Do you ever wonder if what you do matters?  Or even how much YOU matter?  I know I do!  With that in mind, at the beginning of my yoga classes, I gift each student with an inspirational sticky note to encourage her/him.  They have sayings like “Be a warrior, not a worrier.”, “You make work fabulous, thank you!”, and “What you did was amazing!”

That said, for the last three weeks NOBODY has attended a 930AM class I’ve taught for a year, which previously had a steady, decent-sized turnout.  Likewise, each week I spend hours carefully crafting a blog to spread and expand love, but lately only a handful of people have read them.  Can you relate to my thought bubbles of doubt, insecurity, and questioning if I’m making the difference my heart yearns to bring into the world?

Let me pause here to remind you: YOU matter!  YOU make a difference!  YOU make the world a better place!

While seeing the foot doctor for my plantar fasciitis the other day, that I teach yoga came up.  “Wait,” she said with excitement in her eyes, “do you teach at the Parks & Rec?  I’ve been to classes you subbed there.  I kept your sticky notes because they brighten my day!”  Gleefully she fetched them to show me.  “Be the reason someone smiles today”, it turns out, is her favorite.  Fittingly, the doc was the reason I grinned that afternoon.

So, today I invite us to be the reason someone smiles today.  Start by remembering YOU matter and are AMAZING!  From that joyful place, make a portion of a walk, doing dishes, practicing yoga, or some other physical activity an embodied prayer for someone.  Then, when you get that inner nudge to compliment, hug, and/or encourage someone, go for it!  A little kindness produces immense gladness!