Help.

Some days I feel on top of the world, other days not so much, but I make it my mission to learn new things from my daily experiences.  While I can’t quite sum up today’s lesson succinctly at the moment, I’m hoping I will be able to make better sense of it as the wheels keep turning in my head.

I attended an event at my job today where one of the guest speakers asked everyone to state one special characteristic about themself.  It was difficult for me to find one word that I would be comfortable sharing.  I felt like it would be an admission so personal that may prove too revealing.  Even though I hadn’t said a single word, I felt exposed.  My special characteristic is that I’m generous.

I love helping people.  I get so much joy out of watching other people grow and succeed in their journey, and even more joy when I’m able to help them, however small a role it may be.  As a result, I’m generous with my time, my attention, my finances, with whatever is within my power to help.

There have been times when my generosity has proven to be somewhat of a fatal flaw and I found myself in positions where I’d been taken advantage of, but that doesn’t stop me from helping others.  Everyone needs help.  One way or another, we all need help.

I can think of many people I could credit for helping me through hard times; people who’ve lent an ear, a smile, a shoulder, a dollar.  These people stand out in my mind because we as humans have absolutely no obligation to each other – no social obligation to be kind, no moral obligation to be just, and yet these people extend their efforts to help someone other than themselves.  To me, that’s admirable.  I felt so inspired by all the people who’ve helped me along the way, so grateful that they played a role in my growth that I try to pay it forward daily.

By helping others, we demonstrate gratitude for the help with which we ourselves have been blessed.  To be on the receiving end of help is humbling; to be on the giving end is even more humbling.