Four Square Yards

I went to the supermarket on Sunday, as I do most Sundays after church, to do a bit of grocery shopping. But this time, I had a small twist to add to my shopping experience. Since I’ve been really trying to be conscious of my own impact on the Earth, I decided to use some reusable tote bags instead of the ubiquitous plastic bags that are proliferating the Earth.

So there I was, in the checkout line, diligently trying to pack as many items into my cloth bags as the laws of physics would allow, when I looked down the line at the 15 other checkout stands, all packed with their Sunday shoppers and nearly all of them bagging away into their bright yellow Shop-Rite bags. I felt discouraged, somehow, as though what difference was it going to make that I was NOT using about 8 plastic bags while the rest of the world was just bagging away, completely oblivious to the ongoing problem of plastics in landfills?

It’s easy to start with great ambition and then quickly become discouraged. So many of us wake up each day with the thought that “today I will change the world” only to return home after a long day perhaps more discouraged about things than you were just 8 hours before.

And I realize that’s because changing the world can’t happen in 1 day. Or 12. Or 1,200 for that matter. Because changing the world is a damn big ambition. A worthy ambition, to be sure, but damn big. Perhaps, dare I say it, too big??

So I suggest we change our point of view. Not our ambition - just the scope of it. Try this: stand in one space in your room, your apartment, your home, your classroom. And imagine a yard stick extending 3 feet in front of you, 3 feet to the left, 3 feet to the right, 3 feet behind you. A square that is basically 4 square yards in total size. Roughly the size a little larger than a king size bed.

Then ask yourself - what can I do in this small space to make it better. To make this small space a better place on this Earth. Or a better place for my family. Or a better place for my students. Or my co-workers. Or my employees. What can I do to make this the best 4 square yards it can be.

When you’ve done that, move to another space and try the same exercise. Later in the day, or tomorrow, try it again someplace else. Try it outdoors. Or in a public space like a park. Anywhere where YOU, working independently, can make an improvement. No matter how small.

You see, while it doesn’t seem like much, little by little, you can make a difference. No, not on the whole word, not in one day, or one week or one month. But, if you tried this, say, three times a week, you’d make a difference in a measurable amount of space in a pretty short amount of time. Some of the changes might be long lasting, some just momentary or short-lived. But the think is, you’d be making a change. Making a difference. And you would succeed because YOU really can affect small spaces more readily than big spaces.

It’s sort of like my mother used to say about cleaning the house. Our house was rather large when we were growing up and with 4 kids there was always a lot of cleaning to do. And mom, being a stay at home mom, was the one who did it. All day. Every day.

Later, after my wife and I were married and had three kids of our own, we too had the big house and the constant need for cleaning. But we both worked, so it came down to spending most of Saturday cleaning the entire house. A full day, dusting, scrubbing, mopping. And the laundry - who knows how many loads, washing and drying and folding. And when it was all done, our house was clean, our clothes were clean but we were exhausted and we hadn’t even given a thought to dinner.

And yet somehow, my mother managed to keep the house as neat as a museum, kept on top of the laundry for four kids and a husband and cooked breakfast AND dinner every single day. And somehow she found time to watch TV with us, or play a game, or take us to practice or wherever. AND she did the shopping, back in the day when shopping involved trips to the supermarket, the butcher, the bakery, the deli - all without a car.

So one day I called her and asked her just how she did it? How did she manage to do all of that? Yes, I knew she didn’t have a job outside the house, but she was 100 times more productive than I was, with one more kid and a lot fewer conveniences.

Her answer? I did one thing at a time, one small thing, over and over. Every day. I spread out the work, and I found that I was able to get it all done and still be a mom. That was her secret. One small thing, every day. Maybe it was vacuum the carpets. Or clean the master bathroom. Or wash my sister’s laundry. She did one task at a time but spread them out over 7 days. It meant she was busy each day, BUT she also had time to do what made her happy, like spend time with us. Or cook a great meal. Or watch her soap operas!

She wasn’t changing the world. But she was teaching her four kids a strong work ethic, so that we could go out and do the same. And if I teach my three kids the same, her influence spreads far beyond our old family house.

So there I was, standing in the grocery line, with my cloth bags. And, looking back, I was managing my 4 square yards. I was making that space a bit better by cutting down on the plastics. And maybe, by watching me, someone who stood in the next aisle will bring their own cloth bags. And together we will start to make a difference.

Change the world? Big and ambitious. Change 4 square yards? Easy and manageable. Try it.