Well read

I just finished Pico Iyer's, The Open Road. Over the past 40 years, fate and circumstance have given him unprecedented access to the 14th Dalai Lama.

What makes this book particularly interesting is that, while Iyer clearly respects the Dalai Lama, he didn't set out to write a love-in. He's a critical thinker by nature, and an anthropologist at heart. He's also a big league brainiac who possesses the skill of writing clearly and simply about some pretty esoteric topics for Buddhist and non-Buddhist audiences alike.

Toward the end of the book, I was struck by this simple story that he told about one of his meetings with the Dalai Lama.

When the two were finished meeting, they got up to leave the room.

As they were about to exit, the Dalai Lama noticed a light burning in a lamp opposite the door. While Iyer held the door open, the Dalai Lama re-crossed the room to switch it off.

"It's a small thing," the Dalai Lama said. "But every time I leave a room, I try to switch off the light. It makes a difference. Small things add up to big changes over time."

This really resonated with me.

How often do I focus on the big problem and think that I couldn't possibly do anything to affect positive change? What a terrific reminder that little changes can mean a lot when they're added to other little changes.