What have you done to improve the world today?

The question was met by total silence. Max is a child who doesn’t believe in talking if he has nothing to say. But I could almost hear him thinking Is she nuts? I’m 10 years old. What do I know about improving the world?

Clearly he needed some help here, since it was the first time I had asked him this question. (I had gotten tired of asking “What’s new and exciting?” to be met with “Nothin’ much…” and decided to change the question.)

“Did you make your bed?”

“No…”

“Rats! That kills that idea!” Thinking fast I asked, “Did you feed Fluke?” knowing that feeding the dog twice a day was one of his chores.

“Yes!”

“Well, don’t you think that improved his world? To have a nice full food bowl?”

“Yeah. Would you like to speak to Mom?”

Twelve-year-old Dante had similar reactions – hadn’t made his bed, but had done a load of wash for his Nana who can no longer lift heavy things. And then on a later call noted with pride that he had taught his Grampa how to do laundry!

What they didn’t tell me, but their mother did, was that when the parents went out on a “date night” to celebrate their anniversary, leaving the two boys home alone, the parents came home to find that the boys had not only tidied up the house before they went to bed, they had gotten into the decorations – their mother loves decorating for any season and any reason – anyway, although it was September, the boys pulled out the Valentine decorations and festooned the place with hearts and cupids!

So, although doing their chores and helping around the house are their current fall-back positions when I ask, what will their answers be like in 10 or 15 years?

And what about you? What have you done today to improve the world? It doesn’t have to be earth-shaking. No one’s ever going to remember me as a financial or technological wizard like Bill Gates. Or a scientific genius like Pasteur, Flemming, or Salk. Or even a humanitarian like Mother Theresa or Desmond Tutu. But sweeping my front walk, pulling weeds, or planting bright flowers improves the world my neighbors see. Making dinner for family, or cleaning up after someone else made the dinner improves their lives. All these things are world-improving for someone.

If all else fails, my summer fall-back is that I reduced the total amount of hunger in the world when that mosquito bit me! (Now, lest you think I’m getting too sanctimonious, let me hasten to assure you that I also smacked that mosquito, which also improved the world by reducing the number of biting beasties…) So I’m sure you’ll have some wonderful answers the next time someone asks “What did you do to improve the world today?”