UNITED STATES—We are slowly coming to the end of 2014; that time of year where the holidays are amongst us and festive holiday gatherings with family and friends take place. I’ve always asked myself time and time again, why do people tend to be a bit more joyous during the months of November and December than any other times of the year?
What is it about Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year that produce the best out of Americans? I think it’s the idea of self-discovery. For a moment, we have to pause and seriously consider all the things that we have in life to be thankful for. There are quite a few people out there with little to nothing, and they are happier than those of us who have tons.
We never seem to “get it” until its way too late. I live in a part of the country where the weather can be downright brutal during the winter months. It disheartens my heart to see people standing on corners in the frigid cold begging for change, or anything to keep them warm.
Yes, most of us don’t see these things, but for those of us who encounter it all the time, we realize during the holiday months an extra helping hand is always an important option. Am I doing so to receive some sort of pat on the back, no? I don’t do things for someone to acknowledge that I’ve done it; I do it because it’s the right thing to do. If you have the ability to give, than why in the world would you not take that opportunity to help those who seriously need it. Trust me that $1 you planned to use on a newspaper, a bag of chips, a snack, think about how that could perhaps help someone who seriously needs it.
If we only took one second to just pause: how could I help someone else instead of helping myself first. Very rarely do people put themselves first, especially complete strangers before they put others in the limelight.
I’m a giver by heart, I honestly think it’s an Aquarian thing. Aquarians tend to put the needs of others ahead of themselves most of the time, even if it places us in dire situations. This time of year I’m even more generous than normal and I hope that my good deeds (which I’m not a fan of calling them that) rub off on others. Just imagine if every person in the world who had a $1 donated that money to a local shelter, a food bank or to the homeless, the amount of change we can do on this planet would be unbelievable.
Don’t get caught up in this hype of I have to spend this much or that much. Christmas is indeed a bit overrated and we get caught up in the craziness much more than we should. You give what you can and leave the rest behind you. The price of something should not matter, it’s the thought of what you purchased that is more important.
If someone isn’t happy with their gift so be it; in fact take that gift and deliver it to someone who might truly need or want it. Trust me, there are some people in the world who are happy with the smallest things; those are the people who impact our lives the most. These are the people who will lead to global change one day in this massive place we call Earth.
The holidays are a time for giving, but remember, give because you can, if you’re giving out of guilt you’re not doing so with a kind heart. Remember one small deed that you can do can have an impact on someone’s life for days, weeks, months or years to come.
By Trevor Roberts
