Let me share one of my recent experiences during a camping trip.  We were hiking on a six mile trail and we took a wrong turn down a canyon with sharp inclines.  At the bottom of the canyon, we had to find a way back out to the top.  During the process, on several occasions I was stuck on rocks where a slight wrong move would have tumbled me down onto the rocks below with possible injuries.  Several times my friend reached his hand out and pulled me up.  For him, this act was not a big deal.  To me, his help, which lasted 2 seconds, meant a lot to my well being and survival.  This episode was a reminder that what we do matters, no matter how small in effort and duration.

Take a minute to think about all the people who have touched your life with a smile, kind words, or maybe not so kind words.  Do you think they were aware of their influence on you?  Do you think they dismissed their impact on you?  I think most people do not realize how they do impact others. We are sometimes so bogged down in everyday affairs that we forget that what we do and say matters.  We do not notice our impact on others unless someone brings it to our attention, be it positive or negative.

In the context of Tending to Your Garden Within, every living thing that we touch and care for is impacted by us and vice versa.  What we do in our garden within influences our environment.  It is important that we do not measure our success only by things that we see with our eyes only.  There are many things we influence that we are not aware of.  The poem below illustrates this concept further. 

You Matter

What you do makes a difference.

What you do matters

no matter how trivial it is to you.

Your smiles matter.

Your silence matters.

Your intentions matter.

Your playfulness matters.

Your attitude matters.

Your stories matter.

Your words

even though few in number, matter.

Your helping hand matters

even if was only stretched out

for two seconds.

You make a difference.

You matter.

Copyright . 2010 by Shervin Hojat