(Originally Posted 3/4/15)

9/4/14

“Generosity lies less in giving much than in giving at the right moment.”

I guess with the multitude of holidays and pseudo-holidays, we tend to schedule our obligatory generosity around the day of the month or time of year.  I guess this fulfills our sense of duty to those we choose to reward in our circle in exchange for their rewarding us in some manner based on relation, title, and/or simple obligation that is sometimes freckled with guilt.

I’m in no way critical of the intent because certain times of the year deserve recognition and reflection and hopefully support our resolution to be kind, loving, generous, etc.  I wish we would stay primarily focused on the importance of our actions and not on dollar amounts of what we give and receive.

What is important is to be thankful of what we have, who we have, and why we have, and remember those who may have less and on this planet, there are countless within that category.

Our schedules frequently are at a fever pitch requiring us to focus on where we need to be and what we need to do once we get there – got it and understand!  We are sometimes consumed with where we are not and who is not in front of us – got it since this is the world we live in with expansion of the territory of our professional and social boundaries.  Just help me understand how we tend to create more distance between us and those right in front of us by the attention given to the next text or e-mail we write and the time waiting for a response in return.

Please understand how insignificant you can make someone feel when you are so intertwined with something less significant that is shared through an inanimate object that they have to repeat themselves several times just to acquire recognition.   The ultimate complication occurs when the moment and something of importance related to it is forever lost.  The more tragic result is that those people eventually don’t even consider you as an outlet to share things that may upgrade the quality of your life or theirs.

You may think I’m indirectly referring to myself but surprisingly I’m not.  By virtue of the fact that I’m sharing this writing with you, I have found my connection with you so that you can fit me into your schedule.  I see you enough that I can avoid those times that you fulfill the obligations demanded by your social media connections.  I’ve found ways to satisfy my need for actual human interaction through alternative outlets beyond this household through most opportunities I encounter during my day.  Hence my needs for individual communication are pretty much satisfied before you get home so that I can give you the time you need for the demands that continue from work, school, friends, girlfriend, parents, etc.  It’s funny but sometimes my favorite place is simply where I am because of its lack of complication and complexity.

Look and accept this as true.  One of our greatest gifts is who we are and how we decide to exchange it with those around us!  I’m lucky enough to understand and appreciate the quality of each of you on a daily basis.  My hope is that you take the time to open your eyes to the faces in front of you for a sufficient amount of time to appreciate, acknowledge, and respond to them so that you bestow upon them the gift that is YOU!  If not out of generosity, then try it out of simple human courtesy.  Either way, you can expand your horizons so that you not only discover more about who you may encounter, but also how much they can provide you to learn and increasingly grow from in return.  It just seems valuable enough to take the chance, you know?