O - Opportunities to Serve/Brighten Someone's Day

O - Opportunities to Serve/Brighten Someone's Day

One of the surest ways of finding joy is to get outside yourself and do something to brighten someone's day.  You don't have to do something big and it doesn't have to take a lot of time, but thinking about how you can lighten someone else's load can ease your own burdens.

The year I turned forty was an especially difficult year.  I was in the process of climbing out of my depression pit, but the fact that I was turning forty didn't help.  My poor husband tried hard to do something nice and thoughtful for me to celebrate such a milestone (which I happen to hit before he did and that didn't help either), but his efforts backfired and I didn't respond well. All I could think about was "poor me - I'm an old lady now!"  I dreaded that birthday more than I have ever dreaded anything in my life.  I managed to make it through the day without withering away - barely - and to my amazement the day after my birthday was totally fine.

Since then I have learned that difficult times are made easier when I'm not thinking so much about myself.  This year as I anticipate turning fifty I decided I need prevent a repeat of that disastrous birthday.  For some reason fifty hasn't seemed quite as bad as forty and I'm in a much better place mentally than I was, so the chance of success is increased.  As I thought about what I wanted to do to celebrate my birthday I remembered how a friend of mine last year announced on Facebook that she was going to do an act of service for every year (she was turning 49 so she wanted to do 49 acts of service for her birthday).  What a great example!!  I don't want to copy her exactly, but I want to use the same principle of service.  So, for my big 50 birthday, I'm going to make 50 blankets to donate somewhere.  I haven't figured out exactly who I'm giving them to, but I found a great sale on fleece right after Christmas and I'm going to spend several months cutting and tying blankets.  Instead of dreading my birthday, I'm really excited about it!

I don't tell you this to toot my own horn, or pat myself on the back.  I just wanted to share an example of how thinking about others has helped me face the challenge of getting older.  A more practical example would be when you go to the grocery store smile at someone specific.  A smile doesn't cost any money and is very contagious.  Another example is, the other day I was at Target with my son and he suggested we put a dollar into a piggy bank so when someone buys it they will get a surprise.  I didn't have a dollar with me, but I plan on going back to do that.  I loved the idea! The options are endless! I would love you to share some things you have done to make somebody else's day.

I promise that as you think of ways to make someone smile it will make you smile!!