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Self-Help, Self-Improvement, Self-Realization, Spirituality, Personal Development, Personal Growth...
Self-Help Articles
Giving Is Itself The Gift
The other day, I went for a walk in my neighborhood on a paved hike-and-bike path that lies within a greenbelt near my home. It was early, probably around 5:30 or so and I could feel the cool, clean crisp air on my face as I walked. Even though this greenbelt is in a neighborhood setting, the forest growth on either side of the path always gives me the sensation I am walking in a deep forest somewhere. This morning was no exception and I continued on in silence.
As I got to the top of a rise, I paused for a moment to take in the view. The trees had thinned and I could see the houses below me stretched out along the valley floor. In the distance I saw the forested hills and the increasing brightness of an approaching sun.
Suddenly, a ray of light broke through the trees and I could see the Sun behind offering its outstretched arms to begin the new day. “Glory!” the Sun seemed to say, “Glory to All! Here is my gift to you! Awake from your sleep and begin this wonderful day!”
The Sun's rapture was contagious and I suddenly became aware of my surroundings. I heard the sounds of several chickadees in a nearby bush as they flittered from branch to branch. I saw a crow making his way across the valley floor in search of a quick bite to eat. I noticed the cool air was moist and I saw that a fine dew covered the grass. And there above me, circling the sky as if to offer his approval to all, a hawk glided silently through the air and surveyed the world below.
In the ancient tradition of India, the new day is said to begin at sunrise. Standing atop that hill and feeling the rapture and glory of the rising Sun, I felt the rightness of that ancient wisdom. The Sun had risen and offered the world his gift of light and warmth so that life may begin anew. And on each and every day, this gift is offered to us all, selflessly and without expectation or judgment. His glory shines on the downtrodden and ne'er-do-well as fully as it does on the righteous.
Where then, does the reward of giving lie? Does it not lie in the very act of giving. Mustn't the reward itself be that very act?
I realized, as I looked about me, that all of nature gives and gives always, without expectation of returned favor and without judging the recipient of its gift. Instead, nature basks in the eternal glory that lies at the heart of giving – love – and that Love is offered to us all.
As I made my way back to my house, I felt a warm connectedness with the world. A few steps ahead, I saw a salamander slowly making his way across the path. “Here, little guy,” I said as I gently picked him up with a leaf, “Let me help you cross.” I laid him near a tree on the other side and I watched him for a moment. “Yes,” I thought to myself as I continued on my way, “Today is going to be a glorious day!”
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