If you had a magic wand to make the world ‘a better place’ what would you wish for? Humans have a capacity to connect, to grow, to awaken, or to block, to defend, ignore. Often trying to get people to think, to question, to reflect or become aware only makes them more afraid of the deep, more determined to swim in the shallows, to dig in their heels and fight for the status quo no matter how unwell that may sometimes be. But what if all it took was ONE WORD… Sometimes less is more.

As I was walking back from the train station I pondered that single action words may well activate a dulled, shallow, defensive, self righteous or narcissistic mind far better than a sentence can. Single words can be interpreted whatever way we wish, so they don’t sound as preachy as a sentence and so they don’t activate our defenses.

And it occurred to me… what if there was a global movement initiated by people all around the world in which we each got ourselves a simple packet of pavement chalk… nothing fancy, washes away with rain… and once a month for 12 months each of us discreetly wrote just one word in the pavement that the public walked upon in their daily lives. That’s twelve mystery words each… over a year. Single words that get under the radar… words that wake the mind, wake the heart, connected people to themselves, each other and the world…. words some people may never have considered much in their own lives…. words like:

Wonder
Listen
Reflect
Love
Consider
Watch
Feel
Be
Create
Ask
Ponder
Awaken
Dare
Care
Relax
Connect
Embrace
Share
Try
Challenge
Believe
Admit
Question
Trust
Release
Adapt

A free therapy for all. What if each of us around the world did this…

Donna Williams, BA Hons, Dip Ed.
Author, artist,and presenter.
http://www.donnawilliams.net

I acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Owners of this country throughout Australia, and their connection to land and community.