What Does “Small” Mean? (Podcast Transcript)

Listen to the full episode HERE.

Since this is the first episode under the new name, I thought I might devote our time together today to a brief explanation, a little story, and, of course, a question. 

First off, let me honest: I’m not totally sure that the name “Small Soul” is the best one for my blog, or for this podcast. I started blogging back in 2012. I’d been through a pretty rough break up, and I was sort of on this self-directed self-help journey. I was reading books about meditation and how to be my ‘authentic self’ (I’m still not totally sure what that means), and in the spirit of self-exploration as a way of healing my pretty humiliated heart, I decided to start a blog. I called it, of course, the Small Soul Blog. I think I chose that title because at the time, I was feeling pretty small. My soul had taken a beating and was being carved into something new. Also, the alliteration was nice. I wrote a lot that first year of blogging, and the writing served as a kind of furnace: I was honest in the things I wrote, and that honesty helped me remember who I was away from the relationship that had made me forget my own value in the first place. 

So you see, I think I’m a bit nostalgic about the name “Small Soul”—I want to honor that creation, because it helped recreate me, and so the name will live on for now. 

But here’s the problem: I’m not sure the word “small” feels totally true to who I am anymore. I have always been a relatively quiet, shy person, but I also think I’m pretty strong, and that my soul, in particular, has become resilient over the years. So I’ve been asking myself this question: What does the word “small” really mean? 

To be practical, for a moment, I’m going to quote Webster’s dictionary: Small can mean “lacking in strength” or even “without consequence” or how about this one: “minor in influence, power, and rank.” But I’m going to choose to discard these definitions for my purposes. Instead, I’m going to focus on this quiet meaning: “Without force or loudness.” 

I’m sure you’ve heard some version of the expression, “Listen to the still, small voice inside of you.” You might think of it as your intuition, or maybe it’s the memory of your mother’s voice reminding you to do the right thing, or maybe, as it is for me, that voice is the voice of God. Now, this podcast isn’t necessarily a spiritual or religious podcast, but as a person of faith, most of the questions I’ll be asking and the thoughts I’ll be sharing are greatly influenced by my ever-evolving faith. And this question, “what does ‘small’ really mean to me,’ is certainly one that speaks to that faith. Here’s why: It is when I am in silence, and very still, and simply breathing in and out, that I most often hear God’s voice. And in my experience, God’s voice is not loud. It does not come with great force. It is gentle. It is wholly uncomplicated. It is small. And, in those ways, it is also incredibly powerful. 

I have a magnet on my fridge with a quote attributed to Gandhi. It reads: “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” Now, by no means am I equating this podcast or my blog with the voice of God. Or with Gandhi. Goodness, NO. What I am trying to say is this: Maybe it’s worth reconsidering the things that seem small or simple or at times insignificant in your life. Maybe those things, in their very simplicity, their smallness, are actually the most powerful and beautiful things of all. 

I’m going to leave off there, and end by asking you this week’s question. As you can see, sometimes these podcasts won’t always be cleanly coherent. Often, they’ll be a working things out. But that’s okay. That’s what asking ourselves soulful questions can do: They can take us down a path that is winding—but hopefully worth it. So, here’s your question: 

In what small, gentle ways, can you shake your world? Where can a simple, daily action create some good? 

Thanks for reading and/or listening!

-Beth