I have a friend who likes to pass along whatever affirmation she reads on her Yogi Tea labels.

“Act, don’t react,” or “Empty yourself and let the universe fill you.”

I can laugh at myself when I shop for a special occasion card; for a birthday, or anniversary, or to express sympathy. I want to find the perfect sentiment and can spend a lot of time studying the offerings on the shelves.

It seems that I’m always looking for words to live by; simple thoughts, principles that seem true. I think I’m not alone in this.

The other day, I came across a message in an unexpected place. I was unrolling a reel of plastic poop bags as I was getting ready to take my dog out for a walk. I always noticed that the gray bags featured silhouettes of dogs at regular intervals, but I never looked at the words that accompanied the howling canine pattern.

“Find a pile and pick it up. All the day, you’ll have good luck.”

Lately, I’ve been feeling that the meanderings of my mind are in sync with ideas that are currently out in the universe.

The other week, I contemplated how the pandemic, record unemployment, and videos of police violence created a perfect storm for new conversations about fundamental flaws in our society. After noodling on this, I noticed news pundits echo similar notions.

Seeing these words imprinted on plastic bags I normally stuff in my back pocket without much thought made me think about recent conversations I’ve had with friends about how to use our time, now that we have so much of it.

I have projects I don’t seem to complete. They’re largely around promoting my books, which have been available since December. I make inroads but mobilizing social media is not a slam-dunk for me. I will fall into periods when I feel bad about this, then I’ll decide to cut myself some slack.

Just being alive now, amid so much chaos and uncertainty, seems to be exhausting.

This conundrum of how to stay positive while the world is turning inside out seems to be an odd preoccupation of the fortunate. That I can fret over whether I’m using this time effectively to move towards a more fulfilling career is understandable but incredibly self-centered.

I’m very aware of the suffering that seems to be everywhere now, but I’ll often come back to my preoccupation with how to make my life better. I suppose it’s natural to want times of turmoil to be seen as rites of passage.

Maybe the world is moving to a better place as I am navigating towards a more fulfilling life. I want to think so.

I’ll look at how more and more people seem to be expanding their consciousness. I’ll think that people might be more receptive to my messages about gratitude, about being positive on purpose, than they might have been a few years ago.

I’ll also consider that more Americans may be ready to fight for social justice than ever before, even as that is likely to involve redistribution of resources (and losses of wealth for some).

I’ll laugh at myself, at how I see my inner world reflected in life around me and vice versa.

I find myself thinking a lot about the global reset we seem to be undergoing in terms of personal life lessons, as working on my ego. I recognize that I need to feel that what I want to contribute to the world has value, but I want to remember that my motivation shouldn’t be about notoriety. It needs to be about serving all life.

I listened in on an Awakin call featuring Meg Wheatley (organizational consultant and writer) and John Powell (law and African American Studies professor) Thursday. I heard Wheatley share something akin to what I had been ruminating on earlier in the week; not to focus on personal achievement but to be ready to respond to what’s needed.

Be of service. Simple, huh? Be of service. Be open to serving all life.

And then I came back to my perforated roll of plastic poop bags. “If you see a pile, pick it up.  All the day, you’ll have good luck.”

Instead of planning on cleaning up only what I claim as my personal responsibility, I can develop the understanding, the willingness, that I can clean up any pile I find. I can plan on making any situation I find myself in a little better.

Having a clear understanding of service, and a willingness to take on unglamorous or unnoticed jobs, is no small thing.