This was not how I expected 2020 to go...
December 2019 – Brother died.
January 2020 : Went to Jamaica for my brother's funeral.
February: Global pandemic and lockdown.
March, April and beyond ??????
I hope you and your loved ones are well and safe.
I've been lying low so far in 2020 as it's been self-reflection, griefing and healing time.
Now, however, I felt called to write this blog …
I woke up with a jolt to the word 'generosity'. I looked at the clock – 2.45am. I felt a little startled and I was breathing fast. It was taking me a while to get back to sleep as my mind was busy with thoughts about being generous and giving...so I grabbed a pencil and wrote this. It's like a stream of consciousness. This I show the mind works. Right?
Those at the front line of Coronavirus are generous to the point of sacrificing their lives and I can only bow down to such courage.
I watched the News for about ten minutes yesterday and one of the story lines was about care home workers leaving their families to stay in the care home during the crisis so that they wouldn't carry the virus into the care home and endanger the high risk elderly residents who they described as their second family. I was moved by their generosity and kind-heartedness.
The phone rang as I was about to leave home and food shop for three separate households. When I answered the call, my nephew who was on the phone asked me to buy extra tinned and packaged food to give to the Food Bank. How thoughtful and generous, I mused.
After queuing to get into the supermarket and almost two hours shopping for food, I paid. On the way out of the shop, I walked pass the huge 'food bank' container and only then did I remember about buying extra tinned and packaged food. There was no way I was going around the supermarket again so I rummaged through the shopping bags and deposited several tinned, bottled and packaged items into the box. As I was doing this another shopper placed a package of nappies in the box. It caught my attention because it had just not occurred to me that there were mothers who needed nappies for their baby and can't afford to buy them. So, that's something useful to give.
“Giving material goods is one form of generosity, but one can extend an attitude of generosity into all one's behavior. Being kind, attentive, and honest in dealing with others, offering praise where it is due, giving comfort and advice where they are needed, and simply sharing one's time with someone - all these are forms of generosity, and they do not require any particular level of material wealth.” Dalai Lama
I watched a documentary a while ago about families in the UK who when children are on school holidays struggle to provide them with nutritious meals. School dinners are actually an essential meal for these children. Most children in the UK have been off school for several weeks and this documentary kept coming into my mind. What could I do? So, I decided to contribute by giving 10% of the money from my online yoga classes to charity. I made the first contribution a couple of days ago through B1G1 a social enterprise and non-profit organization with a mission to create a world full of giving.
As the Dalai Lama said, we can all find ways BIG or small to give especially in the current situation. Mother Teresa put it nicely: “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.”
We can be generous by:
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Keeping to the social distancing rules.
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Being self-reflective and caring for ourselves – eat nutritiously, getting enough sleep, exercising at home, looking after our mental health by making quiet time, meditating, listening to calming music or whatever activity is soothing to the mind.
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Checking in on people – calling a relative/friend/neighbour who may live alone or connecting virtually, for example.
There are many ways to create acts of generosity. Research shows that giving enhances our wellbeing and boosts our immunity.
“Generosity brings happiness at every stage of its expression. We experience joy in forming the intention to be generous. We experience joy in the actual act of giving something. And we experience joy in remembering the fact that we have given.” Gautama Buddha
I watched a Darshan (occasion of seeing a enlightened/holy person) by Sadhguru last week where he reminded us that most of us use only a fraction of our potential and challenged every one to think of ways in which we can improve ourselves during this crisis. And, if everyone did this, by the end of this global crisis, whenever that will be, we would create a greater, more inclusive humanity.
