Beech Tree News Network

What You Can: One of my favorite quotes is: It is a mistake to do nothing because you can only do a little.  Do what you can.  In my younger days, I was drawn to the big splash.  As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become a fan of small steps.  I think it’s probably because I finally recognize the value of the collective.

I’m not a crusader.  I don’t see myself ever leading a charge for any cause, but I do appreciate the value of some causes.  For a few months now, ABC News has had a segment on the importance of buying American-made products and the influence that has on American jobs.  They have put forth the challenge for every person to buy just one American-made gift this Christmas.  That single act will sustain and create thousands of American jobs.  I have taken the challenge to heart, on several levels.

I need to digress for a bit, but I will eventually get back to the crux of this point.  When my oldest daughter was a teenager, she went through a state of misery that she insisted on sharing with the world, specifically her family’s world.  On one particularly miserable day, after I had absorbed toxic levels of misery, I completely lost it.  It was one of those times when I blurted out a diatribe of grievances that finally ended with a series of beliefs that I had probably held for some time, but had been unable to articulate until that moment.  It basically went something like this: “I’m sorry you’re miserable, but that doesn’t give you the right to make everyone around you miserable.  If you can’t make something positive out of your life, the very least you can do is not make it harder on those around you.  And if you decide you want your life to move forward, the first step is always to make something around you better.”

She didn’t heed the advice, but I did.  From that moment forward, I looked for small things, even tiny things, that would improve life for those around me.  Listening to the challenges of the ABC News team opened my eyes to other possibilities, possibilities that don’t always involve American-made products, but do have to do with American jobs.  I’ve stopped viewing big corporations as just big corporations.  I see them now as businesses that employ American workers, and I want to do my part to help them stay in business.

At McDonalds this week, I started to grab a handful of napkins and extra ketchup, most of which would have ended up in the trash the next day.  I stopped myself and took two of each instead. I’ve also become more aware of how important our local businesses are to me.  I use single edge razor blades to take labels off of bottles that I repurpose into gifts.  I like the idea of being able to run into Tru Value Hardware, and not have to drive 25 miles out of my way.  When my horses need salt, it’s a quick trip to the Feed Mill or Drake’s. If Garey is down to his last good pair of work socks, Garrison’s will have replacements.  I don’t want to lose that.  

The recession can make you miserable.  Many people are in a fight for their economic lives, but it’s not going to be the big splash that gets us through this time.  It’s going to be the small steps.  I’m going to keep taking my small steps, not because I’m on a crusade, but rather because I believe in the importance of doing what I can.