Be The Change + Pay It Forward

So, earlier in my blogging days I wrote about a famous quote by Gandhi that reads something like "Be the change you wish to see in this world." I think about this often, and try to come up with ways that I can be the change. The problem I run into each time is that I want to see too much change, so I need to ask myself what is it that I really want to see happen in this world? I suppose that answer is different every minute of every day, but I believe that the most glaring thing in this world that really needs to change (and I think that we can almost all agree on this) is the lack of kindness and caring in our society. Each day I am disgusted by somebody's selfishness or negativity and I often think that the only thing I can do about it is to say "whatever" and try to move on. However, after doing a little bit of online research tonight, I've come to realize that I can be doing so much more!

By typing in "be the change" into the Google search, I came across a website that has some wonderful and very simple ideas on how to be the change and pay it forward in your everyday life. Below I will paste a few of my favorite ideas from the site, but I encourage all of my followers and even those who may just be stumbling upon my blog to check out the site for yourself. It's very inspiring and encouraging to know that not everyone in the world is evil and that maybe we can someday get back to a "Leave it to Beaver" society again where we actually talk to our neighbors and care about how other people feel and maybe even know each others names again.

"Be the change"...
~Order some "Smile Cards" and start the fun - This is a game of pay-it-forward: anonymously make someone smile, leave behind a card asking them to keep the ripple going. It's easy and fun. Is kindness truly contagious? There's only one way to find out ...

~Crafts of Kindness - Ask a creative crafter to help you with acts of kindness. Knit a hat for a homeless person this winter. Crochet a table cloth for a family that just moved into the neighborhood. Hand-craft some jewelry for women at a battered women's shelter. Bake cookies to celebrate someone's achievement. Create a photo frame of your best friend's pet and leave it outside his/her door with a smile card. Give scrap booking lessons and materials for underprivileged children.

~Healing Kindness - Express kindness to those who are healing. Leave a stuffed animal for a child in a hospital. Plant a tree to commemorate someone coming out of a long illness. Run a race to help fund research for a fatal disease. Tag a cancer patient with a book about a heroic recovery. Volunteer at a hospice for the terminally ill. Listen to a friend who is going through a tough time.

~Honor Your Heroes - Honor your heroes with kindness. Dedicate a small act of kindness to your hero by writing them a letter about your experience. Find your favorite elementary school teacher and send him/her some 'thank-you' flowers anonymously. Get a 'just because' gift for your dad even when it isn't Father's Day. Tell the story of your hero to a young child. At your next family gathering, have everyone share each other's heroes. In honor of your pet, volunteer at a local animal shelter.

~Five Bucks And Under - What can you do with five bucks to make someone's day? Tape the exact change for a soda to a vending machine or a payphone. Pay the toll for the person behind you. Leave flowers in front of someone's house. Bake cookies for your neighbors. Put quarters in the laundry machine for the next person. Send cards with beautiful messages to anonymous people. Leave chocolate on the desk of your co-workers. Treat someone to a cup of their favorite coffee.

~Tag the Ones Closest - Do something kind for those closest to you. Give your housemate a hug in the morning, for no reason. Help your mother, brother, father, or sister with something that they would not expect you to do. Leave a flower in your brother or sister's room. Spend some time with your grandparents. Make breakfast for your partner. Call your parents just to say 'Hello'.

~Public Transportation - Before you get off the bus or train, leave an inspiring book on a seat with a Smile Card. Give a flower to the bus driver or anyone else that looks like they can use it. Leave a nice CD with a smile card. Offer gum or candy to the person sitting next to you. Give your seat to the elderly or mothers with children if it's crowded. Help people find their way if they look lost. Write a card with a beautiful quote or a blessing and leave it on your seat for someone to find.

~Give of Yourself - Prepare a nutritious sack lunch for a homeless person and hand it to him/her saying "have a great day". Shovel snow for someone. Mow the yard of an elderly or ill neighbor. Run or walk a race, or walk for the cure to help fund research for an incurable disease. If you see someone having a bad day, stop to listen to them, hand them a flower, anything to make a difference in their day. Babysit for free for a mom who needs a day to herself. Offer to drive elderly or disabled people to appointments or the grocery store. Crochet or knit baby hats and blankets to donate to a local hospital nursery. Leave your newspaper behind for the next person to read. Teach your children or grandchildren the act of giving.

Some of these ideas are repetitive, but to me, they all brought tears to my eyes because they are such simple ideas that I should have thought of a long time ago. I know I'm not perfect though, and never will be, but at least I'm trying and maybe someday, I will be that change that I want to see. I hope I can encourage others to do the same. Please check out this site, there are many more ideas and inspirations to help you pay it forward in your every day life.

Humanity

The definition of Humanity is;
1. all human beings collectively; the human race; humankind.
2. the quality or condition of being human; human nature.
3. the quality of being humane; kindness; benevolence.
Typically, I like to live in a bubble, thinking and hoping that most people in the world are kind and caring, and worth the air we breathe. When I opened the mail after getting home today, my bubble was quickly popped and I was sadly reminded of the horrors of humanity, and the evil that we have in this world.

I'm not sure why, or how our family came to deserve so much affliction over the years, but for some reason we have been chosen. As if our current legal battle isn't absurd enough, now I am being sued personally for a fender bender I was in over 2 years ago! For the LOVE of Humanity! What is wrong with people in this world? Thank goodness that I have insurance, and they will be taking care of this, but still, do I really need this extra stress in my life? Just in case you hadn't guessed, the answer to that question is NO!

This comes at a time when our family is in the middle of brainstorming about what we can do to help the needy for Christmas, even though we really can't afford it, and on the same day that the shipment of Pay It Forward bracelets that I had requested from the Pay It Forward Foundation came in the mail! Can you believe the irony of that? Our family is trying to do good for the world, and our community, and SMACK, I get served with a lawsuit, by...now this is the good part, someone from OUR COMMUNITY. She lives in the same town, a mere few miles away! That right there makes me feel like throwing my hands up in the air and saying forget it! Forget about helping people, I'm the one that needs help and the people in this world and this community aren't worth it anymore! Our family wanted to hold a Christmas dinner for the not so fortunate in our area this year, but what if she showed up! She's probably the type that would try to get something for free even though she doesn't deserve it. It is just so disgusting how one person can ruin things for everyone.

I don't even know what to say to all of this other than that Humanity, and humans are just simply amazing. What type of person can do something like this without thinking twice? How was that person raised and what has happened to them to make them so mean and terrible? I just don't get it. On the bright side however, I think that someone paid our garbage bill for us this month so that's encouraging. Perhaps there are still a few nice people out there. Even though I'm not in the giving spirit anymore, I went ahead and put one of the Pay It Forward bracelets on to try to remind myself of the good, rather than wasting my brainpower on the bad. I guess I better get busy paying it forward some more though before I get served with another insane lawsuit.