Design Crafters

By now, you’ve likely heard the expression “pay it forward.”  If not, in a nutshell, it takes the idea of “paying someone back” (that is, someone who has done you a favor) and gives it a litle twist.  Why not instead return the favor by helping someone completely new? A random act of kindness if you will.   You can agree that everyone has different talents.  You don’t have to be a scientist finding a cure for cancer or a politician making dramatic country-wide social changes to make a difference in today’s world.  But it is possible for one person to make a dramatic and significant difference in other peoples’ lives.  Think of how amazing that is, for one single person to improve the lives of hundreds and thousands of other people, often people that original person might not even know personally.

At first thought, you might be momentarily stumped as to how one person could make a big difference with a simple pay it back approach, but surely we all know some heartwarming stories of people doing good for others.  For example, it might not seem like a big monumental effort to donate a used but in good condition winter coat to a church’s clothing drive, but think of all those needy folks who would’ve otherwise spent the winter without a warm coat…they surely see that little clothing drive as having made a big difference.  Other examples of seemingly small efforts making a big difference for others would include tutoring students of all ages, coaching a pee-wee sports team for kids, organizing a giant Christmas card mailing effort to ensure that hundreds of soldiers stationed overseas get holiday greetings from back home, taking old towels down to the animal shelter, or donating old computer equipment to a local school.

Remember all this the next time you think to yourself, oh sending this Christmas card to a perfect stranger or giving an old couch to a battered women’s shelter won’t make that much of a difference in the grand scheme of things, think again.  It really will make a big difference to someone.  You might not be aware of it immediately, or at all, but the odds are good that someone somewhere will feel the positive effects of your good deeds.  And that’s the embodiment of love for our neighbor, and it’s very powerful and positive stuff in everyones’ lives.