Recently, I have come across a few people who don’t reach out to help others. Instead It becomes all about them, how the world is treating them, who did what to whom, who did what to their ancestors, and that great relationship they DON’T have. You can easily find yourself feeling like a victim of your circumstances and step into a self-indulgent state.
From my own experience, I can tell you,
1) you don’t need to be fully “healed” to help others and
2) If you think only about yourself you may end up being alone and unhappy.
3) Pay it forward, you’ll get it back.
We need to rise up and be more by lending a hand. As hard as we work to make a living and charge for our services, there are also those who fall on hard times. I myself was in a bad situation that caused so much pain in my body that if I had not had the support of those around me, I don’t know what I would have done. Even in this painful situation, I learned to help other people heal. I paid it forward and I got it back as I healed my physical and emotional pain
.
Now, I am in a position to help others who were in a similar situation that I was once in. I am grateful for what happened to me because if it were not for that pain, I wouldn’t be who I am today.
We can help ourselves by simply doing something for someone else, and all the while being grateful for the things we do have in life, seeing the glass half full. If we create a community culture that pays it forward, maybe we can all have a higher quality of life and more joy. If we express constant gratitude, we can help uplift others. How would our world change if people around us felt seen and heard, wouldn’t we all feel more connected?
More tents are popping up underneath freeways, in vacant lots and closer to our own neighborhoods. There’s an app in which people have been chiming in about the homeless in their communities. People are one of two things, they are either compassionate, often wondering why the city doesn’t do more, or are pissed off because a homeless man urinated on their lawn.
I don’t have the solution to the homeless problem, what I can do is suggest that we should all try taking a moment to meditate on the subject of what we can do to help. Pranayama yoga Breathwork is a great way to travel inside and figure out what are the best ways to contribute to the world. This could be as simple as helping a friend or stranger to sending a donation to an organization that has special meaning, causes closest to your heart.
These examples have resonated with me. If you are looking for inspiration on how you can help, start by looking to your church or synagogue, research charities online, call Meals on Wheels, donate used clothing and essential items for the homeless to Gaziboh Global Center or the National Council of Jewish Women. Donate your time to The Family Promise Organization which helps struggling homeless families take a break by offering safety, warm meals and shelter. If you want to adopt, foster or volunteer with dogs, contact wagsandwalks.org. The Creative Arts Healing Center in New Mexico is preserving a good chunk of land for our future and is accepting donations and supplies.
I was hiking on Mt. Shasta last month having a silent day and found myself picking up Coors light cans from the mountain and “schlepping” them down to the trash miles away. I thought it peculiar that people who are so concerned about calories can so easily forget Mother Earth.
When we do more to help, we feel better and we are better! We are on this planet together and generations are following in our footsteps. We are part of a larger whole.
If you are already doing something kudos and respect! Paying it forward is a gift to ourselves. It uplifts our spirit and feeds our souls. End the year with the positive spirit of sharing, as Christmas, Hanukah and the holiday seasons fast approaches there are many ways we can help and support our local communities.
