Are you feeling aggrieved? Exhausted? Defensive? Anxious?
Of course you are, because you are an American human, and you have a brain, a heart, and a soul.
But the calendar has delivered a sweet tonic to treat our troubles, because today happens to be a day when ancient wisdom tells us to take some time to “Do the little things.”
Today, March 1st, is the feast day of the patron saint of Wales, St. David.
So let’s take a break and celebrate Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant (St. David’s Day).
Actor Matthew Rhys has released an extremely charming short video outlining a lot of connections between America and Wales, making an excellent case for why we should all celebrate St. David’s Day.
I highly recommend committing 2 minutes to watching this, and then I highly recommend taking some time today to follow the instructions of St. David, to “Gwna’r Pethau Bychain.” Do the little things!
The short list of “little things” to do in honor of this day is quirky, weird, random, extremely Welsh, and very sweet — and I love it.
Matthew Rhys saves this list for the end of his tutorial.
OK. Maybe you can’t get your hands on a leek to chomp on. Perhaps your local bakery is all out of Welsh cakes. But oh — perhaps you can find a daffodil to treasure.
We need to let this early spring bloom’s sweet and cheerful shape and color remind us of the small miracles that surround us.
(I LOVE daffodils. Every spring I collect buckets of them.)
Do something little today, for yourself and for someone else.
I’ll explain. Five years back, one of my favorite Ask Amy Q and A’s was published, and this particular answer inspired a really delightful connection between me and the entire country of Wales.
In a long career as an advice columnist, I don’t think I ever provided an answer that brought me so much personal positive attention. The spirit of my response really is about sticking up for the little guy … in this case a very little country that has survived centuries of oppression. How very St. David’s Day of me!
And that’s why this particular Q and A zipped across the Atlantic and landed on the front page of the independent national news site, Nation.Cymru in Wales. In response to my column, I was also interviewed by the BBC and invited to come to Wales, which, of course, I plan to do.
To read the story in Nation.Cymru, you can click below.
To read the original “Ask Amy” Q and A, you can
I’ve become obsessed with the musical stylings of a young dad named Steven Spenser, who takes his three-year-old daughter’s adorable and rambling stories and puts her narratives — verbatim — into song.
So funny! So sweet!
My favorite is “Apple Man.” One minute of adorable. You will spend the rest of St. David’s Day smiling.
A final note:
***** Thank you all, so very much, for the many responses to last week’s newsletter: The Dependables. What can I say? I feel seen. And after several months of being buffeted by some tough losses, I really do feel better.
Please do share this free essay if you have a Dependable in your life.
[Another final note: I “paused” payments for subscriptions last month. They resume today. And thank you, as always, for supporting my work!]
Love,
Amy
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.