A couple of weeks ago I was standing in the checkout line at the grocery store, casually glancing over the magazines, when I saw something that caught my eye. It was a magazine called, “Living on Less” and the cover highlighted all sorts of ideas that would have been considered commonplace just a couple of generations ago – how to can your own vegetables, mending and sewing, DIY pet food recipes, how to build the best tool kit, and a million other ways to save money on things you can do for yourself. To our grandparents, great grandparents and beyond, it would have just been an interesting and useful magazine. In this day and age, it seemed downright counter-cultural; radical even when you really stop and think about the world we live in now - which is mostly about convenience and ease and shiny new things - and certainly not about taking our time or making things by hand.

And as I thumbed through the pages, I thought it was also wonderfully inviting in a strange way, which got me thinking about some other stuff that had been on my mind lately…

About a week before my grocery store visit, I had sat down to do something I rarely do - sew. My sewing adventure started with a blanket that we bought for our traveler trailer. When we purchased it, we weren’t thinking about sharing it with over 300 pounds of doggie love each night. Of course the dogs love to snuggle down in between the two of us, which eventually results in dogs with all the blanket, humans no blanket. What we really needed was two blankets.

But I couldn’t find anything as good as the blanket we had - which is a lovely, fuzzy sort of log cabin blanket with just the right amount of softness and weight - so I decided I would just turn it into two blankets.

No problem, right?

Now I have sewn together the odd Halloween costume over the years but those only had to last for a night and there was always Velcro if I really need something to hold it together. In reality, I am a sewing novice, but I figured if it didn’t work out, I would just go back to my original plan and buy something new.

I could bore you with all the details of getting that project finished, how my sewing machine broke and we had to watch YouTube videos to get it working again (major shout out to the wonderful woman who made a video with a twenty-year-old machine just like mine – I know amazing, right?)

But as I sat there sewing away (all day long btw), I had a memory pop into my head about a cat named Mrs. Ernestine, and a dog we called Tisha.

This cat had been with me for many years, pre-marriage even. She was a beautiful silver Siamese, very shy, and friendly only to those in the family. She would hide for most of the day, and then come out at night and curl up on your pillow and clean your hair. Now, I am not much of a cat person, but I really loved that cat.

Fast forward a number of years and we added a dog to our family. Tisha was a wild mutt, a mixture of Border Collie and Husky; an escape artist full of spunk and spirit, and way too smart for her own good. Mrs. Ernestine and Tisha were not the best of friends, but they tolerated each other, and seemed to understand that we were all part of the same family pack.

As Mrs. Ernestine got closer to her last days on this earth, she took to sleeping on Tisha’s dog bed - an odd choice for a cat that preferred to be under the bed or behind a cabinet - and something that Tisha really didn’t like. But try as Tisha might, Mrs. Ernestine just seemed drawn to the comfort of that soft dog bed.

One day she was once again curled up on the bed when Tisha walked into the room to lay down. Much to my surprise, I watched Tisha stop short, sort of let out a sigh, and turn around. It was like she knew that Mrs. Ernestine was dying, and she wanted to let her have the comfort and space that she needed in her final days. It was such an amazing act of gentleness and grace, totally out of character for our dog and completely infused with self-sacrifice.

That this memory would pop into my head while I was trying to sew a blanket together seemed odd, and I wasn’t really sure what to make of it until I stood in the grocery store flipping through the pages of that magazine. The magazine seemed to be presenting an alternative way of being in this modern world. Inviting a gentler way of living on this earth that was thoughtful, caring and sustainable.

Imagine mending something instead of just throwing it out or giving it to a local charity shop. Consider the radical idea of possibly choosing to live on less, instead of striving to make even more (say what???).

Take a moment to ponder what it might look like to treat our planet with more respect, our material goods with a greater sense of value, and our resources as something not to be exploited and used up, but instead as gifts that need to be tended and treated with gentleness and care so we can ensure their longevity.

Now, I know we all have very divergent thoughts and beliefs about the state of our planet, about climate change, about how our resources should be managed and used, about the preservation of our natural places. It seems impossible to agree on any of it. But I wonder if that is really what is needed at this time. Maybe there is another option available, a middle ground so to speak.

