By Office Fatkin Natural Healing
•
05 Dec, 2022
It is Thanksgiving week. Seems like we did this only a moment ago. Time certainly goes fast! Focusing on gratitude this month has been amazing! Do you feel that?
Are you looking at things in your life differently? Are you approaching life with a kinder and gentler perspective? Being grateful for all things, good, bad, and indifferent
, has the potential to change everything!
Gratitude tends to make us more gracious, more caring, and more spontaneous in our actions to help others.
The kindest and most generous people in the world often have a story of pain and heartache in their past. They have chosen not to harden their hearts, but to love and make a difference in the world. They choose to do even the smallest acts with the greatest love.
Deep down, most people, have the desire to help others. Most of us, however, do not have large platforms where we are able to reach many people at one time. Does the kindness then become insignificant if we reach only one person --- instead of 100?
I am sure most of you have either seen or heard of the movie " Pay it Forward
". If you remember, small acts of kindness rippled far and wide, ultimately returning to the young boy in an amazing act of love and generosity.
Did you realize that the “ pay it forward
” movement did not start with that movie? Its origin dates back to 317 BC (Dyskolos, Menander 317BC),
and several other places in history.
Benjamin Franklin himself was quoted as saying
“ I do not pretend to give such a deed; I only lend it to you. When you Benjamin Webb meet with another honest Man in similar Distress, you must pay me by lending this Sum to him; enjoining him to discharge the Debt by a like operation, when he shall be able, and shall meet with another opportunity. I hope it may thus go thro' many hands before it meets with a Knave that will stop its Progress. This is a trick of mine for doing a deal of good with a little money.”
Ben was a smart guy --- don't you agree?
Many years back, after watching the movie " Pay it Forward
", my husband and I decided to try an experiment. Each morning I stopped at Wawa in the morning to get a cup of coffee on my way into my office. I started work at 5:30 in the morning at the time, so my visit to the store was usually between 5:00 - 5:15 am. If you have ever been in a WAWA at that time of the morning, you know that it is mobbed with people getting their coffees before heading to work.
During the first month of the experiment, I went in every day, got my coffee, and left. Nothing eventful happened that month.
The next month I walked in there every day, at times holding the door for someone, always smiling and saying good morning to everyone I would see. The majority ( not everyone obviously it was very early, after all, 😴
) would smile back, say good morning, and occasionally engage in some chit-chat. There were several occasions when the person ahead of me in line paid for my coffee. I, in turn, paid for the one behind me. Who knows how long that went on --- there is a report of a Starbucks store in Florida that reported an 11-hour "pay it forward" run. One day, a gentleman brought me a box of candy – and told me how much he enjoyed chatting with me.
What was different?
I was the same person, I just chose to be friendly, approachable, and kind --- and that, very simply, made a difference.
What I can hope is that some of the people I met felt more friendly, approachable, and kind in their daily lives. I may never know --- but I do hope.
Does it really matter if nothing good came of my experiment?
I certainly lost nothing by choosing kindness. Was there anything gained?
Besides a box of candy 😉 --- I may never know, and I am totally ok with that. Why don't you try this for yourself? Let me know what your results are!
This world is often dark, gloomy, sad, and filled with anger. We spend so much time focusing on what is wrong with our world. We are closed down, hiding in our homes, covering our faces. We have stopped hugging, we have stopped caring, we have stopped loving.
We should spend more energy and time hugging, caring and loving, and less energy on the negative things that impact our life.
We need to spread kindness, gratitude and caring. We need to consciously choose kindness and choose to "pay it forward" every single moment.
This week, continue to choose gratitude. Every time you feel grateful for something --- give something back!
Remember, we do not need large platforms and the ability to reach many people. We need to reach one.
We have all the power at our disposal to change this world. Let go of those you cannot help, those that strip your energy, and focus on those that live in gratitude and appreciation for this great gift of life. Lift them up --- and watch them "pay it forward" and lift another!
Have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your family, your downtime, your after-dinner nap, or whatever this represents for you. Be grateful for all things!
“It takes but one person, one moment, one conviction, to start a ripple of change.”
--Donna Brazile
Sincerely,
Fatkin Natural Healing