The holidays are upon us. At Steward, each year we participate in the Human Race to raise money for local non-profits like COTS (Committee on the Shelterless) and Petaluma Hospice. In December, we split into groups and shop for local charities that need donations of food or gifts for children.
Last year, we started a "Random Acts of Kindness" exercise, where one of our tasks as a group was to use a certain amount of cash to do something nice for someone else. We left it open for interpretation. One group gave it all to a homeless man and his dog. Another bought food and coffee for the local firemen and women. Another bought sandwiches and water and gave them to random homeless all over Petaluma. One group was shopping in K-Mart for a charity and met a woman crying in the aisle because she did not have enough money to buy a gift for each of her kids. They gave her some money and she gave them a smile and a hug that were priceless.
It's good to give back any time of the year. We're all in this together, and if we know anything from 22 years of service, it's that everything comes back around. You truly get in life what you give. If you look up from your smartphone for just a moment and channel some empathy for another human being who may be having a hard time, you can make a difference in someone's life.
We are all met with challenges from the moment we wake to the moment we go to back to sleep. Often times, we are all one choice away from a disaster. There are many ways to give back, and it does not have to be financial. Try making eye contact with someone as you pass them on the street and say, "Hi." Or maybe just muster up a smile. That one gesture could make someone's day who may have, for a moment, lost faith in the goodness of others, or even in themselves. Every day, the news brings stories of people taking advantage of each other. A smile can shatter some of the selfishness in the world. It can show that we are strong and that we believe in each other. That we believe in something bigger than ourselves.
Call it what you want, but it feels good to give. It feels good to brighten someone else's day. Try smiling at a stranger. You may get one back.
