Pass It On
A theme has been playing out in my life for about a week. And it is definitely one worth passing on. It started as I stuffed three large bags with clothes, shoes, accessories, and home items for donation to GreenDrop. It continued as I purchased a few yoga-inspired fitness items for a charity silent auction basket, and Life Time Athletic kindly donated a month-long pass to add. It stuck with the celebration of my birthday, when Brad offered me a shopping spree as my present. Finally, this recurring theme came to light when someone posed a simple, yet complex, rhetorical question.
What does generosity mean to you?
At Tysons Corner Center for my birthday shopping spree, I was drawn to a store I had never heard of. Judging by the window displays and entryway, it felt boho-chic, romantic, and whimsical. Intrigued, I stepped into Altar’d State. I fell in love with the style of their clothing and accessories immediately (the additional 60% off sale did not disappoint either!). But there was something cooler. A beautiful tag on each item noting, “A portion of the proceeds from every Altar’d State brand purchase will be donated to feed, clothe and educate children.” Their brand tagline is “stand out for good.”
Generous, I would say.
Our shopping strategies are very different. Brad is a hunter; I am a browser. I touch everything in the store and then circle it about three times before I am convinced I have seen everything. Despite how much this truly frustrates Brad, he happily took me shopping for my birthday. Sure, he footed the bill – but his most generous acts came in the form of giving me more patience as I scoured the racks, and attention as I tried on outfit after outfit.
"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give."
-Winston Churchill
All too often, generosity is associated with money. But donating a cut of your paycheck may not be the most generous thing you can do. Maybe you have been broken hearted, and the most generous thing you can do is give more love. Perhaps your schedule is crazy, jam packed, and the most generous thing you can do is give more time. What you give and the amount of it given can only be determined by you.
Be generous…pass it on.
