4 Things Still Working in a World that Feels Broken
—Share 4 Somethings June 2026
This month, I’ve been thinking about what’s still working.
Partly because of something that stopped working. Oddly enough, during my year of SHIFT (my One Word for 2026), the right Shift key on my laptop has stopped working. (My space bar has been weird too, among other things.) So every time I type, I’m reminded how things eventually quit working as expected.
But it makes me wonder: amid all the ways I feel the world is breaking down, what is still working?
Below are four things I noticed this month.
I’m linking with Jenn and also sharing my previous month’s One Second Everyday video.
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1. Something I Love
- THE WORK OF PINKIE PROMISES
A few weeks ago, I watched my grandson make a pinkie promise with one of his elderly friends.
It only lasted a few seconds, but it still felt important to me.
Sometimes we assume that the biggest changes happen through international treaties or national debates. And maybe so.
But I also believe the world changes for the better every time two people genuinely connect at any level, whether young or old, Black or white, male or female.
These small pinkie promises still matter, working more than we give them credit for, building trust and hope for our future.
(This friend also gives my grandson a lollipop every week; that counts for something, too.)
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2. Something Sustaining Me
- LOCAL VOLUNTEERS AT WORK
I’m always encouraged when I’m out in my community and see the many volunteer groups that are hard at work picking trash off the roadsides, planting flowers at nursing homes, or running our small-town annual Kiddie Carnival.
For a few weekends each summer since 1957, one of our local service clubs provides volunteers to operate 10 kid-sized rides (ferris wheel, roller coaster, train, and more) for children ages 2-10. With free parking, free admission, and just 50¢ per ticket, it’s a summer highlight for many families.
A few weekends ago we took our grandson to meet up with some of his little friends there. They all had a blast experiencing the thrill of rides and the carnival atmosphere of popcorn and cotton candy.
I appreciate the work of ordinary people who volunteer their time and energy to keep things running smoothly in our individual communities.
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3. Something Carrying Me Forward
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WORKING WITH MY VALUES
The older I get, the more I’ve leaned into identifying and intentionally living my values.
While there are a lot of lists and quizzes to help us figure out our top values, I recently took the Values Bridge assessment (the quiz is free).
Like all quizzes, this one gives you a breakdown of results based on your answers. But it does something extra I haven’t seen before. Instead of simply listing your top values from a list of 16, it shows how your values support—and sometimes compete with—each other.
For example, one of my values is wanting to make the world a better place. Another is having very little desire for public recognition. Those values usually fit together with no problem (I prefer working in the background, not on the stage), but sometimes they create tension. If I want to create change, I sometimes have to be more visible than I’m comfortable with.
Being aware of that tension helps me bridge that gap when it it shows up.
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4. Something I’m Making Space For
- GOVERNMENT AT WORK (SORT OF?)
This is a tricky one. Sometimes it seems our US government does not work at all. We’ve all seen the gridlock and division between parties and politicians.
Yet even in the strain, we see ways that our democratic process does still work, even if slowly and imperfectly.
Last week I traveled to Washington, D.C., with my daughter and fellow volunteers to advocate for reducing gun violence.
We met with staff members from both of our senators’ offices and our congressional representative’s office. While it would have been nice to have met with the actual elected officials, it still felt empowering to meet with their employees who listened carefully, asked questions, and took notes to pass along to their bosses.
Will our conversations create any change in policy? Maybe, maybe not.
But it does create a change in us, knowing we can still use our voices to speak up about issues that matter to us, participating in ways we can.
Now is not the time to stop putting in the work. Happy 250th, America. We’re still a work in progress.
So while my Shift key quit working (and prompted me to upgrade to a new laptop that will work better in many ways), plenty of other things are still working in our world.
- People are still connecting one-on-one.
- Volunteers are still serving.
- Values are still guiding decisions.
- Citizens are still showing up.
Maybe none of these are flashy things with immediate and visible benefits. But they’re enough to keep me hopeful as we move forward.
What do you see working well in your world? Share in the comments.
I’m linking at these blog parties
Proving once again that things don’t have to be flashy to be good and make a HUGE difference in our lives and the lives of others. We have so much to be thankful for in celebrating our great nation. And, I do love that pinkie promise – your grandson is the cutest! Blessings, Lisa!
