There Are No Small Gives, Only Thinking Makes it So

I live in Massachusetts. That's the state formerly known as the Blue one recently converted to the Red one, and pretty much hurtling toward the Purple one as so many people are voicing their anger, fear, and frustration with any number of things related to government both big and small. I have no intention of mucking up this lovely, peaceful, zen forum with a political discussion (exhale all). But the recent special election for the Massachusetts senate seat brought out the worst in people, in my opinion, on both sides of the aisles and in the balconies. It made me worry about the state of our humanity. Wednesday I put out the intention that I wanted to give with compassion, try and do a little cosmic healing.

It was a day that ended up being one of "small gives" as I've seen many people write on their posts. I offered up positive thoughts of encouragement to a friend, I reached out to another friend who posted on her FB that she was ill with a sore throat; I made sure to swing by my mom's house to shovel her walk for her, but she had beat me to the punch, so we ended up having tea and conversation, which was great. I admit that I felt a bit disappointed that I had not been able to "give big" (whatever that means). I guess I had delusions of setting up a soup kitchen in my house, putting a tiny splint on a bird's wing, and single-handedly fixing the water supply problem in Haiti :)

However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how often we become our own obstacles to contentment with these self-effacing thoughts. My gives were great because they were my gives and came from a place of genuine caring. The smile they put on someone's face or the ease they gave a stressed out friend is as comparable to Oprah giving away all those shiny, new cars. It's the energy behind the give that makes it mighty, not the package. So let's all be kind to ourselves and put away the yard sticks and know that whenever you give with genuine energy, attention, and concern, it's a tsunami-sized ripple you're making across the cosmos.

Today I moved forward with the same intention: compassion. A dear friend whom I've known since high school posted something on her FB about struggling with the winter blues and the doldrums that sometimes plague us during this time of year. I sent her the only sunshine I could find in the form of a "just because" flower arrangement full of yellow, red, and brassy orange flowers. It made me warm just thinking about it, and she was very surprised and really cheered by the gift.

I'm glad she has a festive, springy flower arrangement to walk by in the morning as she gets herself ready for work and her daughter off to school. But I'm really glad to know that she'll take that positive energy, that little bit of sunshine in a vase, and make her day and those around her a better one.

Namaste! Keep up with the great gives!