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Caring for Others – Look Around and Do a Little “Good”
Everyone has something to share; How generous are you; do you share?
Are you one of the many people who have been blessed with, shall we say, riches? If you have the ‘necessities of life’, like food, clothing and shelter, it’s possible the vast majority of the people in this world would think that you are very rich. But the amount of money, or assets, is not the point here. The point is that everyone, regardless of whether you consider yourself rich or poor, has something that could and should be shared with their family members, friends, neighbors, poor and sick people, and even strangers in need. Maybe the question is whether you have a giving heart, and most people do. How about offering a genuine smile and a friendly greeting, or some other act of kindness like opening a door for someone, or letting someone go in ahead of you? How much do your acts of kindness weigh, anyway? Are you generous with your time and possessions with your own family, your neighbors, your friends, strangers, elderly people, those with disabilities, or someone in need? What resources do you have to share? If not, would you be willing to share them if you had them? How about that nice smile you have, or a helping hand; can you offer that?
Would being happy help your financial well-being?
And what in the world does this attitude of caring for and sharing with others have to do with your own financial well-being? If doing things for others at least make you happy, how might being happy affect your financial well-being? If you bring income into the household for the benefit of family members, does that count?
Sharing like a caring brother or sister; caring is sharing which brings happiness – it’s worth the cost
This isn’t about how much you could share with others, but that you actually do share something with others – especially with those who are less fortunate or in need. And there are multitudes of good people who actively share every day. But more and more it seems like many people’s only purpose in life is to acquire more and more stuff, year over year, and consume it upon themselves – the more, the faster, the better. And, of course, less prosperous populations around the world only dream of having what you have; their plight is to just find a way to survive another day, right? But regardless if you have a sleigh full of toys and goodies to share, or just a smile, you should do it. At the end of the day you will look back with fondness not on the material possessions you’ve acquired, but on the joy you’ve felt as you look back on those times you acted or served like an actual brother or a sister to another person or family, and shared freely with those who were less fortunate – especially elderly people, widows, widowers, the disabled, the sick, the lonely and forgotten. Caring is sharing, and sharing somehow naturally means happiness and peace of mind – probably because we’re all part of the human family and that’s how we treat each other. Now, let’s get down to some examples.
Standing in line at the sandwich shop
The next time you’re in the local sandwich shop, take a good look at the people in line. Is there someone that really has a lot on his/her mind? Do they seem stressed, or maybe a bit lonely, or upset, etc.? What can you do about it? If your budget is working at all, surely you can afford to step up to the register and pay for their meal. Nothing much has to be said at all. A simple gift can literally restore a person’s faith in humanity, breathe hope to a wounded soul, or give them a sense of appreciation that’s long over-due. If the person you served is religious, when he/she prays, you, a total stranger, may be front and center in their heart. Has anyone ever done that for you? How do you feel inside?
The widow at the meat counter
If you go into a grocery store ‘with your eyes open’ so that you’re looking to see or feel what’s really going on in people’s hearts, you will see an elderly woman, probably a widow with a limited budget, standing next to the meat counter holding a package of meat in her hands, next to her cart that’s mostly empty. You see her stare at it; she starts to put it back in the meat section, then retrieves it again – and finally it lands back in the meat cooler. You know what’s going on, don’t you? Of course, you do – because you went into the store to not see what goes into your own cart, but what’s going (or not going) into the widow’s cart. Now, because you have your financial affairs in order, your budget will handle what surely must be done. To not make it about you, ask the nearby store employee to please give the money you hand him to that elderly lady ‘over there’ so she won’t know where it came from. Some precious, treasured widow will feel that she’s still loved, noticed, and cared about. And the benefactor, you, didn’t make it at all about you, right? Mission accomplished. How do you feel inside?
Standing in line at the grocery store check-out
Maybe you notice a person or family at the checkout line that you somehow just know is really struggling. Perhaps you can just sense the husband or father is even unemployed; the mother is overwhelmed that they’re spending money they ‘simply don’t have’. You step up to the counter when it’s time for them to make payment and pull out your cash or card, and take care of the entire bill. Starting to see? How do you feel inside?
The high school automotive student of a single parent family
Because you’ve paid some attention, you’ve learned about a young man who lives with his single mother, who is enthralled with his high school automotive shop, and gaining some great automotive skills. His skills are unmatched, but he doesn’t have his own tools. You show up one day with the finest automotive tools a young man could ever dream of, as a gift. Of course, you make it an anonymous gift, hopefully, and something that may very well change his life forever. Imagine the 100’s of dollars put down on the gambling table each minute, and how those dollars might be steered towards such a young man. You gave him the break he really needed. Again, maybe you do it without him knowing it was you. He starts a small business in due time.
Isn’t sharing of your abundance what living life is all about?
Honestly, isn’t this really living? Of course, it is. When you’re blessed with some sort of abundance, it is what life is all about, day in and day out, here a little, there a little; maybe a lot too. Perhaps it’s just a smile, or a kind work of encouragement – which can also be worth a fortune to a person who needs your smile and greeting. Tunabudget believes that if you want it, you will get it; you just have to ask for ‘eyes to see’, and you will see it all around you every day, everywhere. You and your financial well-being will survive and you’ll be very happy.
CANDID QUESTIONS
Are you willing to be really, really happy?
Is your abundance costing you more than you realize?
Do you have any idea of the pivotal ‘good’ you can do with your money and resources?
How do you get eyes that can see into someone’s heart?
What do you love or value more than your money?