Monday Love to your Care and Contribution

“There are so many men and women who hold no distinctive positions but whose contribution towards the development of society has been enormous.“

~ Nelson Mandela

What’s a sure-fire way to make your day? How often do you assist other people? Why is it that offering help or something thoughtful to someone else boosts your own well-being?

Contribution is a quirky concept. All too often folks have the mistaken impression that the only way to contribute is to financially support some cause or another. But there’s more to contribution than simply wishing one was a philanthropist.

With everything that’s going on in the world at the moment, it’s more important than ever to keep your spirits up. A lot of the things we are used to doing are simply not in the cards at the moment.

Thanks to the interminable pandemic we can forget gathering in groups or relaxing in our favorite cafés. With the smoke from the fires here in California and much of the West, we can’t even go outside for our usual walks or exercise!

So we summon our patience, we count our blessings, and we keep on keepin’ on. We metaphorically put one foot in front of the other and stay the course. Steady as she goes. It’s good to have a personal project to work on, some goals to achieve, and progress to make.

But for all that inwardly directed activity and individual idealism to buoy you up sometimes it’s what you put out into the world that makes a difference to you inside. When some small action on your part makes someone else’s day it’s like a cosmic pat on the back from the universe itself.

We’re not all scouts, and there’s not always an elder to escort across the street. In fact, a lot of folks are at home alone, riding out the pandemic solo. If you’re able to read this, then you’re online, and if you’re online, then you have the means to help.

If you’ve ever spent much time in any special-interest corner of the inner-webs then you know how helpful folks can be. It’s a phenomenon worth thinking about, why is it that folks can be so stand-offish in public yet so eager to help online?

For one thing, the anonymity of the online world makes it a far different place than any in-person environment. It’s not just that people are more helpful, it’s that people are more comfortable asking for help. It feels safer to open up to folks you’ll never meet.

If there’s one thing in the face-to-face world people are reticent about, it’s asking for help. In the mirror-image world of the internet, the tables are turned, and asking for assistance is easy.

Maybe it’s just the expectation that all the answers are there somewhere, after all, Google is now a verb. Indeed, information is free — it’s the models and mentoring that cost money. Knowing the elements is one thing, learning the proper way to do something is another.

It should be obvious that if you’re seeking advice about something that needs professional attention such as a medical problem that “random anonymous internet user” is not who you should go to for advice. Quite the opposite.

But for things like home improvement, gardening, computer problems, or virtually any craft or hobby you can think of there are any number of forums, groups, or subreddits full of folks who are happy to help. And guess what, it costs you nothing to contribute.

And contribution is key. Online or in your person-to-(socially distanced)-person world you can find a way to make a difference every day. Sometimes it’s as simple as passing along something extra from one of your own projects to someone else.

The dead-end street that I live on is a case in point. Each house has its street number painted on the curb for fire safety and delivery convenience. Once every couple of years some guy comes around and offers to repaint them for $20 bucks a pop.

Last year I noticed that mine had faded again and I began to wonder if cheap paint destined to fade out within a year was part of this guy’s racket. So one day at the hardware store I picked up a set of stencils and some spray cans of quality reflective paint.

There are only about eight houses on our street and we’re pretty friendly with most of our neighbors. So once I was all set up to paint my number on our curb I decided to go ahead and spend another hour using up the rest of the paint at the other houses on my block.

Some of my neighbors saw what I was doing and came out and thanked me right away. Others didn’t notice for a week or so and commented later when they saw me and our dog out walking. The bottom line is that it was an easy and fun act of goodwill with nothing expected in return.

Transactions are one thing, contribution is another. Whether it’s online, on the phone, or on your street, any time you contribute you’re putting goodwill into your cosmic karma bank. When it comes to goodwill, you can never build up too much!

Take care and be well, much love till next Monday!

M+

Mark Metz

Director of the Dance First Association

Publisher of Conscious Dancer Magazine

Dance First Member Insight:Margaret H. Wagner, founder of WRITE IN THE BEAT?

This week’s Dance First Member Spotlight is brought to you by Margaret H. Wagner, founder of WRITE IN THE BEAT?, a certified Open Floor and 5Rhythms? movement teacher weaving writing and art-making into her classes.

Dear Dancers, 

What a time we live in – pandemic, politics, and protests combining with the pandemonium of fire, wind, and water. What can help us stay positive and fluid when the world makes us want to feel fixed to the couch?

My usual coping mechanism of working it out on a dance floor can’t happen the way it did six months ago. Even being in nature, which usually settles and inspires me, has been limited by California’s heat and smoke conditions. What can we do, as movers and dancers, when we’re displaced from our dance floors and the grounded sense of partnership and community movement provides? When our livelihood has paused, and we can’t even count on being in our home within the next 24 hours? I don’t have easy answers – I’ve turned to creative outlets more than ever.

Moving in my living room and dancing with people online has its limitations — and yet, I’m so thankful to have that opportunity. A stranger’s movement travels through the computer screen and lands in my heart, just like it did on the dance floor. When partnered with someone in an online class, I’ve fallen in love with how they move their hands, hips, or shoulders. I’m so grateful for this joy!

I find I do need to include other creative avenues beyond mindful movement to keep me settled. One creative modality isn’t enough. Pairing dancing with writing, poetry, and art translates well into Zoom. I’m blown away by the variety and depth of what students

express from simple one-word prompts: from gritty feelings about the protests to tender losses of loved ones, and from the wisdom of ancestors to the laughter of a pet’s antics. I actually look forward to these Zoom encounters because I feel closer to everyone by the end of class. What more can I ask for – intimacy achieved!

What else helps? Making marks on paper with paint, fingers, or pens – every stroke is another way to express what’s inside. I keep a box of art supplies beside my desk, so I’m ready to collage, paint, doodle, or draw whenever the spirit moves me. Ten minutes can make a big difference in how I feel. I may not be able to see art in museums yet, but I’ve taken an online class from London. I’ve spent some time recreating how my favorite artist Matisse “drew with scissors,” and that keeps me going!

I encourage you to try different creative avenues and to mix and match them. I hope they will provide you with a sense of connection and fill your heart.

I’m looking forward to assisting Open Floor’s Ground Floor Lab. This innovative five-day lab held online from September 9 through 13 is a concise yet profound way to explore Open Floor’s multi-dimensional movement curriculum. Come join us!

Sending you possibilities in mindful movement and the arts,

Margaret

For more info on WRITE IN THE BEAT? workshops and Margaret H. Wagner, please visit https://margaretwagner.com. For more information about Open Floor’s Ground Floor Lab, Sept. 9 to 13, please visit: https://www.staceybutcher.com/ground-floor-lab–sept-9-13-online.html.

(Would you like to write an Insight Column for Monday Love and be featured on the Conscious Dancer website? Send us an email today!)

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Monday Love is the weekly inspirational newsletter written by Mark Metz, publisher of Conscious Dancer and director of the Dance First Association. Join our mailing list and learn about membership at www.consciousdancer.com