Generosity

I've known some very generous people in my life.  People who've been generous with money, yes.  But also people who have been generous with time, skills, love, affection, kind words, praise, encouragement, smiles and laughter.

I'm sure you've met them too.  They are the people who give and give and seem to get such pleasure out of the act of generosity.  They are the ones that, every time you see them, they greet you with a hug or a compliment (or both!).

And generosity seems to just be in their nature!  They seem to do it without thought or concern about how it might affect them.

I love to be around those kind of people!  They make me feel awesome, and they make me want to be better than I am.

I've done a little bragging about my Big Fella.  And I'll do it again (after all, I'm married to the man and I think he's awesome!).  He is very generous!

He's generous with his money.  Not only giving people money, but also in buying things for them (particularly at restaurants with good food and wine - he'll often try to pay the whole bill).

He's generous with his time and skills.  He'll happily give up a day to help a mate build a shed, or fix their car or do whatever handy work needs doing.

He's generous with his praise.  He tells people when he thinks they're great - without going over the top or "blowing smoke up their... ".

My parents hardly had any money when I was growing up but that didn't stop them being generous.  We almost always had people living with us, or staying for a few days or weeks.  And mum would somehow pull food out of the cupboards to feed all the people that would turn up and hang out for the afternoon/evening every Sunday.

I have a new friend on the Fit Yummy Mummy forums who is constantly encouraging others to keep at their weight loss goals, and pointing out where they're winning.

I have a friend who, despite her personal pain and problems, is constantly looking for ways to encourage and help others who have major life issues.

And here's the thing I've noticed: what goes around, comes around!  Call it what you like - karma, sowing and reaping, maybe even fate - but I see it when I look at the lives of these generous people.

They offer their time, goods, love, and encouragement.  And they get it back when they need it.

None of these people are generous because they want to get something from others.  From my observations, they give because they enjoy the ability to give.  Nevertheless, they receive back when they're in need.

And when these people are having a hard time, people seem to jump at the chance to help them!  I've watched the givers being completely overwhelmed by receiving.

And I've watched people who lack generosity.  They are stingy with their money, stingy with their time, stingy with their skills, stingy with encouragement.  In some cases they've even taken from those who have nothing left to give.

And I've seen some of these people fall on bad times.  Then the people around them point to karma or say they got what they deserved.  I've even seen people snicker behind their hands at the downfall of these ones.

It makes me want to give as much as I can, in as many different ways as I can, and find as much joy as I can in the giving.  Not to get anything in return, or even simply from the fear of being the butt of a bad joke, but because I love being around generous people and seeing how happy the act of generosity makes them.  I want me some more of that, please!