Good Turns

Girl Scouts are supposed to do a good turn daily.  Lately, I find that focusing on a good deed or a few good deeds that I can do everyday helps me to stress slightly (slightly) less over the mazillions of things I can't do.  I remind myself that in the past week, I have:

• prevented/broken up two fights
• gotten two kids hooked up to needed assistance
• advocated for someone who needed it
•  chosen and distributed several good books to kids who would like them
• purchased and given pretty journals to two kids who needed a better outlet for their feelings
• tried to be thoughtful and supportive to people
• found something that could be a material for the little kids at my daughter's school

 I am often overwhelmed by the needs of the world and the paltriness of my attempts to meet them.  I am torn between my responsibility for the horrors that are most people's lives on this planet and my selfish desire to give a happy, safe life to my own children (and the sure knowledge that chaos comes, no matter what you do or don't do) and my selfish need to maintain my own mental and physical health.  Sometimes I just have to stop, take a breath, and say:  I did these things.  Maybe I am not strong enough to do all the things I should right now, but I am not doing nothing.  Quite.