Be a Gift to Others
Retirement has been a gift. I worked four decades within the “prison” I call Corporate America, but I finally made it out alive and am living the life I always dreamed about. For that, I am extremely grateful. I try to be a gift to others in any way that I can, and I say that with the awareness that I don’t think of myself as a person who has many gifts to give. But I have realized that when you treat people with dignity and show consideration for what they’re going through, it can make a tremendous difference in their lives. I think anyone who has made it to retirement age should consider it an achievement and be thankful that they made it through this journey we call life. I also feel that, as an act of gratitude and appreciation, we should help those whom we meet along the way with words of encouragement and an understanding for how hard life can be at times. The great thing is that it doesn’t require a great act of kindness or a large donation to a charity. You can do it in less time than you think and without giving away anything that you’ll miss.
You can be a gift to others through simple acts of kindness.
My first job was in a restaurant. I started out washing dishes, worked my way up to preparing food, was given the chance to wait on customers and then found myself managing the restaurant for whatever shift I was assigned to. It was a very hard job and anyone who has served the public knows how difficult it can be at times. When a restaurant suddenly gets busy all at once, most customers only focus on how long they are waiting rather than how hard the employees are working. We eat out quite often and I always hope to be the easiest customer our waitperson for the evening will ever have. It is my attempt to be a gift to others. Do you know how much they appreciate a customer who takes an interest in them and isn’t demanding? It can be like a ray of sunshine on a dark and cloudy day. When a waitress sees her four table “turnover” all at once and you tell her to “take your time, we’re not in a hurry”, the smile and reaction you get may be the highlight of your day. It doesn’t cost anything to be nice and to treat the person who is serving you with dignity and respect and it can make a huge difference in their life and yours. If you have the means, leaving a nice tip will have more of an impact than you think. A dinner tab of forty dollars will lead the typical diner to make the “fifteen percent” calculation and leave six dollars. Leaving ten dollars will usually lead to a sincere “thank you” on the way out. Will you miss the extra four dollars? Probably not. Will it make a difference to your server? Absolutely. Little things like that are how you can be a gift to others. And, if you don’t have the money, a kind word can be even more impactful. Never let a kind word go unsaid.
Very often we hear our friends talk about how “mean” and “angry” the world has become and, if you look around, you can see why they say that. In my way of thinking we can either accept that as normal or do something to try to change it. We cannot change our world or anything in it that we don’t like unless we change ourselves. Mahatma Ghandi is often credited with saying “be the change you wish to see in the world” although, if you do some research, it’s hard to verify that exact quote coming from him. He did say things that were similar as did other great people. It may sound trite to some people but if we treat everyone in the way we would wish to be treated, the world be a much more pleasant place. The truth is that we cannot ever expect that to happen if we aren’t willing to put those words into practice as well. Be a gift to others and you will see changes in the world around you. I have lived long enough to know how true those words are.
It can be as simple as letting the person with one item in a grocery store go ahead of you when your cart is full. It can be as simple as giving up your seat to an elderly lady on a crowded train. Simple things? Absolutely. But when we see them happening in front of us, it makes an impression. When we are the ones who are making it happen, we get an inner feeling that is hard to describe. Be a gift to others with no expectation of a return favor and you will have a very fulfilling life. We are all on the same journey we call life and the number of people we help along the way will make a difference. Because, in the end, it’s not how much we have, it’s how much we give. I’m going to try to do something nice for someone today and I hope you do as well. Let’s make the world a happier place. It’s time to Enjoy Retired Life!
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