Sometimes it’s easy to forget how giving we can be. Amidst all the talk of hardship and doomsday forecasting; all the images of sudden devastation across the world; and all the stories of phenomenal courage and feats of triumph, lies a plethora of random acts of kindness that can also change the world.
I am awed by the stories I read about people’s relentlessness in their quest to make a significant positive difference in a stranger’s life, often at great personal sacrifice. I often wonder what drives them to that point, and I contemplate what our world would be like if more of us had that same level of compassion. I must admit, it’s often with more than a twinge of envy that I wonder to myself, “If only I could make that kind of difference.” Then, in the most unexpected way, I am reminded that most of us already do.
As I was completing a recent purchase for my son, the cashier asked whether I cared to donate to their adopted cause. Without a thought, I politely declined her offer, anxious to complete the transaction and be on my way. Without hesitation my 12-year-old touched my arm and said “Come on Mom, think about ….” My son has a cherished friend afflicted with that particular illness and even at the age of 12, he clearly understands the importance of giving when you can. I had spent the better part of my son’s young life trying to instill a sense of purpose and meaning in our daily decisions; a belief that our actions have a broader impact than on ourselves. With those simple words, uttered at the most opportune moment, my son taught me — and, I believe the young cashier as well — a lesson that will stay with me for the rest of my life. I smiled, opened my wallet, pulled out a bill that would likely have been spent on an unnecessary purchase, and handed it to the cashier as a donation in honor of my son’s friend. As she completed the transaction, I heard her quietly whisper, “That was so sweet.”
That simple act of giving changed the tone of my day. Not necessarily because of the sense of worth it gave me to know I had done something selfless, but because of the sense of hope it gave me to know that my son was not willing to let me sit idly by when we could help make a positive difference in someone’s life. Was it a life-altering difference at that very moment, like many of the stories we read these days of young people sacrificing their lives for the good of future generations? Probably not. Can it be a life-altering difference in years to come? Absolutely. Chances are that a sense of compassion and the desire to be kind to a fellow human being are traits that will help shape my son’s life as he matures. What we tend to forget is that every small act of kindness does have an impact, and many small acts can quickly amount to a great difference.
That evening as I was closing up the house for the night, I thought of the multitude of people I know who live what I call a life of purpose. Who every day, without thinking, do something kind for a stranger. Then I thought of the multitude of people I don’t know who do that as well — the on-site volunteers, fundraising event planners, financial donors, in-kind donors, sponsors, and all the people who in one way or another make a positive difference in another person’s life nearly every day. We see them and hear about them all the time; in our schools, our churches, our neighborhood parks, our community organizations, our hospitals, etc. And I realized how natural it is to forget how giving we truly are. We need to hear those incredible life-changing stories to help remind us of the importance of giving a helping hand to someone in greater need, and to reaffirm how powerful the human will can be. But if my experience is any indication, our own lives are much richer by the simple knowledge that those many, small random acts of kindness that we each practice daily will transform another person’s life by giving them hope. Many of us are living proof of that.
