Passing Shots
Building a Better World One Block at a Time
By Mary Lynn Garger, Tennis Professional
About a month ago, I was needing to refocus my priorities and chose to listen to a podcast on Ancient Faith Radio, entitled “Memory Makers: Don’t be the Jenga block.” The game of Jenga involves the removal of a block from a tower of blocks without having the tower collapse and then adding to the tower with the block just removed. Each player’s turn is filled with strategy, concentration, steadiness and angst, followed by a sigh of relief if the tower still stands, or a shout of disgust if the tower has crumbled.
The podcast, in essence, was about applying the game of Jenga to our daily lives. On any given day, if we are out and about, the amount of people we encounter can be immense. Whether at work, in stores, in restaurants, in clubs, on the roads, or over the phone, our days are filled with interaction. And it goes without saying that we really haven’t a clue about what is actually transpiring in the lives of most of the people with whom we interact. Without intention, our actions or words or stares could be the last straw that breaks the camel’s back, or, in the case of Jenga, the final turn that causes the tower to collapse.
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
– Desmond Tutu
Stress and stressors are everywhere present, yet the choice is always ours as to how we handle ourselves within our circumstances. Will we build upon the tower of someone’s life or will we be the one who causes it to crash? With the holiday season upon us, let us take a closer look at our own lives and see where we can display a little more patience, a little more kindness, a little more gratitude, a little more empathy and a little more grace to all of those we encounter. Let’s build a better community, better country, better world- one block at a time.