Human Spirit and Giving Thanks

© 2012 hula~la

• "How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it." (George Elliston)

This day is truly beautiful as a result of a random act of kindness that I have witnessed first hand.   Generosity comes in many forms.  It can be as simple as holding the door open for someone, or raking the leaves for someone who is not able; a kind word said to another can make a difference in their world.  It is also quite nice to bake and deliver cookies to a neighbor...just because!!!  Or shovel the dreaded snow that is sure to be falling very soon here in the northeast.  This is a good one...pay the bridge toll for the car behind you, and just drive away.  Now I'd like to think the person who you just paid for, who has their cash in hand ready to pay, upon finding out his toll was paid, will now use his cash to pay for the car behind him...pay it backward in this case. 

What I witnessed today was a gesture so sincere that it truly took my breath away.  For someone to reach out and help another financially who they have never met before, most assuredly will restore anyone's faith in mankind.  The recipient of this generosity is a person who is always so caring and giving, yet is also someone who would never ask for help...of any kind.  Selfless caring and kindness is embedded in every human spirit, yet it must be nurtured through everyday living.  

• "You will discover that you have two hands.  One is for helping yourself and the other is for helping others." (Audrey Hepburn)

There are those in this world who feel compelled to take advantage of others.  That is how they live. For they somehow feel entitled to be something they are not, or have something they can not.  They are lacking in their soul the common decency that drives humanity.  Or the will to give of themselves freely, for how can they possibly take at the same time as they are giving?  Perhaps they have never been on the receiving end of a kind word or gesture.  Maybe they have never experienced the feeling of love or true goodness from the heart.  The determination to give of ones self comes from a place deep inside the human soul and is initiated by the brain with a simple thought of just being kind.

• "Things of the spirit differ from things material in that the more you give the more you have."  (Christopher Morley)
  

For those of us who have a heart and who have the will to make this world a better place, it is very easy to perform a simple random act of kindness towards another human being.  Make eye contact with everyone you meet and smile.  A great BIG genuine smile:)  It's that simple.  That single gesture can be the spark that lights the unconditional desire to show kindness of the human spirit towards another.  It's what truly makes us whole as individuals.  JUST DO IT!  The feeling you will have as a result will be your worthy reward.  And always, always give thanks!