When I was a young girl, I remember my Mom telling me, “Let’s make them a surprise…” Looking back at this, I realize that it was a clever parenting tactic designed to encourage me to do something that I really didn’t want to do, (ie: clean up my room, finish eating my dinner, etc). But I also remember feeling very excited at the prospect of doing something special to surprise someone. This feeling of excitement would cause me to eagerly complete the dreaded task with enthusiasm and newfound energy.
Today I still get excited at the prospect of surprising someone. I feel such a surge of energy. Once, I remember my Mother-in-law telling me that I was glowing when I unexpectedly brought her a small potted plant for no particular reason. The truth is that I could, in fact, feel myself glowing! I felt that I was able to brighten someone’s day a little with a small surprise. But these surprises, I know, do not have to be a material gift at all. I have realized that anything done for, or given to someone strictly out of love for the person will cause me to feel this way.
Another word of advice I remember receiving from my Mom, in my childhood years was this: When you are feeling blue, (having a bad day) do something nice for someone else and you will find that you feel much better. Your day will improve and you will feel happy. This is a message that I, in turn, am trying to pass on to my own children. My five year old daughter, in particular, has taken this to heart. She is constantly giving, with no thought of reward. She draws, paints and colors dozens of pictures for the special people in her life. She loves to be helpful, if she thinks it will brighten our day. In fact, just a few moments ago she gave me her last little chocolate Easter egg, because she knows that I adore chocolate. It did brighten my day and when I looked into her eyes to thank her, I noticed that she was glowing! It’s funny how things work. My Mom taught this to me, I taught this to my kids and when I forget to follow this advice, one of my kids will teach it to me once again. I am very grateful for this!
We all like to feel helpful. We all want to feel necessary. We all want to feel as though we are making a difference in this world. Without giving a little to those around us, purely out of love, I do not know how we can accomplish this. I guess, once again, the trick is to remember to do it.
