3 minute read
Natural Awakenings Pittsburgh February 2024 Publisher's Letter
Making a Difference
If you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else.
~ Toni Morrison
I love this quote from author Toni Morrison. It may seem lofty, but is really so easy to do. Just sharing a bit of knowledge can make a huge difference in someone’s life. There are 1,000 ways, large and small, that you can free someone.
I remember when I was in nursing school, there was a saying, “Nurses eat their young.” This related to a culture of not supporting those who were being trained as nurses or new nurses. Of course, not everyone acted that way, but so many would watch you struggle to your own detriment and that of the patients you were caring for. I never understood that way of thinking and was really disappointed that other nurses would behave like that. Of course, it’s not only nurses—it applies to selfish and unkind people everywhere.
We all have knowledge and information that we can share freely with others. I personally love to garden organically. I know how to do stuff because my parents and grandparents taught me so many things, and there were no boys in our family, so we did it all. I can change a tire or a faucet. I can wield power tools and cook good, wholesome food. I can ferment, can, forage, grow microgreens, sew, iron, raise chickens, create jewelry with precious metal clay, knot string pearls, lay tile or hardwood floors, make mosaics, research the heck out of just about anything, fell a tree, harvest rainwater, grow a pollinator garden, grow trees from seed and a bunch of other stuff.
Sharing one or more of these skills might give someone else ideas of how they could do this, too, or just the inspiration that they can do stuff of their own choosing. It may be something that gives them pleasure or perhaps even earn them a living.
Support where you can. If there is a way to support someone who is working to set themselves free, do it. Buy something from them, volunteer for them, spread the word about them, help them complete a task or share something with them. It doesn’t have to be lofty. It can be so easy. One bit or body of information, help or support can make the difference or empower someone more than you may ever know. If you pay attention, you can always find opportunities to make a positive difference in someone’s life.
