I thoroughly enjoy Christmas. I know it isn’t an easy holiday for many, and for legitimate reasons. A number of my friends are always eager for the holidays to be over. But it’s always my intent to bring a bit of joy into the lives of the many I touch. I have discovered that’s the easiest way to insure that I have a joyful Christmas, in fact. And just possibly my “touch” will lighten the holiday for some one else too, even some one who doesn’t want to enjoy the holiday.
It heightens my inner joy every time I offer the hand of kindness or make a joyful comment to some one else. And this is true whether the day is Christmas or simply an ordinary day. (Actually, there are no ordinary days. Every one of them is special and God-filled.) But I digress. . . I am sure most of you have heard the wonderful stories that have hit the news these last few days about individual, anonymous “Santas” paying off the lay-away bills for many unsuspecting people this particular Christmas. I have loved these stories. They represent the true meaning of Christmas. I do believe that every person who was helped, in turn, helped some one else too. That’s the real hidden quality of paying it forward. The numbers of people helped quickly multiply.
It occurs to me that we can turn every day into “christmas” for others if we emphasize the concept of giving loving kindness. And there are so many simple ways to do that, ways that cost nothing but a little willingness. For instance, we can look very intently at the people we pass in the grocery or elsewhere and offer them a smile or the nod of one’s head. We can listen very attentively to the conversation that has engaged us with loved ones or even strangers. We can make the decision to do one kind thing, anonymously, every day for a month. If we choose to do this, we will discover by mid-month that we have changed a great deal. Our own perspective on life will have benefitted in a profound way by our commitment to making a difference in some one else’s life every day for a month.
It would be a marvelous way to usher in the new year if every one who reads this post made a commitment to doing some thing kind and unexpected for a stranger every day for a week or longer. I am thinking a random act such as this might travel throughout the world if people actually took the suggestion to heart. Might you give it a try?
