Doing the Right Stuff

“It’s important to take the time to see what people really need rather than just taking them some brownies.” -  Elayne Pearson

Doing the Right Stuff

Elayne and I were standing near a huge barbeque grill after a long night of cooking and serving food to our neighbors.  We served about 450 hamburgers and hot dogs to hundreds of men, women and children; many of whom were dressed in colorful costumes.

But, one costume was black and exceptionally tall; we estimated that this Grim Reaper was standing about nine feet tall!  It hovered and walked.  It talked and entertained.  The children ran under its tree branch arms as if they were dancing under a deciduous tree in the cool October evening.  And, as our night came to a close we still had not discovered the identity of this disguised character.

As Elayne was talking with me, I thought of how much this unidentified Grim Reaper was the perfect example of what she was describing.  Our annual October Neighborhood Gathering is designed to get all of us together so we can reconnect and look each other in the eyes without the impediments of windows and electronic devices.  It allows us to get to know each other better; to find out what’s happening in the lives of those we share our town with.

Many times we live with and around people for years without really getting to know and understand anything about them.  Their identity remains a mystery.  As we talked about what more we could do strengthen our community Elayne said, “It’s important to take the time to see what people really need rather than just giving them some brownies.”  

There are people living around us who are struggling to care for their children, who are jobless, and have debilitating illness.  If we don’t know who they are and what they’re facing they live alone.  If they live alone then they aren’t living as part of our community.  To make them part of our community we need to embrace them and as we embrace them, something magical happens to all of us.

The magic appears to us in the form of the disappearance of perceived separation between individuals.  It creates compassion; a sense of well being that swells in our hearts.  Heartfelt gratitude then grows, from the fulfilling friendships we enjoy, and we become part of something larger than ourselves.  We become a real community that wants to be more giving, kind and more willing to be forgiving and loving.  When that happens it is much easier to do more of the right stuff.

Doing the right stuff is something each one of us can do.  It doesn’t take a lot of money.  It is simply accomplished by opening our eyes and taking small steps to open our hearts.  Open hearts allow us to work together to solve the pressing problems our friends and communities are facing.  Now is the time for us to mobilize as individuals.  Now is the time to reach out.  None of us need permission to go out and do good; to do the right stuff.  So, let’s go out and give of ourselves today.