What do I know? When I lived in Japan, an Okinawan man told me his philosophy of life. We sat in a bright shop, the earthy scents of green tea and soba making the plastic furniture feel homey. Concern and joy had lined his face, and his eyes shone with love and intense attention. It was the only time we met.

“First, I spend my energy to do no harm… if I have energy left after that, I try to do good,” he said.

Easier heard than done. Raised as a Bible-belt Christian, I’d prayed to see people as Jesus did and had focused my energy on helping, on doing loving things. I sometimes overreached (#Christianbusybody). Once I adjusted my efforts to doing no harm, I recognized harm originating in reacting rather than responding.

Being mindful of the impact of each of my choices, choosing to limit myself to purposeful inaction, and running a more sustainable household sometimes conflict with my free spirit silliness, but I’ve endeavored to live by that man’s philosophy. Sometimes, I even have enough energy to do good. I try to be kind, have fun, learn lots, and be frugal in all things but love.

I think a lot about how to best live by my values. If, as I believe, writing is the art of thinking, then here I share some of my sketches.