Reading and Writing to Change the World

In the summer 2021, as I was finishing the writing of my book, An Ecology of Gratitude: Writing your way to what matters, my editor suggested that I add an opening quote.

I asked Clinical Psychologist and Author Mary Pipher for  permission to use some of her words and was delighted when she agreed, as an endorsement of my work. This week, as the Middle East tensions are once again intensifying and shifting our focus to war, I opened my copy of her book: Writing to Change the World: An inspiring guide for transforming the world with words…

I am not interested in weapons, whether words or guns. I want to be part of the rescue team for our tired, overcrowded planet. The rescuers will be those people who help other people to think clearly, to be honest and open-minded. They will be an anti-dote to those people who disconnect us. They will de-objectify, re-humanize, and make others more understandable and sympathetic.

Again, as change and chaos surround us, as the evening news tells us stories that are grim with images that are grimmer, I have to ask: So, how am doing? Is my writing practice helping to change the world? Are my efforts bringing any relief to our tired, overcrowded planet

Part Answer: Big picture, world news scale: Fail.

Part Answer: Local picture, community scale: E for Effort with gratitude to this growing community of writers and thinkers and grateful advocates.

Part Answer: Yes, if you subscribe to the adage:

You have to first take care of yourself first. You can’t help anyone else if you are putting yourself at risk or standing on unsafe ground. As the announcement on the airplane goes, the voice is telling you to fasten your seat belt and “In the case of an emergency, please secure your personal face mask first, before assisting the passenger beside you.”

Safety first! In order to manage our own thoughts and emotions and choices, we must carefully choose the books and content to read, whose opinions and perspectives we  listen to, how we speak to others, which words are better words, the ways we act and choices we make. We need to associate and collaborate with creative team-mates who think for themselves and are willing to listen deeply with an open mind and kind heart.

My journal writing practice helps me to clarify my thoughts and make decisions related to my priorities. My priorities are my “things that matter”, the things for which I am grateful — family, friends, clean air, clean water, good food, my home in Canada.

My writing habit is part of my process for taking care of myself and also for reaffirming my personal sense of agency. We each have choices and we each need to be intentional when it comes to making decisions: Do. Delay. Delete. Delegate.

People who are self-learners and self-aware can benefit from the craft of journal writing and are invited to consider themselves as part of the rescue team. By writing emails, blogs, posting and listening we can encourage each other to to focus on our personal matters, to stay honest with ourselves, and take actions that are joyful, insightful and grownded in a growth mindset.

My dream is to be part of a rescue team of people who are committed to the practice of asking good questions, striving for better solutions and intentionally looking for the good stuff — the glimmers. I want to surround myself with friends and family who understand the power of kindness, humility and grace.

Specifically, I am supporting two local committees in thought, word, action, connection.

One is The Bow Valley Giving Tuesday Committee and our tagline is: … where no act of generosity is too small. Since 2022 we have been organizing a Giving Tuesday event and in 2026, we will host a Giving Tuesday pre-party on November 24, a five year celebration of community giving, gifting, generosity and kindness.

The other is The Gratitude Project for Change Committee. We have just signed off on our Manifesto and you can read more about it here. 

My rescue team community includes people who are thoughtful, grateful and acting in their own way to make our world a better place. Our local teams are filled with teachers, physicians, community organizers, entrepreneurs and brave-hearts.

Writing gives me a sense of agency. I can always choose words, thoughts, actions that are kinder, more empathetic, more compassionate. Maybe this is a self-serving strategy, but again, keeping my Self safe means I can be of greater benefit to others, right? By writing and reading and thinking about our important matters, I am making a start. By thinking deeply, I am choosing to reflect and respond, rather than flip out and react. By practicing writing as a process, I am training my brain to stay hopeful and grateful, a strategic defensive tactic in times of volatility, change and chaos.

Am I really rescuing anyone or just keeping myself safe? I console myself with the idea that I am working alongside and in tangent with others who are valiantly trying to understand, to think for themselves, to ask good questions, to show up as authentic, honest human beings.

Grassroots Gratitude invites others to write notes to yourself, as an uplifting and life-affirming strategy that nudge us in the direction of health, resilience and well-being.

Together, let’s keep writing our way forward, looking for the glimmers, and use our words and energy and good intentions to dim the din and disempower the detractors.

Yes. There are dark forces at work in our world. There is also lots of good in this world and there are reasons to be hopeful. With your best and most grateful intentions, I encourage you to keep writing with courage as we innovate and create more positive conditions for good change in this, our one and only blue planet and world.

By writing daily and mindfully, exploring the full range of your emotions, and intentionally looking for the good stuff,   you will find yourself feeling less lonesome, more connected, and more aware of all the ways the world is working in your favour. With a mindset grounded in gratitude, your writing practice has the potential to inspire feelings that are revelatory and transformative

page 19, An Ecology of Gratitude: Writing your way to what matters