Start Small

This is a picture of a 93 year old woman, on an river island called Silk Island.
For 30 years she has been cleaning about 12 metres of her own district road with nothing but a twig.
As I walk towards her, she goes to me and complains in an inaudible manner.
Our guide says that she complains about how no one else helps her clean the road.
I look at her and using the respectful Cambodian hand gesture, I leave, but as I go to the next group of houses, the contrast of the different roads is as clear as night and day.
A fine, invisible line separates her street and the next street.
On her street, it is bare, clean road, without debris or dust-balls.
Only a millimeter away is a piece of decayed cloth.
In terms of being clean, even though this woman is restricted to an actual mop and some soap, she is much more hygienic than I am.
This woman, however being dedicated for 30 years, with the same effort every single day, has created a much nicer outlook on her street.
This woman has taught me that if I work on something with the my best efforts everyday, even with a twig I can make a huge impact on something that I care about.
~
Reaching Neveah
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You’re currently reading “Start Small,” an entry on Reaching Neveah
- Published:
- July 1, 2009 / 9:31 AM
- Category:
- Spirituality
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