One April Morning

Last night I was  thinking about what I admire in others. It occurred to me that some  people who have crossed my path embodied a magical -like presence that lit up my life. I craved their attention, treasured their company and savoured their words. And, upon thinking about it, they all had one virtue in common. It was not charm, or charisma, or beauty; it was generosity.

I wrote about generosity a little while ago. What I have since realised since is that generosity doesn't have to involve money, things or even charity. The simplest and purest form of generosity is just being generous with yourself; with your own time, energy and compassion.

Listening

Sharing ideas and wisdom

Allowing people to learn from your experience

Offering thoughtful advice

Reading between the lines

Encouraging

Praising

Finding special qualities in others

Addressing people by their names

Staying in touch

Turning up, being there

Remembering

Telling the truth

Saying what we mean, and meaning what we say

Keeping promises

All these things are easy to do, if we try and, crucially, have the confidence within ourselves to believe that our generosity will provide something valuable to others. Or, maybe, we can spin that cycle anti-clockwise and slowly build our confidence as we open up our hearts to others despite our fear of unworthiness. We are all worthy, in our own way; so withholding ourselves is not only an act of self-preservation, but also one of selfishness (which should not invoke guilt but empowerment). For, if nothing else, aren't we, and our life stories, all the more valuable by lighting up other people's lives?