call us honey when she sets down the bowl of clam chowder,
and for the driver in the red pick-up truck to let us pass.
We have so little of each other, now. So far
from tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange.
What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, these
fleeting temples we make together when we say, “Here,
have my seat,” “Go ahead — you first,” “I like your hat.”
I think small kindnesses are the smallest, easiest way to start building the world we want to hand our children. While the pandemic may be mostly over, we are still so separated from each other by work, being busy, tiredness, expectations and loneliness. Danusha’s poem feels right for this time too. Take my silly drawing as a reminder of the inherent goodness in all of us.
I was delighted to discover Danusha has a Substack too:
.Glimmers and sparks*
My glimmers for today are:
I had to get up for a midnight wee and watch our mareema doggo bean woofing in the near full moonlight—I love that crazy monochromatic light!
Playing a game of Pictionary with my family - in a family obsessed with drawing it becomes a little dangerous!
Delicious hot cross buns from Under Bakery - a newish bakery in Mawson, Canberra with delicious bread. It’s going Tik-Tok viral so beware the wait times!
Li’l bean is your reminder to pause and ask: What are your glimmers for today?
From your friend and your small, steadfast companion,
*Drawing Li’l Bean helped me navigate out of a period of depression in 2023. A good friend 13, 595km away, helped, too, through a ritual of swapping daily glimmers via text.
A glimmer is a tiny spark of hope, enthusiasm or joy that lifts your heart. By helping me find three glimmers each day, she gently helped me see the joy and beauty already around me.
I’d like to share this practice with you and invite you to reflect on your glimmers for the day when you read this. Think of Li’l Bean as a reminder to notice the glimmers and sparks in your life. We’d love it if you would like to share your glimmers in the comments.
Gosh , a glimmer of sheer pleasure to be reunited with that beautiful poem.💝 Next was waking this morning, to a bit of blue sky edged with dark. We are having biblical rain, so to see a glimmer of blue was a delight.
It’s early so third glimmer of the day has yet to come….Thank You