This past week, like much of the country, my city was hit by a snow storm. It wasn’t as bad as expected, but it was still enough to make snow shoveling a semi-part-time job. I’ve recently moved, and my previous house didn’t have a sidewalk, but my new house does and I was trying to calculate how long it would take to finish it all.

As I was out working on the front walkway, I saw a person walking toward me on the sidewalk, pushing a snow blower. They approached me, introduced themselves as one of my neighbors, and then asked permission and proceeded to clear the snow on my sidewalk and driveway.

I’ve been typically a person who just goes and gets things done, not asking for help and just pushing through, thinking I can do it all on my own, even if it hurts. It’s one of my known trauma responses, and I take small steps toward healing and safety when I am aware of it. This helpful neighbor without knowing it, was healing some younger parts of me who actually wanted help but felt literally and figuratively frozen to ask. They were also healing parts who were wary of people doing good deeds without wanting something in return.

I accepted this person’s help with gratitude and thanks. Inside, my younger parts were ecstatically jumping up and were downright gleeful they were seen. And ALL of me was thrilled that I didn’t have to spend 45 minutes in the bitter cold shoveling snow.

The lessons here: It’s ok to accept help when you need or want it. And surprisingly small actions can have big impacts on your or someone else’s healing. It’s ok to notice, acknowledge and celebrate when the good things happen.

Also, I have amazing neighbors.

What small (or big) healing impacts can you acknowledge and celebrate?