Imagine what it might look like if we thought about treating our material goods, the resources from our planet, and each other a bit more like my dog did all those years ago. With a sense of gentleness and respect. Giving space and care when we might otherwise prefer to choose another option that is more self-serving, or one that offers immediate convenience and satisfaction, but doesn’t help to build up sustainable communities for anyone.

Perhaps it could be as simple as choosing not to use as much (fill in your most disposable item here) - not because we have to believe or disbelieve all the reports of what that stuff is doing to the environment - but because we want to be more gentle in this world, and not create as much waste.

Maybe taking the time to consider where our goods come from, how they get used, and where they will go when their life span is complete. And then treating them more reverently and with a deeper sense of respect for all that they offer in our daily lives.

Now I don’t want to sound preachy here, and I was worried that this blog post might come across that way which was not my intention. Life is busy, and convenience is one of the gifts of the modern age, I get it. But another gift, that we sometimes forget about, is the wisdom of the generations that have gone before us, that prided themselves on how to stretch a dollar, how to grow something, how to mend a piece of clothing.

They fixed a broken appliance instead of throwing it out and buying a new one. Re-purposed an old dress into pieces for a new blanket or a useful cleaning rag.

Our grandparents and great grandparents didn’t need a magazine to teach them how to do this, it was just a part of everyday life. And they took pride in their ability to be resourceful, and to manage their material goods respectfully and with great gentleness.

What if - just for one week - we all decided to consider these same values by practicing the art of gentleness? To see what gifts it might bear in our modern lives?

For example, when we pick up an object, we could take a couple of minutes to think about what it would mean to treat it with greater gentleness and see if that changes our behavior in any way.

When we get ready to throw something in the trash, we could take a moment to stop and think about where it will go, and if this is practicing gentleness for our planet.

When we get irritated and think that someone is having more of their fair share, maybe we could consider the possibility of taking a little less, so that there will be enough for everyone.

When we get frustrated or irritated with another person, we could try using a practice of gentleness, instead of our usual gut reaction.

For one week let’s stop worrying about being right, insisting on what we want to be true or not. Stop being so adamant about what side of the aisle we stand on in terms of politics, religion, and all the other divisive topics we love so much.

For just one week, imagine what it might look like if we focused on the practice of gentleness instead. Experimenting to see if it might soften the soil of our hearts, and make this planet a little safer, a little more hospitable for all who share its amazing wonders.

Wouldn’t it be awesome to be known as a community of gentleness instead of one of divisiveness and polarization? Can you imagine the benefits we might bear in this world through this practice?

Doesn’t it seem worth it to give it a try just to see what happens?

P.S. For a little bit more inspiration I dug up some quotes for you on gentleness. The theme of gentleness seems to flow through all the great traditions. Says something doesn’t it?

Maybe they can inspire us all to put gentleness into practice in our daily lives.

“Our greatest strength lies in the gentleness and tenderness of our hearts” – Rumi

“Gentleness is the antidote for cruelty” – Phaedrus

“Gentleness, self-sacrifice and generosity are the exclusive possession of no one race or religion.” – Mahatma Gandhi

“Let your gentleness be evident to all” – Philippians 4:5

“I am gentle because I love others” - Anonymous

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Colossians 3:12

“Of course, when I say that human nature is gentleness, it is not 100% so. Every human being has that nature, but there are many people acting against their nature, being false.” – Dalai Lami

“By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.” Galatians 5:22-23

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world” – Mahatma Gandhi

“Africans believe in something that is difficult to render in English. We call it ubuntu. It means the essence of being human. You know when it is there and when it is absent. It speaks about humanness, gentleness, hospitality, putting yourself out on behalf of others, being vulnerable. It embraces compassion and toughness. It recognizes that my humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.” – Desmond Tutu

“Practice being gentle, respectful and loving toward the life force in all things. Remind yourself that your efforts do make a difference, even if you think they are minuscule in comparison to the magnitude of the problem.” – Wayne Dyer