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Jerry's recent post about giving it away and BreakingFree's post about her neighborhood had me thinking at odd times when I'm allowed the luxury of uninterrupted thought. (Like when I'm driving). In my thinking, the two separate posts, speak to the same thing, giving it away.
Remember the song, or poem, or whatever it was, that said, Love isn't love until you give it away? Today I loved someone; stopped because I noticed he was working out in the hot sun and gave him a bottle of water, did the same thing last week, stopped just because someone was broke down in the heat and even though I probably couldn't help, I could offer the water and maybe the unspoken message that they are worth the time/effort.
My daughter once asked me why I was nice and made the effort to do nice things for other people - and the truth, honest to shameful truth is, its because I get something from the response I get for extending that friendly hand - it makes me feel good to think that I've done some little thing, and that maybe that simple act of kindness made someone else's day just a little bit brighter; someone's load just a bit easier to bear. It is a truly awesome feeling, to "It's a Wonderful Life" yourself - think about what effect that one act of kindness did for someone else down the road. Pay it forward?
I thought about all the little things BF could do for those people she lives around; bought myself a watermelon and thought - she could buy a big one and offer some of it to a neighbor saying, hey, I bought this huge watermelon and it would be a great help if you took some off my hands because we can't eat it all! I picked pickling cucumbers off my bushes and one little lemon cuke - gave the lemon one to a neighbor and delighted in her response at receiving this simple little gift.
I thought about the concept of "it takes a village to raise a child" and how important it is to our kids - all OUR kids - that we all care about those kids and how easy it is to tell those kids we care, by letting them be themselves and just being there if they should ever want to chat. I live in a great small town where, if a kid is in trouble, there are lots of adults willing to come to the rescue.
And I thought about a show my older daughter and I used to watch together, My So Called Life, and one particular episode where an "in trouble" kid was taken by police to a church and the condemning mother realized he was just a kid and in need of motherly love regardless of how much she might have disapproved of his looks or lifestyle, he was just a kid. How those smoking kids at BF's place are, first and foremost, just kids. Of course this led to thinking that so many people out there that I interact with are just people looking to connect with someone.
I took my daughter to Vegas, in part for her 19th birthday. We met a LOT of fun, nice, ordinary people; the guy who shuttled us to the airport, (and back, lucky us), was a hoot - nice, new to the area, chatty, friendly, so much fun to just interact with and it made me think about ALL the people we interacted with during our vacation - the school teacher from I don't remember where who taught middle school kids and laughing at my lament about teachers loading kids up with sugar then sending them home (via my bus); the local guy who warned us which bus NOT to take, and how funny and friendly he was doing it; the friendly black couple from Texas who whined along with us about the heat while we waited for the bus; the woman who asked me to take a picture of her group and their laughter when I said "say cheeseburgers with purple pickles"; the woman who shuttled us to the airport who was tired and hot and ready to be done for her day because she's been up all night shuttling "stupid (my word) tourists" - I gave her a good tip because I know that nothing brightens that kind of day better than a GOOD tip.
Life is good when you give it away; yeah I'm nice, but I'm selfish too because I LOVE the way I feel when I've given it away.
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I am strong in the broken places. ~ Unknown
All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another! ~ Anatole France
This is the fun of being human - looking for ways to practice random acts of kindness - and realizing our reward is what we receive in the giving. Nice post, LMH. Also, helps us realize the importance of letting others give to us, too. Both sides of the same coin. Thanks for the share.
-- Edited by grateful2be on Wednesday 7th of August 2013 08:42:28 AM
WOW, what a wonderfully delightful post to wake up to, so uplifting and heartwarming, I appreciate and wish in general there was more acceptence simply of just what is, because we create soooooooo many problems for ourselves when really keeping it simple really is the answer, i think this applies to? we can only keep it if we give it away, it's a great feeling both ways when there is kindness and compassion shown, what a great reminder in practice, thankyou for sharing x
I sometimes say that we have to reframe our perspective of "the wrong crowd" when we see a bunch of teens hanging around...and see that group as "raw, undeveloped talent" which...is SO true. I was a high school drop out...and now have a Ph.D.
Stepping onto a brand-new path is difficult, but not more difficult than remaining in a situation, which is not nurturing to the whole woman.- Maya Angelo
I can relate and I think I do the same things for the same reason. It's that: 'If you see someone without a smile, then give yours to them' kind of thing. There's nothing wrong with being kind and giving to others, even if you get something in return.
Thank you for sharing your story. FYI: I'll be in Vegas in a few weeks and I like going there because it's a few degrees cooler than Phoenix, well about 3 degrees during the day on average but that makes a HUGE difference in the desert heat!
I love the movie "Pay It Forward" one of my very favorites just for what you are saying and I feel the same way about showing and sharing love. I have given each one of these kids a ride to the high school in the morning when I had seen them walking to school. I am unsure what changed within me, but I do need to get it back, because now I do feel jaded. I want to show love and I so needed to be reminded of how it is done, thanks for that likemyheart! Sending you love and support!
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Sending you love and support on your journey always! BreakingFree
Al-Anon/Alateen Family Group Headquarters, Inc. 800-344-2666
" Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional."
"Serenity is when your body and mind are in the same place."
Your post made me cry. You are a beautiful soul who, once again, gave your love away to us through this post. Teresa of Avila might have said, "You truly see God in the details" ....lovely, lovely, lovely.
Great post! I relate to your thoughts and agree that it does make life good. If more people were to give it away, the world would be a better place despite a component of selfishness.
