I was driving on a country road busy with vehicles going too fast for wildlife, when I saw a small dark thing ahead of me, in front of an oncoming truck. At first I thought it was a dried leaf blowing until I caught sight of little legs flying and realized it was a mouse or a mole, trying to cross the road. I was transfixed as I watched what seemed likely to happen, when, amazingly, this tiny beast got to the other side. I was so happy. Against all speeding, merciless odds, it made it! Isn’t it funny how little things can make the heart feel big?

That same day I started a new client who has many physical difficulties. The experience of being allowed into another person’s life is a privilege that gets my heart every time. There’s not a single one of us who doesn’t have some anguish, physical or emotional, and that hardship is a thread that connects us all. The experience of seeing how treatment helped that person reminded me yet again that acupuncture can be a powerful tool for healing.

So are small but powerful things that we can do ourselves, like breathing and simple movement.

Here’s one: hum. Inhale slowly and gently, filling your belly and chest, then exhale s-l-o-w-l-y with a hum. Find a steady pitch that you can feel at your sternum and hum for as long as your exhale lasts. This vibrates the thyroid and the thymus gland behind the sternum, and the heart! When you’re in the car, hum. And if you’re home, close your eyes while you do this. Do it for five minutes as often as you can. See if it makes you happier. It’s just a little thing, but it can do so much.