Givers are impressive
Last night, I scrolled through a post of a woman who found a dog in the woods with eleven newborn puppies
They were sitting in a mud puddle in the cold rain.She took the mother and her babies to her home. How giving! What a saint! Then, she received tons of replies offering her a plethora of services. I thought it was wonderful. I wished I was more giving myself.
“A giving spirit,” my sister calls it. Some are tuned in to knowing how to meet the needs of others. They see it, cover it, and make the world a better place
.Others, like me, are happy to give what they can or when they can, but don’t have time, can’t figure out how to make the time, don’t have the resources, don’t see the need, or don’t really want to give. I’ve been all these, but I see the benefit in being more of a giver.
Givers are happier, and who doesn’t want to be happy? So, I dug further — I found that givers have some common characteristics that may be doable for you and me. I thought of particular people I know, and what I’ve listed seems to be what they do or who they are.
We don’t have to be sweet Grandmas in a warm kitchen baking sweet bread or making nutritious homemade dog food for the saint lady in the post. However, we do have to prepare a bit.
Here’s my list of giver commonalities:
- Givers know who is in need. SO, prepare to give — choose a target.
It takes preparation for a non-giver (like me). Who are you going to give to? Your mom? Your club? A church? An organization? A neighbor? Although there are spontaneous givers who give like they breathe, many take the time to focus on a give-target.
If we don’t prepare, it won’t happen.
2. Givers have the gifts ready. So, prepare to give, choose the means.
Time counts. Giving our time to be present for someone else is a valuable gift, and the receiver is typically grateful for it. Other than time, the actual gift does not have to be extravagant, and here’s what I’ve seen in my own neighborhood: flowers, home-grown vegetables, a gallon of laundry detergent left at the doorstep, yummy food, help with yardwork.
Then, there’s always the gift of money, a dinner, or whatever is applicable.
3. Givers give on a dime. So, be equipped and ready for surprise moments to give.
Online giving is easy and fast. The surprising, spur-of-the-moments typically call for either money or time. Here’s some ideas to prepare you for these spontaneous gifts: ask the cashier for a few one-, five- or ten-dollar bills — you’re ready when the moment comes; or, grab a couple of gift cards at grocery-store checkout. The act of giving can become part of your life. Now, we’re prepared.
3. Givers give as part of their lifestyle. So. make giving a consistency in your life.
Consistency, for me, actually means scheduling. As tacky as it sounds, it’s the only way I will set aside anything — money or gifts — for others. I’m so pathetic at giving, I literally schedule it on my calendar. I have a calendar book where I make a weekly to-do list, and one item is to give. “Mom — flowers,” “Ladies Group — $5,” “Cashier — candy bar.” Tacky, I know, I know, but considering I give to make myself feel better (pathetic, yes), the whole thing is a win-win.
To explain the cashier gift, I sometimes ask the cashier, “Help me choose, what’s your favorite candy bar?” They choose, and I buy it for them. I give them the receipt so they won’t be suspected of stealing it. They always love that. Me, too.
I think there’s a strength gained for a community that gives. A unity is revived. But I can’t do it easily, or even well, or even at all sometimes. I can’t just be a giver any more than I can tell my teenage students to be kind. If it’s not in them, it’s not in them. I must prepare with intention.
I hope you’re inspired. Please connect with me here. I’d consider it a gift.
