Your life is a gift, an extremely unlikely, extravagant gift. You did nothing to precipitate or earn your existence. It was given to you. Just because.
As the beneficiary of such extreme generosity, you can always afford to be generous in one way or another. Jess Lea-Wilson has written a beautiful meditation on generosity. Here’s a snippet:
… Fifteen years on, and I have realised that to be generous, (not just when it comes to pints, though it’s a good place to start) is hands down one of the most attractive traits a person can possess. I am not talking of flashy gestures, or expressions of wealth (though, admittedly, sometimes these can be very nice) - no, I am talking of thoughtful, kind, sometimes even princely acts that stay with you.
—Jeff
A few months ago at work, we had a young man working with us. He came to work one morning and told me (because I’m the baker) that it was his birthday. As a general rule, when it’s someone’s birthday in the kitchen, or on staff in general, we make them something.
I asked him what his favorite flavor of cake was and I made a cake for him before the day was through. He blew out his candles thoughtfully and looked at me. He told me that I was the only person in his entire life that has ever made him or given him a birthday cake.
This utterly ruined me. We all cried standing there. I say all this just to drive home the point that sometimes our acts of generosity, no matter how small they seem, can be gigantic to someone else. That day, I’m glad I could afford, and more importantly, that I was afforded the time to get a cake baked for him on such short notice.
Grow slowly
Skyler
I love this story, Skyler!
Having nestled into my mountain chalet, I began a game. It's called "Going About Doing Good". The hunt for those needing help while out and about is joyful how opportunities present. Sometimes it takes a long time to help someone. But it's so much fun🤸🏾