Everyday I ask to be of service, to do Love Capers as I am out in the world.
Today I was out and about walking and saw a woman who was throwing up on the sidewalk. My first thought was she was sick from a long night of partying. And I walked on by along with others. And then I stopped. I checked in with my body and got a yes to go over and help. I gently approached this woman and asked if she needed any help. She told me she was pregnant and sick all the time and how hard it was. I didn't even had a tissue to offer her, I just rubbed her back as she talked. Within a few moments her husband returned with tissues. I was able to point them in the direction of a coffee shop so she could get some water. I would hope that were I ever on a street corner and ill, someone would come over and offer help. Some compassion. And then tonight I found myself in my hotel room with a small case of food poisoning and a friend texted me "How can I help you?" And another friend called because she got a hit that I needed something.
And my heart melted.
Because this really is what it is about. Seeing one another. Loving one another. Taking care of one another. Pausing from what is going on in our world to be in someone else's for awhile. From holding the door open at the library for a woman with a stroller and a toddler. To taking the chocolates from my hotel and giving them out to people. To offering a smile and thanks at a sax player in Washington Park. Asking a clerk how she was doing with great sincerity and offering her the space to show up in her truth that she was tired and not feeling great. Thanking the man setting up holiday decorations at my hotel for creating beauty that I get to appreciate every day. Writing a thank you letter to the kitchen crew for a great thanksgiving meal. Posting thank you's on FB pages of businesses that bring me joy. It's these small acts that spread joyful love in the world.
If what we focus on expands, then let's focus on loving each other. On appreciating each other. On seeing each other. On creating more love and communion. Tis the season...