Author: gracesmuggler

Yesterday, a friend said,

“To paraphrase a song, ‘If I can’t change the world, I’ll change the world within my reach.'”

Yes.

And that also changes the world.

–Renee Roederer

I so appreciated when a friend said, “I’m not always sure I know what to do. I know I can care for the radius of my circle, but…”

I really appreciated that language: Care for the Radius of My Circle.

Even if we’ve used different language, I think so many of us have had this feeling before. Or maybe we have it now. We can care for the people around us, but is it enough to affect change?

Yes, no doubt, we need bigger, systems-wide change in this country. We need large, massive changes in a variety of areas to impact true justice, peace, and safety. But I also wonder… is there any other way to enact change — or at the very least, start it? And is there any better change than to care for “the radius of my circle”?

That larger work to change systems is “care for the radius of my circle,” especially and most directly for those around us who need these changes. But also, care changes things — purposeful intention, support, sharing of resources, offering time, listening, physical aid, emotional connection, meaning-making, mental health check-ins, financial sharing, meals, accompaniment, and companionship. The list goes on.

And it matters. And it has impacts. And it changes things.

This is a huge contribution toward the world we want to build.

–Renee Roederer

What I’d give to have the same rights as guns in this country.

–Renee Roederer

Last week, I shared a story on this blog, entitled “Neighborly Donuts.” In that post, I shared about how I met a neighbor who offered me a donut at the bus stop. It felt like a sweet (in both ways) moment of surprise that was kind and connectional. It brightened my day.

Yesterday, I shared that story on Facebook, and quickly, so many people started to like it. By the end of the day, there were more than 100 likes and lots of comments. Multiple people also referenced the story in conversation with me off of social media.

And I realized, people really need to feel like simple but surprising moments of kindness can happen, and that they in fact, do happen, and that they in fact, can impact things.

They can.
They do.

And I suppose it’s a reminder that we need to receive these moments, hear about these moments, and cultivate them on purpose.

We can.
We do.

–Renee Roederer

From Valerie Threlfall:

“It’s easy these days to feel overwhelmed by the noise coming at us from all sides. 

“There’s the most common noise, of course, the noise of daily life—children in the flurry of their final weeks of the school year; ongoing COVID decisions – do I go? do I Zoom? Even the excitement (and additional noise) of trips to see family and friends. 

“The ‘noise’ from our culture and society can feel even louder, more damaging, and more chaotic. We continue to see tragedy unfold on a daily basis and must consistently fight efforts by some to strip individuals of their rights, whether that be voting rights, reproductive rights, or the right to safety. Conversations around change feel heavily polarized and frankly, unhopeful. 

As it goes in charged and difficult moments, we tend to reserve our energy for reaction more than listening. But, in times like these, it’s important to reground and try to center on what matters most. For me, that means remembering why I do this work and why listening is the at the core of it. Real listening, the kind that puts you squarely in someone else’s shoes, brings about greater understanding and empathy. We lack this right now and it shows, across our daily lives and our cultural lives.

“To get a little more concrete about listening, think about those comments we’ve each received in our feedback work that have truly stuck with us and allowed us to stand in someone else’s shoes. These moments remind us not to flee from the ‘noise’ or react to it in a knee-jerk way, but to stay centered and keep listening.”

What does it mean to you to live fully? Freely? Abundantly?

If you were to cast a vision for that, or maybe simply get more in alignment with it, what would that look like? Do you have a guiding principal for this? Or a highest value? Or a significant practice? When do you feel most alive, and how? I’d love to hear from you today. Feel free to leave a comment.

–Renee Roederer

You carry
All the ingredients
To turn your life into a nightmare-
Don’t mix them!

You have all the genius
To build a swing in your backyard
For God.

That sounds
Like a hell of a lot more fun.
Let’s start laughing, drawing blueprints,
Gathering our talented friends.

I will help you
With my divine lyre and drum.

Hafiz
Will sing a thousand words
You can take into your hands,
Like golden saws,
Sliver hammers,

Polished teakwood,
Strong silk rope.

You carry all the ingredients
To turn your existence into joy,
Mix them, mix
Them!

– Hafiz

I have a long standing tradition of having a baby cottontail rabbit born in my yard each summer. Last night, this year’s baby made herself visible for the first time. She’s the 8th generation bunny.

Factually, I know they’re not all female, and they’re probably not a straight linage, but I think some of them might be, because each year, an adult bunny returns and has her baby. I always name the baby, and her name includes part of the name from last year’s bunny.

So we’ve had…
Rosa
Rosalita
Litalou
Louisa
Isabella
Bellatrix
Trixie

and now… Edith!

Welcome home, baby Edith. Enjoy munching on the grass in the yard. I’m sorry that there’s so much cottonwood blowing around out there. You’re a big a delight.

–Renee Roederer

In my role with the Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan, I help facilitate five support groups. Last year, in one of them, a group member chose a song for every other group member. She selected a song with meaning that seems to convey who each person is and/or what they can count on from each other. It was so touching..

“This is your song,” she would say.

And for many months, people have circled back and made reference to their songs.

This morning, I turned my Spotify on shuffle, and there was mine.

“This is your song,” I heard her say. I smiled big.

–Renee Roederer

I was standing near the bus stop in the morning shade under a tree. I saw someone approaching with a white box. “She has donuts,” I thought. “A donut sounds so good.”

She sat on the bench, as I continued to stand under the tree. She opened the box, and curious, I looked over to see if they were, indeed, donuts — though I was careful not to stare. I was behind her, so she never saw me looking anyway.

But that’s when she turned to me and asked, “Would you like a donut?” With no way to know my curiosity, she was simply generous and neighborly. I smiled big.

“That’s so nice! How about half of one?”

“Which one would you like?”

“Ooh, how about this one!”

I savored it.

I introduced myself, and she told me her name too. She also shared that she works for the city. She told me a bit about her family as well. I know that none of our conversation solved gun violence, or climate disaster, or what’s happening in Ukraine. This person in city government didn’t suddenly solve what happens so regularly in Washington.

But this neighborliness matters too. It brightened my day. It led to connection. It bolstered us socially and physically — friendship and sugar in the hot sun.

Yes, this neighborliness matters too.

–Renee Roederer