One of my favorite songs is Jackson Browne’s “Rock Me On The Water,” particularly the lyrics: “The signs are everywhere. You’ve left it for somebody other than you to be the one to care.”

Everyday presents opportunities for us to be the “ones to care” – to use life to create ourselves as caring people.

How often, however, do we assume that someone else will take care of it, whether it be the trash on the ground, the motorist with the flat tire, the sad friend who needs an ear, the volunteer spot that needs filling, the homeless man asking for help, our kids wanting to share their stories . . . ?

We’ll never make the world a perfect place. Maybe it was never intended to be. We do know, however, that it is full of opportunities for us to express ourselves – to be the ones who care – if we so choose.

The opportunities are everywhere – to be the ones who care.

Let’s not assume them away.

Timothy Velner is a husband, father, attorney and author living in Minneapolis. You can follow his daily blog – a series of discussions between the worry-self and the present-self at – thespiritualgym.me