Thanks, Martha. Yes, I’m grateful that things don’t have to be flashy to count. Almost nothing in my life is flashy. ha. But there are so many wonderful things in my life that I am thankful for.
Thank you for the reminder to look for what’s working. As a natural fixer, I’m usually focusing on what I can do better or how to put out the fires or plug the holes. It’s easy for me to miss seeing the improvements. (Though I did tell my 14 year old to his face the other day all the specific ways I’m seeing him grow in maturity. He didn’t believe me. But I wanted him to know that I noticed). I’m a personality nerd so I’ll definitely be checking out the values quiz.
I love that you spoke such words of affirmation to your 14-yr-old. Sometimes we assume that they’ll just know that we think those things. But they often don’t. And even if they do, it’s still good to say the words out loud. Way to go, Mama! 🙂
I love that you focused on what is still working. Sometimes it’s easier to focus on what’s not, but I prefer to look for the good/what is working and be grateful for it. I hope you have a fantastic 4th of July weekend!
I agree that it’s easier to see the flaws sometimes; they tend to stand out. But I don’t want to overlook all the things that don’t necessarily need my attention simply because they’re working right. It’s hard being a human sometimes! lol. Hope you have a great 4th too. Looks like it will be a hot one where I’ll be.
We have been under a heat advisory all week and it is hard to breathe outside, but I think the 4th will be much more manageable (still in the 80s).
Lisa, you show us how to live a full life, one that makes a difference. And I love seeing your month in living color. And was your little guy actually in cap and gown making a speech?!
Love it.
Happy 4th dear one. I’m grateful for your influence in my life.
I know–my little guy is going to Kindergarten in the fall. How can this be??? Hope you have a Happy 4th too, Linda. I’ll be at my in-laws on Saturday. So grateful to still have both my FIL and MIL still here. They’ve had a big outside party every July 4th as long as I’ve known them.
Such a lovely post Lisa & I always enjoy your videos. Congratulations on 250 years as an independent Nation that’s something to celebrate!
To answer your question I see people still working, in the aspect of caring for one another with genuine kindness. As you mentioned above, so many give their time freely to helping others all over the world, wanting no acclaim for their efforts.
I believe that without volunteers, carers & hardworking people behind the scenes this world would definitely be a sadder & more difficult place for many.
Blessings, Jennifer
I agree with you, Jennifer. It’s both lovely AND essential that we have so many volunteers and others who quietly work behind the scenes to make our world a better place for everyone. I can’t imagine the world without them.
Thanks for sharing that value assessment. I took it too and reaffirmed much what I knew but don’t always remember. What is still working? what a great question to ponder. We just left intentionally buying from a locally own store – I think that still works too.
Yes, these kind of quizzes often confirm what we already know about ourselves (which is good!), yet also often forget. Reminders are helpful. Yay for you buying from a locally-owned store. I have to be intentional about doing that myself because it’s not always on my radar, and I want it to be.
I’m a born pessimist and often I despair in what’s going on in this world.
Then again I notice how much I rely on the small gestures between people and hold on to those to remind me there’s still kindness.
I admit it can be easy for me, too, to despair when I look around and see so many bad things. So yes, intentionally looking for the good things is helpful because those are abundant too.
I volunteer at our local community centre, which we saved from being sold off by the local council and now own as a cooperative. The volunteer team and the couple of employees are lovely and I really value working there and seeing it grow and develop and all the brilliant regular sessions and one-off parties that happen. It does restore my faith in humanity!
Oh, I’m so glad you all saved your local community center. Those spaces are so important. And how beautiful that you’re building relationships among the volunteers and employees. It makes me happy just hearing about it. 🙂
Another lovely post, Lisa. I love how you’re always working on the things that truly matter. You’re an inspiration to me!
PS: The shift key not working is so strange – life has a way of making us smile and think!
Thank you, friend. That’s how I feel when I read your writings!
And that Shift key thing was so strange to me too. It took me awhile before I even realized the irony of it being that particular key. ha.
You have given me several “somethings” to think about this week. You are an inspiration!