I distinctly remember the first time my dad chose to use a moment as a teachable moment.

I’m sure there were others, but I vividly remember when I was 6 or 7 years old and had a piece of gum or a lollipop in the car. I took the wrapper, cranked down the window (it was all hand power in the old days) and flippantly tossed the wrapper out onto the street. I’m sure I didn’t know any better (it was the early ’80s after all), but my dad caught me.

We got home and proceeded to walk around the neighborhood block with a trash bag picking up garbage and bits of trash. As we walked, he taught me about how trash builds up and it’s our job to do our part.

That has stuck with me for my entire life.

As I keep getting older, and most specifically in 2020 because we are in a rat’s nest of nonsense, I have found I have little tolerance for social media activism. Don’t get me wrong, I am all about voicing your opinion and what you are passionate about and sharing that with the world—it’s part of the incredible accessibility of the internet. But, I have found that so many people use social media to be “activists” and their desire for positive change stops at the clicking of the keys.

So, it begs the question: How can we impact positive change?

We are in such a unique and neat position as military families because we get to live in so many places and we are able to touch and impact so many lives. I am sharing some of the ways you can be the light.

And listen, I get it. Money and time constraints and busy lives can give us all the reasons why life gets away from us, but I know we can all collectively do better and spread love and kindness.

1. Taking from my original example, set up a trash pick up around your neighborhood, local park, or safe street.

2. Try the military staple of bringing a meal to a new mother, someone who has recently experienced the loss of a family member, or someone who is coming home from the hospital or recovering from an illness.

3. Have your kids make “Awesome job!” cards, and hand them out to neighbors who have kids in school.

4. Send thank you notes and treats to the local fire department and police department.

Who knows? Maybe we are the next generation of teachable moments for our kids with the ability to touch other lives and create a ripple effect that lasts for years to come.