Wilmington, NC
Pay It Forward It has taken me a long; no wait an excruciatingly loooong time to decide what the topic of my next article would be. At first, I began to write about how climbing a mountain with a pack on one’s back is much like carrying one’s burdens, indiscretions, anxieties, fears, basically one’s baggage, through life. It weighs us down. Then, I switched to writing about my reflections on my first year as a full time, traveling yoga instructor. I trashed that topic as well. Now, I have finally settled on this article’s topic – paying it forward. We are all familiar with this term in some fashion. The simple idea of doing good works for others to repay the good that has happened to you is expounded upon in numerous works of literature. In fact, there is even a Pay It Forward Foundation. Now, don’t expect that if you complete random acts of kindness then somehow it will be returned to you; that would be selfish. Instead, think of paying it forward as your Dharma; simply put your righteous duty. If this sounds somewhat altruistic than so be it. Why not do things to or for others that naturally are good-hearted. What you choose to do does not have to be huge (though in our Western way of thinking we tend to think big). Others do not expect you to pay it forward to such an extent that you will be the lead story on the 6:00 news. Instead begin small. Here is a suggestion how we can reflect on our days with positive insight and pay forward our good fortune to our community. Whether you choose to complete this daily, weekly, monthly or whenever is up to you. This is merely a suggestion. After reflecting on your day(s) and how blessed you are for the people and things in your life place an amount of money in a jar; let’s call it the Blessing Jar. As the days, weeks, and even months pass you will notice a large sum of money has accumulated in your Blessing Jar. You could use the money to purchase something nice for yourself however, in order to pay your blessing forward think about using this money to bring joy to another. You can donate the money to a local charity. You can use the money to purchase items for a school. You may even use the money to support a cause. You may deposit the money in a loved one’s account. Whatever your decision use the money for a righteous purpose. I know we all want to pay it forward in some sense and it is easy to understand how daily burdens can draw us away from doing so. However, if we practice random acts of kindness on a daily basis it will be habit. Just think how infectious this can become and the possibilities for ourselves in the future. NAMASTE
(Salvatore Giglio - www.sagefinearttaos.com)
