'Tis always the season

It doesn't take an expensive gift or a big, intricately planned gesture to make someone's day. It is the small moments and tiniest deeds that make all of the difference in the world.

One day I was trudging through the emotions of work, overwhelmed by the personal issues I was dealing with at home. We all know that feeling; being exhausted and depressed, wanting nothing more than to go back home and crawl into bed. As I went into my office, a coworker followed me in.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You've been quieter the past few days, what's going on?"

It seems so small, but it was huge to me. In a time where I felt invisible, it took just a second for someone to remind me that I wasn't. This type of generosity didn't cost a dime, just a few seconds of someone's time. Generosity like this is the most important kind of generosity in the world, the kind we need more of.

It takes just a second to check on someone, to tell them you're thinking about them, or even just say hello.

A few years ago I was sitting in my car in a line of traffic at a red light, I was the third car back from the front. When the light turned green, the car in front didn't go - it just sat there until the light changed to yellow then red.

Nobody honked, we just sat and waited. Again the light turned green, and again the car didn't move. The man in the car in front of me got out of his vehicle.

"Oh boy," I thought. But he did something I didn't expect. He went up to the window of the car who was holding up the line, she explained that it was her daughter's car and she wasn't used to driving a stick shift. The man gave her the best advice he could, and stood there while the light turned green.

He continued to give her directions through her open window and she was finally able to get through the intersection. The line of cars (now several deep) waved and smiled at her, the man returned to his vehicle and went about his day.

The easy thing to do would have been to honk and shout at the lady, the easiest thing to do would have been to ignore the situation completely or even drive around her. The generous thing to do was to take a minute of time to help, and someone did just that. It didn't cost him anything, but it made the world of a difference to someone.

Witnessing all of this generosity must have rubbed off on me. I was in line at the grocery store, getting a few last-minute items we needed for dinner. I'll admit, I was impatient and a bit cranky (cold weather has that effect on me). The man in front of me had his card decline, he retried and again it declined.

"Oh, let me run out to my car and see if I have some change in there," he said, clearly embarrassed by the situation.

I stood there for a moment, and looked at his items: milk, bread, bologna, and diapers. I wanted to make an impact, the same way my coworker did for me. The same way the man did for the woman in the stick shift. I walked up to the keypad and inserted my debit card.

The cashier said nothing, he put the in the man's bag. He run up my couple of items next and I paid for them just in time. I started walking away as the man returned.

I could hear the cashier say "Some guy paid for your stuff," as I was leaving. Which was exactly what I wanted. "Some guy" knows that feeling, has been there before, and doesn't want you to feel that way.

People like to say the phrase 'tis the season around holiday time. I do love the generous atmosphere that comes near the end of the year, but I also lament the fact that 'tis not always the season... all year long. It takes just a minute of your time, just a quick smile or "hello", or just a few extra dollars to change somebody's day or life forever. 'Tis always the season.