COVID-19 has taken over so much of our thinking and way of life these days. We are trying hard to make the best of this situation and take each day as it comes. Helping ourselves and those in our household is our number one priority. However, helping others outside of our household is also something we should consider if possible. It does not have to be a major form of help, but rather something simple that can brighten someone's day.
An example of how someone made me smile:
A few days ago, we had an extremely long and exhausting day in our family. Between work and schooling, we had a bunch of live meetings happening simultaneously. It was quite tricky to juggle my live meetings, while at the same time assisting my children with their lessons and any technical difficulties they had. After everything was over, I took a nap to try to get some energy for the rest of the day. I woke up to a text from a friend saying they left something on my doorstep. I went outside and found this plant:
This is such a simple gesture, yet, it made the rest of my day so much more bearable. Now, I am not saying everyone should go out buying plants and placing them outside of people's homes. If this is possible, then by all means, go ahead and do it. However, here are other ideas that are more practical:
- Send a personal note via snail mail or text it to someone
- If you have kids, have them make a drawing for their grandparents, aunts, uncles, or cousins and mail it to them or take a pic and text it to them.
- Make a recording of how important someone is to you and send it to them.
- If your parent's are still alive, call them and tell them how much you appreciate them.
- Check in with your best friend and let them know you're thinking about them
- If possible, drop off some groceries for elderly or high risk neighbors (be sure to take necessary safety steps)
- Send an Amazon gift card to an essential worker, teacher, or a friend in need. I am hoping to do this soon for all my kid's teachers. It might be something small, but I am hoping it will brighten their day.
- Mow your neighbor's lawn or water their plants.
- Think outside of the box and challenge yourself to make someone smile. Then let us know below what you did.
Your action will not only make someone else feel better, but it will also make you feel better as well. Also, if you have children, you are setting an example for them and showing them how to care for others.