What is the power of ONE?

I am not reviewing the book with that title, or the film with the same title, or an awkwardly phrased math problem, or a lonely frog that wakes me up in the middle of the night with its reverberating croaking (I mean – singing). I am thinking and questioning what could be done right now by each and everyone of us apart from staying sane (hopefully), and (hopefully) healthy, fit and kind (also hopefully) to each other and the world, and doing our part in social distancing and adhering to the other rules of this atypical Spring of 2020?

What can ONE person do during this unusual time of stay at home era? What can ONE person change or accomplish? What is that power of ONE?

And how do you even start to measure it all?

I do not have a degree in philosophy and I do not intend to say that I know and see the Big Picture, and more so, I still have many questions regarding the good and bad of the present situation, but this I do know: we are not here at this time by mistake. None of us. And it is unbelievable and magnificent that we are all on this planet at the same time, especially if we consider the odds of being born in this particular time, place and circumstance –  1: 400,000,000,000*

 And… we are all going through this turbulent change together!

So, let’s do something. Anything, really (well… almost).

Here is a list I started to make me feel less powerless. And please, please, please, see that as a starter, an appetizer, and add, add, add to it till the “thread of power” is so long that we can wrap the whole world in it many a time.

So, let’s start :

  • being extra kind to the people you shelter with,

  • being extra kind to yourself,

  • shopping for the neighbor(-s) and friends in need of help,

  • checking in (via e-mails, texts and old, good telephone calls) on people you know and those who could use your help and positive words and energy,

  • making masks on your old rickety (in my case) sewing machine, (of course, the sewing machine can also be new and shiny!),

  • smiling,

  • writing letters,

  • sending a yoga class link (or description of poses, or stories of your experience during the class) to friends,

  • donating money to different organizations in need,

  • taking a deep breath,

  • …and then another one…,

  •  being creative with your means and needs (for example: arranging a  haircut in future, by paying in advance to your hair stylist, if she/he needs the money now, etc),

  • singing (to yourself and others),

  • listening to somebody with all your heart (over the phone) and even more urgent and important… in person while sheltering in place,

  • saying “thank you” to all first responders and people on the front lines, when you have a chance,

  • cooking something new and then sharing recipes (if the result was good),

  • finding joy and beauty in seemingly mundane things,

  • finding beauty in every moment –  and then talking, writing about them, and…

  • celebrating how amazingly beautiful and precious every moment is.

Yes, I mean it – even now. Even this one.

And now this one…

And now this…

I remembered the often told story, most likely fictional, about a time when President John F. Kennedy visited NASA. Upon meeting a janitor, Kennedy asked him what he was doing. The janitor replied, “Well, Mr. President, I’m helping put a man on the moon”. I feel that we all have the capacity to help put the man of the moon– in other words – we are powerful enough to help the world get through the crisis, by just doing our little things.

No, I stand corrected –  little big things.

So, back to the initial questions: Just how powerful is ONE being?

Ask my husband in the middle of a night when a neighbor’s frog (they have a little pond)  jolts us out of sleep with a loud: “Prrrrretty Garrrrnet! Prrrrretty Garrrrrnet! Prrrrretty Garrrrnet”! (For the record: that frog does not say: ”Ribbit! Ribbit!”. And I stand by my words, I mean, I lie down (as it is usually at night) by my words!)

And what does that annoying, wonderful, sonorous, special frog have to do with the power of one?  Well, he/she** reminds me that he/she is powerful!

That we are all powerful!

Each one of us is powerful!

That is the power of ONE!

*”Odds calculated by factoring in the chances of survival of a continuous lineage of more than 100, 000 generations of your predecessors, all surviving successive natural disasters throughout a million years of geological time, including factors of evolution, biogenesis, specific sperm and egg combinations, ultimately merging successfully together to result in the one-and-only YOU!”, as presented by Dan Zadra and Kobi Yamada in their book “ONE”

** I used both “he/she” personal pronouns for the frog, even though, most likely, it is a loud male who makes the racket at night. However the female frogs are also known to make some vocalizations, and I did not want to leave them out. For obvious reasons!

Written by Indra Strong, Certified Let It Go Yoga teacher.

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