Showing Up is a Superpower
Meeting kids and adults where they are and listening to them is superhuman.
Newton’s third law of motion which states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction is also true for trends. In today’s digitally connected world where just about anything can be dropped on a doorstep in a short amount of time, the one thing that is best delivered in person is hope. Showing up and listening says “you matter.”
I’ve written about Who Will Let the Dogs Out (WWLDO) and the efforts of co-founders Cara Achterberg and Nancy Slattery to end animal suffering. This year marks five years of touring nearly 150 rural shelters, animal control facilities, and rescues. They’ve met extraordinary people engaged in superhuman feats of animal care. Cara has posted countless stories about one or two people managing hundreds of animals while juggling fundraising and networking to move animals into homes.
Cara and Nancy have driven down dirt roads to dilapidated buildings hidden behind county dumps or balanced precariously between sewage holding ponds. Most visits can be summed up by the comment of one kennel worker who proclaimed, “You came!” when they arrived at a shelter in the middle of nowhere. Cara recently wrote that “Meeting people where they are and listening to their stories is often more impactful than anything we can unload from our truck. One ACO (animal control officer) told me that he had been discouraged and thinking of quitting prior to our visit, but the experience reinvigorated him and helped him see the importance of the work he was doing. Like so many of us, we need to know that what we do matters.”
Parents showing up for their teens matters, too. Kira Lewis and Whitney Fleming have written countless essays about the importance of more engagement, not less, as kids transition through the turbulent years. Their recent post, A New Trend: Parents of Teens are Taking a Break From Their Careers on their parenting Teens & Tweens website was a chapter from my life. I was fortunate to be self-employed with flexibility that enabled me to have more time for my teens. While they weren’t outwardly more welcoming of my presence, they benefited from my ability to get them to medical appointments and counseling sessions as we navigated newly diagnosed mental health disorders. It also meant there were more moments of car-time and shoulder to shoulder convening for when they did want to talk, vent, or just be in the silent presence of a safe adult.
Which leads to another type of showing up – for relationships. Providing more time to my kids during their teen years meant less husband and wife time. Sure, we had an empty nest to look forward to, but that was the future, not the present. Joe and I had to become mindful of moments, more calculating rather than spontaneous. We had the good fortune of having a good coach in the form of a family counselor who taught us how to hear each other more clearly.
Today, I’m thankful for Substack writers like Teri Leigh and Neil Cunningham who collaborate on MindfulLove. In their words I found alignment. “When you are mindful and intentional in how you engage in relationships, both with yourself and with others, the energy of the relationship only multiplies.”
Which leads me to another relationship that needs nurturing—that of the volunteer. I’ve been giving my time to support other people’s visions and in service of need for many years. Nothing keeps me returning more than gratitude delivered with intention, a phone call to check-in, a short conversation asking me for input based on the work I’ve done. The cursive “thank you, volunteers” with the heart written on white board means nothing when volunteers are acknowledged in bulk but never as individuals.
Like Newton’s third law of physics where every action has an equal and opposite reaction, every act of showing up and paying attention reverberates with profound impact, whether it’s in the world of animal rescue, parenting, relationships, or volunteering. Put down your phone. Turn off your computer. Listen. Then let your actions speak volumes. Remember that what truly matters is the impact of personal, tangible connections. In a world that often prioritizes speed and convenience, taking the time to show you care is a powerful way to affirm that people and their efforts truly matter.
“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” – Jane Goodall
Resources to Connect with Others
Over 50 and interested in volunteering? There are a plethora of volunteer experiences across the U.S. from in-person to virtual on the AARP Create the Good portal.
The Who Will Let the Dogs Out volunteer pool includes several people who found WWLDO through the AARP page. Those volunteers and others engage in a wide range of activities that assist shelter managers deliver better care. Most WWLDO volunteer positions are virtual, including social media content development, website design, fundraising, shelter liaison, bookkeeping…
Greater Good Charities seeks volunteer positions locally and globally. There is something for everyone, including rebuilding animal shelters, supporting disaster relief, and combating biodiversity loss through field science.
United Way links interested volunteers, whether individuals, friends and family groups, civic organizations and corporations, with meaningful activities to create social change.
Interested in exploring more about relationships, including those with pets? Readers have enjoyed these stories.
Found you because someone shared this - the way you describe raising teenagers is… perfection. You have a new subscriber in me, thank you for writing. 🤍
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