A Small Good Thing Is Proof that Dharma Matters! Are you fulfilled, on the path to following your passions and dharma? Or are you, like many, going through the motions to consume more and more?
I have been many things in my 36 years: an actress, a writer, a teacher, a yogi, an international aid worker, a healer, a nonprofit administrator.
I've existed blissfully outside the box and I've been caught in the cycle of go- go- go! achieve as much and as fast as possible.
Young, ambitious, and in my early twenties, I went directly from my undergraduate work to pursuing graduate work and full time employment. At 25, I had two masters degrees, a continuing education advanced certificate, was a master teacher who led workshops and trainings, wrote curriculum, taught classes after school while trying to write and act on the side and was working towards major burnout.
By my early 30's, I'd had enough. Teaching was practical and stable, it was rewarding and I was moving up the ranks quickly, but I was miserable. Though effective and talented as a teacher, I wasn't living my dharma. The things that nourished me, I had squeezed into vacations and weekends- it wasn't enough.
It wasn't until a brief stint on a commune in the Berkshires and several stints abroad where I had the benefit of solitude, nature and the ability to experience things that shook my foundation, that I had the courage to live the life I was intended to live, a life that thrills me and inspires me to no end. However shaky or unpractical, writing, having a holistic wellness private practice, teaching yoga and making handmade organic lotions may be, it is what suits me. I'm still as driven and ambitious as ever, only this time my work is on my terms. It fulfills me and I am able to provide an invaluable service to my community. The money comes and goes, but my happiness, my engagement, my sense of purpose, drive and fulfillment are satiated. I'm so happy! I'm aligned with my dharma.
I think that's why the documentary film A Small Good Thing resonated so deeply.
How can we as individuals, as a greater society, live in a better way? Everyone has a different path, a unique Dharma, but there are common threads amongst “happy people.” Winchester, MA resident and Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Pamela Tanner Boll explores these questions in her new documentary film, A Small Good Thing, screening at the Nextdoor Theater on September 11, 2015.
Following six people in Western Massachusetts, as they commit themselves to a path of dharma and happiness instead of the practical or socially expected path, A Small Good Thing encourages us to reflect on the purpose of our chosen work, on community and on what it means to be happy.
Does Dharma matter?
This feature-length film, which recently won Best Documentary at the Boston International Film Festival, centers on a more holistic concept of well-being − one based on a close connection to oneself, the natural world, and to the greater good.
Inspiring, beautifully spun, and thought provoking A Small Good Thing examines what it means to follow your true path on both a personal and societal level.
“A Small Good Thing does not pretend to have all the answers,” says Boll. “However, the film asks whether we can change our larger goals as a nation and learn from the rest of the world about the small truths that are the sources of human happiness. I’m so happy to be bringing the film to my hometown of Winchester for two screenings.”
Blogging is one of those things that doesn't always pay well, but the opportunities that it affords me are invaluable. One such opportunity was the ability to screen this phenomenal and inspiring film.
A Small Good Thing will screen at 6:30 PM & 8:30 PM at Fall For the Arts on Friday, September 11, at the Nextdoor Theater, 40 Cross Street Winchester, MA. Admission is free.
If you're not in MA, worry not, in the Fall of 2015 there will be several screenings in Boston, New York, and San Francisco!
Keep your eyes on your Dharma and keep your eyes open for this truly inspiring documentary!
Are you following your passion? If not, what do you wish you were doing and what can you do to get there?