For Goodness' Sake ...

As the spider weaves its web, it can catch both the good (an insect providing a tasty meal) and the bad (a bird that tears the web to bits).  As we navigate our days, make choices, turn corners, our lives form a thread that, together with the rest of Life, weaves a Web of reality.  What is your thread made of?

I aspire to weave goodness into my little corner of the Web. I know I fail miserably at times, but Goodness is the goal.

Goodness.
The impulse to do the right thing, to help when there's a need, to make life better for someone, somewhere, in some small way ...

We can see signs of goodness everywhere.  There's the obvious places; the Food Shelves, the homeless shelters, etc.  But in our own way, we each can create goodness as we walk through our days.  If we pay attention, more opportunities present themselves.

Walking to my healing space this morning from the parking garage, there was an enormous tractor trailer trying to back up from Cherry Street around the tight corner onto Church Street in Burlington.  A daunting task, to be sure, and the driver had to stop and pull ahead again to make a correction.  I watched as several men passing by stopped to help.  One was directing him from the front, another at the back, and the man picking up garbage on the street gave further help from the side.  Concern for their fellow Man just kicked in and they stepped up.

This past weekend I took my son to the A&W Root beer stand in Middlebury for a root beer float.  Of course, I couldn't resist the onion rings, nor my son the french fries and cheeseburger.  When our food came, she attached the tray to my car window and cheerfuly announced "$11.85."  I looked around for my wallet, and then sputtered with embarrassment when I realized I'd forgotten it at my friend's house down the road when we'd left.

"No problem," the young woman said.  "Eat your food while it's hot and then go get your purse."

So that's what we did, greatly appreciating the goodness in her that created a good situation out of a potentially unpleasant one.

Calling to check on a friend having a hard time, sending a card, lighting a candle with a special prayer, holding a door on the street for someone, or dropping a quarter in an expired meter (not your own) with the meter man coming down the block ... little bursts of goodness--random acts of kindness--can make the world spin a little more smoothly for someone, can strengthen the threads of the Web of Life.

Who can you share your goodness with today?   :-)