My mom taught us that charity begins at home, with those you know, those who could use a little boost every now and again. I think she was right, but it took a while for me to realize that I needed to balance ‘care of others’ with ‘self-care’, see my earlier brief. It is crucial that we look out for number one, however, it is just as essential that we look out for each other. It all goes around. Case in point, my recovery from recent surgery.
All is well, I just need a few weeks before I get back behind the wheel, but I don’t even want to think about how I would manage without my husband, John. John, family, friends and the Associates are all showing up to help and entertain me.
This season, I wish everyone good health, peaceful families and opportunities to be generous. Which reminds me of a few lines out of a book I mentioned in my April blog; The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down by Haemin Sunim.
“If we help someone in the hope of getting something in return, this is not giving but lending. True giving is done without expecting anything in return. It also means we relinquish control over what we have given.”
If you don’t have material goods or money to give, give a hand, give a hug, give a smile. Consider the wise words of John Cleese, “I’m struck by how laughter connects you to people. It’s almost impossible to maintain any kind of distance or any sense of social hierarchy when you’re just howling with laughter. Laughter is a force for democracy”
GBS had a good point, and I find myself gravitating towards people who subscribe to the notion of belonging to community and away from those that lean the other way. The Associates at Jane Barr Horstman & Associates share GBS’s point of view too, and many of our clients do as well.