Stewardship

Concepts for Thriving
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Stewardship

Stewardship is when we tend to the spaces, places, resources, and relationships in our community so they are nourished sustainably and not left depleted.

  • Thriving ecosystems flow and grow from sustained attention to what matters and cultivating improved well-being over time.
  • The attitude of stewardship is an upgrade over “ownership” because it starts with self-empowerment now while respecting all those who have come before and will come after.
  • Stewardship is meant to be shared. It’s inclusive.

Leave the Campsite Better Than You Found It

We often “outsource” the tending. When we get a hotel room, we’re paying someone to clean and prepare it for us and to tend to it after we leave. Those who do such tending can relate to too many stories of abuse, destruction, and theft. It’s almost like many people who rent a hotel room feel entitled to take and feel no connection to those who came before or those who will come after.

Imagine you are taking your family on their first camping trip. You visited the site early in the season and knew you wanted to stay there three months later.

What if everyone who camped at that site that season depleted it? Left trash? Never bothered to clear the ashes from the fire ring? Abused the picnic table?

You arrive after a long journey to find it will take two hours just to clean up. This shared, community resource has been… depleted. Damaged.

Now, how might it be different if those who had an attitude of stewardship were there before you…

  • The campfire was not only cleared out but also ready for lighting, with a small collection of logs nearby.
  • The tent spot was free of trash and had been smoothed out.
  • A note welcomed you, wishing that you enjoy your time there as much as they did, told you about a sweet hidden swimming hole, and invited you where possible to leave the campsite even better than you found it.

For us who are devoted to co-creating a thriving lifestyle for everyone, stewardship feels like a core attitude. At the campsite, renting a home, picnicking at the park, engaging with fellow humans… if our approach is to seek where possible to enhance well-being, mutual thriving is likely.

Your Lover is Another’s Friend

When we tend to another being with love, we are also being a steward of all the other relationships they have.

Lovers also have friends. The quality of stewardship within their lovership will impact their friends. A lover who is depleted and strained will need resources FROM their friends. A lover whose life is consciously enhanced by their partner will have resources to share WITH their friends… from a place of abundance!

Your co-workers also have friends, lovers, and pets. So do the people who are sharing the road with you.

Stewardship is not meant to be a burden. It’s not that we’re forced to always leave a person or landscape “better” than we found it. It’s that it matters to us to be aware of how people get depleted (just like natural resources can) and seek sustainable ways of replenishing them.

Life can indeed be hard, even for those who are thriving. When our we-spaces are well-tended by those aware of stewardship and its hearty rewards, everyone’s well-being improves.

Useful Questions

  • How can I leave this place (or person) better than I found them?
  • Can I feel gratitude for those who came before, alongside respect for those who will follow?
  • Is there some small action — well within my resources right now — that cleans up the energy right here, right now?
  • How would being a steward change what I do (and don’t do) in this situation? How would that make me feel?

Resources

Related Concepts

Abundance, Awareness, Co-Creating, Devotion, Ecosystem, Lifestyle Design, Resilience, Sacred Decisions, We-Space

Links

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I remember when my husband was working, I tried to send him off with a good breakfast and cheerfulness. Why? Because I hoped that if he was in a good mood he would spread it to customers and co-workers. Somehow I learned this and tried to practice it. Hopefully it worked.

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I’m pretty sure that sending him off with a shitty breakfast and grumpiness would have been spread to customers and co-workers… so why not the Good Stuff Spreading, too?

I made breakfast and packed lunch for the family this morning. I have NO DOUBT that it improved their emotional energy and nutritious resources. I like this energy of Stewardship – seems it expands from “just” the personal act of loving service to include the downstream influences.

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Updated and posted;

Very aware even during hard times that the tending I do for each member of my family does flow out into the lives of those they care about. Helps me feel more settled and strong in my acts of loving service…

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I like the idea of leaving people “better than you found them,” even if they aren’t a close friend. Doing so really does transform the whole ecosystem inwardly (themselves, my inner experience) and outwardly (positive impact continues). I love picking trash up off the street when I see it, as I get a little spark of feeling good and having an impact. I can do the same to people and that feels lovely.

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It does.

I’m finding that “leaving people better than you found them” can get sticky depending on how I evaluate that. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: Or they do.

It’s helping me right now to have as a core awareness the intention and that that matters. In a world where the default can often me “what’s in it for me?!?” even a single person who looks for “what’s in it for WE?” is… life changing.

Stewardship doesn’t always appear as anything dramatic or healing. It can be as subtle and beautiful as, “In this space there would have been trash, but there is not, because I cared.” Even amidst a lot of other trash and shit, that can be… worthwhile and divinely right.

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Haha yes! I didn’t realize it could come across like that. By that phrase, I just meant, leaving someone with kindness and care in the “We” space that you mentioned. Not trying to “fix” in any way, but just leaving someone with that feeling of small care- a smile, a quick appreciation or reflection, etc <3

Love that example you shared <3

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The kindnesses and encouragement you’ve expressed to me… LIVE in me. People I meet, spend time with, coach, love… they benefit too from the heartiness you’ve directed my way.

We tend to think in terms of “Big Deals” when the compounded benefits of small care acccrues to the recipient AND to those who will engage with them going forward.

Thank you for being such a Steward!

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Thank you Rick <3. I feel the same way about you. You are an amazing friend despite our physical distance (I can feel the energy there), and have been one of my longest (and most fond of) mentors. I imagine this is true for many of us, and your impact has extended into our daily lives an world. Thank YOU for leading, guiding, loving us on our journeys <3

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