What Can I Do: Part 3

“My hands are small, I know, 

but they’re not yours,

They are my own.”

- Jewel

Today I washed dishes for an hour and a half straight.  Then I cleaned windows and sterilized door handles. Why?   Because it needed to be done.  Best Friends Los Angeles is having an open house this weekend and they need everything everywhere to be spotless.  So I cleaned the entire kitchen, scrubbed dog food and peanut butter out of Kongs, handwashed all the wet food bowls before I put everything in the sanitizer, and wore out more of those little blue gloves than I care to admit.

Last week we treated Blake, a grey-muzzled big fuzzy good boy, to an overnight stay at our house.  Mim did not appreciate him at all, and his joints gave him trouble walking up and down the stairs, so he went back to Best Friends the next day.  But for the evening he had a break from the kennels and a chance to roll in the grass for as long as he wanted.  Which turned out to be a good long while.

Blake on a walk in our neighborhood

Supporting animal rescue and rehabilitation is something I’ve always been drawn to.  I give monthly to organizations I trust to make life better for animals and the environment.  I volunteer for Best Friends Los Angeles–this summer it’s been 2-3 times a week.  I am waiting for SPCALA to have volunteer training because there is a shelter located super close to my house.  I play the Treat app and send treats to dogs in shelters every single day.  This is something that truly moves me personally, that I feel helps our community, and that certainly helps animals.  As a public school teacher-librarian, my livelihood is all about bringing literacy to middle school scholars, but my way of helping?  Unhomed pets.

And that’s my lane.  

My mom volunteers at a thrift shop, run by the Assistance League Santa Monica.  Once a week she spends hours there, putting t-shirts on hangers and sorting through donations to raise funds for scholarships  to help former foster care students in the Guardian Scholars Program at Santa Monica College, and also supporting the ALSM campership program by raising funds and providing campers with sleeping bags and full duffle bags.  Additionally, she is a board member of the Night Lights, helping to lead the organization and their involvement with the Assistance League.

That’s her lane.

My dad volunteers at Meals on Wheels once a week.  He picks up meals and delivers them to people who are homebound, and has a friendly conversation with them, which includes an informal wellness check. 

That’s his lane.

These are such trying times.  I notice a lot of stress, and people asking what they can do to make a difference as an overwhelmed person (American…) who is personally running on fumes.  Politics are incomprehensible (are these things really happening in 2025???) world leaders are making decisions that can only be described as crazy, and the news is filled with …let’s just say, not uplifting events.  We all are suffering from compassion fatigue. 

So, what can you do?  How can you help out?  

One way is to just… pick a lane.  Pick a cause.  Pick the one that resonates with you, pick the one that someone you admire is doing, pick the one that sounds the most fun.  It doesn’t matter which cause you pick. You just have to pick one. One cause.

Here are some ideas, in case something did not come to you right away:

• Reproductive Rights

• LGBTQIA+ Rights

• Racial Justice

• Indigenous Rights

• Immigration Rights

• Disability Justice

• Climate Justice

• Anti-censorship & Book Bans

• Literacy

• Public Education

• Labor Rights

• Food Justice

• Housing Equity

• Mental Health Access

• Veteran Support

• Healthcare Access

• Anti-corruption/Government Accountability

• Animal Welfare

• The Environment

Which one do you lean most towards?  Or, did I leave out something that you are super into, that you just thought of?  Well, that’s a great one, too!  Yay!  Choice made!

Now, think local.  Community-led grassroots organizations urgently need your assistance, and your impact will be greater there than at the national level. How do you find yours?  Use the search engine of your choice and search up the name of your city and the name of the cause you care about.  You’ll get a list you can choose from.  Then, reach out!  Tell them who you are and what your skillset is.  (YES you have mad skillz!  They might need someone to drive things somewhere, or fold clothes, or answer the phone, or bake cookies, or update their website, or make packets, or wash dog dishes and then clean windows for the open house, so people can see the dogs clearer!  The work isn’t always exciting or stimulating but it alllll matters.)  And that’s it!

Congratulations!  You have a lane!

The thing is to stay in your lane.  Do YOUR thing.  Do not allow yourself to be pulled in different directions, or feel bad that you aren’t doing more, or guilty because someone else is doing what they are doing.  You have your lane, and that is what matters.  Do your absolutely best in your lane.  You staying in your lane and kicking ass about it is truly one of the greatest things ever.

Imagine what the world would look like if everyone had a lane. What if everyone were doing something they were passionate about, if everyone were doing their part, using their unique skills to make the world a better place by contributing meaningfully? Picture a society in which people were not only engaged in their daily tasks but were also deeply passionate about what they were doing to help the world. In this ideal world, individuals would wake up each day knowing that their contribution aligns with their personal values and aspirations. Envisioning a world where everyone has a lane, pursues their passions, and actively contributes to the greater good paints a picture of a harmonious society, rich in collaboration and compassion, where each person's unique contributions are valued and celebrated, leading to a brighter future for everyone. Dogs, too.

I can imagine all of that.  And I am grateful.    

Thank you to sara_wiles for your TikTok that came up on my FYP and got me SO inspired and writing again.