Arms lent

One of the best compliments that one can ever receive is to be sincerely thanked for being generous. At work, in brief or constant interactions, living in the embrace of family and friends, and fortunate exposures, people have constantly defined this word for me. On a daily basis, we are either witnesses or fortunate recipients of acts of generosity. While one may think that these would always be associated with money, almost always, they aren’t. Furthermore, these are best appreciated if one is deliberate in being more attuned and sensitive to lessons that can be learned from any situation viewed as routine, ordinary, or expected from a role that a person has to play.

The preface read as follows, “To those with needs physical, financial, emotional and spiritual and to those who help meet them.” It came from a book published in 2002, ”The Generosity Factor,” written by Ken Blanchard and co-authored by S. Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A, who also served as the inspiration. As I read through the yellowed pages, I began to reflect on just how much I have contributed to meeting those needs, and whether I have ever shared enough. What is a true measure of a person’s generosity? Are we all capable of being a cheerful giver?

This question brought back memories of a Sunday afternoon spent appreciating the beauty of human interactions. In simple terms, I spent the day people-watching. During my nearly 2.2-kilometer walk, I observed acts of kindness and generosity, which were made more meaningful by my decision to be present at the moment.

She was focused and intent on running as fast as she could. She was clad in a pink outfit, must have been around three years old and had no one with her. That got me a little worried as there was a real possibility that she might have slipped away. From behind, l I heard someone say, “Go on baby, I got you.“ It was her dad cheering her on and letting her know that he was very much around.

The family had come prepared. They were appropriately dressed, had brought chairs and tables, and from the looks of it, had enough food for everyone, including their two adorable corgis, whose personalized bowls were neatly placed in the corner. The younger members were gathered around the dirty ice cream cart eagerly awaiting their turn for a cold treat. The vendor was trying his best to keep up, obviously fatigued from being under the heat of the sun. Judging from the wide smile on his face, he was happy not only from the substantial sales, but I would like to think, from seeing the joy on the children’s faces. I wondered if the little ones would eventually realize at one point in their future lives, what the elders were trying to teach by example. One child was visibly upset when told that they were about to leave soon. His mother tenderly wrapped his arms around him and assured him that there was still time left before they would.

As I walked another 200 meters, I saw a grandfather patiently teaching his grandson how to properly hold a badminton racket. Being of advanced age, it must not have been easy to bend at the waist to be within comfortable reach.

On that day, I came home refreshed and it wasn’t just from the benefits of physical exercise.

In the middle of last week, we piloted and crafted a shortened module on motivational interviewing for barangay health workers to improve conversations to address problems of vaccine hesitancy. At the end of the workshop, several of them rushed forward to express their gratitude that they were amongst the chosen few. Turning to them, we replied that it was actually us who should be grateful for the services that they have unselfishly rendered through the years.

She is the proud owner of a small company that managed to sail through the pandemic. In one of the more recent conversations we had, she told me about the challenge posed by God, specifically on how to give until it hurts. Though close to impossible, she held the business together to ensure that no one was laid off and there would be no cut in wages. In the months that followed, by accident, she learned that her employees were doing their share to make things easier for those who were lesser in rank. They had purchased grocery baskets by pooling funds from their own resources.

In the stories shared, hopefully, you may have identified what we are all capable of giving. The key figure in the book summed it up perfectly. ”Time. Talent. Treasure. Touch.” He went on to say, “Nothing more than these four … there are so many ways to give them.”