Gift giving can be so easy today, at work when I do my in-services three or four times a year I always have a Jeopardy or Review game with candy. All I do is go to the 99-cents store and spend less than $5 on bags of candy. Of course everyone loves it when I teach the in-service, because they love the candy. What they don't also see is how much they learn in the process without realizing it. Even then, everyone always smiles when they get a question right, even with a helpful nudge, and get some candy out of it. It was a way for me to teach what I had to professionally while also spreading Joy as well. Something small and negligent, but being mindful and in the moment, something that brought just a little bit of Joy to people's day where they normally wouldn't get any.
Lots of times people ask us for favors or assistance with things, and in that way do something for them by giving the gift of time and whatever else it is that you have that they obviously don't. It feels good to take time to stop and ask someone if they need help with something. What about the old woman loading groceries in her car or the friend asking for a ride to work. There are the times where we can passively say yes and still cause some Joy, but the times that really mean something are those active times when we stand up and take action without provocation to try and make someone else a little more Joyful. The look on someone's face when you truly surprise them out of nowhere is the best. I remember the giant box with my candy and t shirt and everything else from the girls at work for Valentine's Day, I was grinning from ear to ear and bright red, Something like that, that really doesn't take much effort, can make a real impression on someone and their day. I will never forget the two off-duty Rescue Squad workers who stopped and helped me change my flat tire when they were on their way home after a shift. They didn't know my brother and my dad were on the Rescue Squad too. I thought that was really awesome. And I'll never forget.
I really try to go out of my way now and do things for others, even the smallest of things. I try to always open doors for people or get up and unlock the door when people come to the group home. Everyday, before I go home I ask my administrative staff there with me and the lead staff in the houses if they need anything before I leave. I stop and say hi and talk for a few minutes when I come in to the house everyday. The gift of time and meaningful attention can be even more powerful than a tangible gift. It has been hard for me lately, especially with my anger issues that I am still working on, but I still try constantly, never stopping. I try to surprise my husband on an almost daily basis with tiny things and big things, silly things and funny things - things to make us both laugh and smile together. Today, I was showing him the trailer for the new Jungle Book movie and he could see how excited I was. Being such a huge fan of the original cartoon classic I assumed he would be just as enthusiastic. When the trailer finished and I finally moved I turned to him and asked if we could go this weekend to see it. He said yes, of course; he will always do things like that if he thinks it's something I want because he truly wants to make me happy. He has a heart of gold, and I don't deserve him at all. Anyway, when he answered he sounded less than enthusiastic, so a little bit later I asked if he really wanted to go see the Jungle Book. He looked at me and said not really, he wanted to see the comedy that had come out the weekend before. To be fair, it was a funny movie we both wanted to see as well. A few more hours pass and at home I get on my iPhone and Fandango and ask if he would see the Jungle Book with me tonight at our favorite local theatre where we can reserve seats ahead of time. He said sure without glancing up from his phone, with no real positive or negative inflection in his tone. What I didn't tell him was I wasn't buying tickets for the Jungle Book. I got tickets for that comedy he wanted to see. All he knows is the movie time, he has no idea and I have the mobile tickets on my iPhone. So he won't find out until we either get to the ticket line or actually walk into the individual theatre. I am so excited, I know it's dumb, but I am so terrible at surprises. Because I love giving things and doing things so much I also have a hard time waiting. I just get so excited for whoever it is, everyone knows I'm terrible that way. So if I can pull this off and fool him until we get there I am going to first be amazingly happy to have made him happy and surprised him, but secondly also a little proud of myself for being able to wait and pull it off. I just wanted to see him truly smile, not that normal "things-are-ok" smile, but that silly mischievous smile that comes only when truly letting go of the stress and terrible things of the world around you. Try to do something for someone around you, maybe the next time someone asks. Don't be so closed to taking a moment out of your schedule and routine to help someone else. Wouldn't it be nice if someone stopped to help you when you really needed it? Of course. Doing things for others is a simple way to bring Joy not only into your own life but into the world and the lives of those around you. Like I said, it doesn't haven't to be big or expensive, just meaningful and heartfelt. Stay Joyful & surprise someone, especially when their not expecting it.
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