As a spiritual teacher and inspirational motivator, you will find me posting in social media every day since 2009, on love, kindness, equality, compassion and basic life skills that many lack. I live to see others living their best life and implementing basic principles for a life of flow. Notice, I didn’t say happiness, because that is an inner battle and must be addressed from within. However, there are basic principles which produce the happiest of human beings. They have been passed down for ages and even your own grandma recited and practiced many of them. All the great sages, masters and teachers have promoted love and equality and all their teachings intertwine with harmony.
Jesus said; “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Buddha said; “Learn to forgive. When you release those imprisoned in the prison of unforgiveness, you release yourself too. “
Krishna said; “When a man can still the senses I call him illumined.”
Sai Baba said; ”My business is to give blessings. “
Muhammad said; “The best among you is the one who doesn’t harm others with his tongue and hands.”
Ariaa said; “By acting on love and kindness, one person can counter the negativity of millions.”
and
“Serving others is an honour not a chore.”
Many people just don’t have time or they simply don’t make the time, to go out of their way to serve and help others. I am always flabbergasted when someone praises me for a kindness I’ve extended to another when they could have easily done the same.
The other day I posted about a squirrel in 5 o’clock traffic, running dead centre into a major four-lane road with traffic in both directions. I literally swerved, honked like I was crazy and used my car to corral him off the road. Then, I turned the car around and stalked him until
I found him sitting in a large tree. I stopped, opened the trunk of my car where I keep bags of peanuts, dog and cat food and birdseed and sunflower seeds for other critters.
I left enough nuts for him to fill his belly so there would be no need for him to cross that street during high traffic hours.
Well, suffice to say I posted it on Facebook and people lost their minds thinking this was some sort of noble act. Holy cow! Now, I am not trying to minimize the fact that I had to U-turn in heavy traffic and manage to find which tree he fled to but honestly, I think of this as a nothing burger, it was just the right thing to do. However, the right thing for me may not be the right thing for you and vice versa. We all have our niche’ and our causes and platforms which we dive into full tilt boogie, feeding squirrels and every other creature that crosses my path is just one of mine.
Folks, it doesn’t matter if it’s feeding a person, an animal, it doesn’t matter if you give of your time or your money, it doesn’t matter if anyone knows it or not, just give.
One of my favorite holidays during the upcoming season is #GivingTuesday. “Giving Tuesday was started in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation as a response to commercialization and consumerisms in the post-Thanksgiving season (Black Friday and Cyber Monday.) It is held annually the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and this year is on December 3, 2019.” The global celebration lasts for 24 hours and major and minor corporations and charities will double and triple your monetary gift. It is a great way to see your dollars go farther and an end of the year tax deduction for most.
As we enter the season of giving be reminded you don’t have to wait for a holiday. Every day is a great day to give in some small or large way.
No act of kindness is nobler than any other. Every act of goodness counts and creates a weave in the tapestry of goodness, a wave of love in the atmosphere. Here are a few ideas and I hope they inspire you to create your own ways of giving. With so many in need, so many are needed. Wishing you a season filled with selfless giving.
It’s What You Do
What do you do when a well-dressed homeless man walks up to you, cigarette in one hand and Ray-Ban glasses in the other and spins a yarn you know is a lie? You give anyway. #ItsWhatYouDo
What do you do when you see an elderly person struggling to read a label at the grocery store? You read it for him/her then make a joke about your own vision to help in preserving their dignity. #ItsWhatYouDo
What do you do when someone holds the door for you or lets you cut in line in traffic? You look them in the eyes and say “Thank you.” #ItsWhatYouDo
What do you do when you see a young mother with 3 or 4 small kids struggling to buy groceries while trying to manage the crying one? You offer to hold the baby or help her pay for food. #ItsWhatYouDo
What do you do when you see a dog about to cross the street in traffic? You go out of your way to save it and to locate its owner no matter how much time it takes away from your day. #ItsWhatYouDo
What do you do when a friend begins gossiping about someone you both know? You hang up the phone and distance yourself from those with no character who will do the same to you. #ItsWhatYouDo
What do you do when you see someone being bullied? You step in and pull them away or if too dangerous you call an authority for help. #ItsWhatYouDo
What do you do when your friend or a stranger in social media tell you they are gay or trans and are struggling with depression? You love them, you let them lean on you and you support and embrace them and lead them to someone qualified to help. #ItsWhatYouDo
What do you do when your hairdresser announces he is gay and grappling with his Christian beliefs. You tell him God is the energy of love, not a man or a woman, but pure love and every person is an amplification of that perfect love. #ItsWhatYouDo
What do you do when the leader of the free world is mentally ill leaving you feeling hopeless, angry and dumbfounded? You bide your time knowing that there is a shorter distance to the light than through the dark and that goodness always wins. #ItsWhatYouDo
What do you do when you see someone eating alone or at an event alone? You ask them to join you, you’d be surprised at how many want to. #ItsWhatYouDo
What do you do when a frail elderly is walking in the rain to or from the bus stop? You show her your ID and offer to take her/him wherever they need to go. I’ve gained many “adopted” grandparents that way. #ItsWhatYouDo
What do you do when someone starts chatting you up in line and keeps it going? You sense she is lonely, you make a new friend.
What do you do when you have a few minutes to spare during the day? You make the most of it, volunteer or write, text, call or email the words, “I love you” to those you know and strangers who have touched you. By the way, I love you. #ItsWhatYouDo
What do you do when you see your neighbor losing weight fast, his skin turning jaundice and it is apparent he is on his way out? You bake, you take out his trash, you do what you can without letting him know you know. #ItsWhatYouDo
What do you do when so many are going hungry? You buy an extra bag of groceries and drop it off at Care and Share or your local food bank. #ItsWhatYouDo
What do you do when you see homeless people filling the streets of your town or community? You carry a list of services and shelters with you and call to see if you can get them placed. You donate money to the organizations that help the homeless and you volunteer at the local soup kitchen to help feed them. If you are wealthy, you buy some land build some tiny houses and let them live there rent-free in exchange for keeping the land clear of trash until they can get a job and be rehabilitated. #ItsWhatYouDo
You rise every day thankful for another day of life and you make good use of it as if it were your last day on the planet. #ItsWhatYouDo
You seek to find any way you can serve. Whether human, animal, politically or environmentally, you search for ways to add to life.
It’s what you do.
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