The opportunity of a moment

An autumnal mountain view from a field in Bridgewater, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

Every day, choices face us, mainly in the form of moments. And each one is an opportunity. 

If you think of each day as a collection of those moments, it's a bit easier to see the good we can each accomplish on a daily basis, especially if some moments are directed for the benefit of others. The problem comes with the challenges that either loom in the background of our lives, or jump out at us in the foreground without warning. Then, the moments are quickly loaded up with important thinking to do and pivotal decisions to make.

For many people, that was the new reality which appeared overnight in February and March, as the pandemic's impact increased in the U.S. and the news became more dire every day. Everyone struggled to keep up with the gigantic influx of new information, taking over so many moments, and fear grew. 

More recently, many people face a far more troubling influx of not only health-related and economic-related fear, but those issues coupled with election anxiety. At the root of the latter feeling, is the fear of not knowing what the future will hold as systems foundational to our democracy appear to be under increasing threat on all sides. 

When those fears seem to gain momentum, that's when we can lean heavily on moments. This means that, each moment, we can make the decision to be better — more loving, more compassionate, more understanding — than the negative elements that can breed fear. If there's a moment we might use to watch one more YouTube video, we can use that moment to check on a friend or relative, and see how they're doing. If there's another moment we might use to dwell on what's impossible, we can use it to learn something new and bless others with it, showing them good is still possible. 

With that humble approach to life, we can reclaim the good that fear would steal from us, and together, those moments form a strong fabric of good, which we can craft together as a world community. If we work for and demand that outcome, we can realize the powerful love we share and find true progress that helps everyone — even when that seems impossible.

— Gareth Henderson