Hello fellow bloggers, readers and passers-by,
Been a while, to say the least, but you should always know, I'm out and about, scouring the town, the countryside, the school, the market... just about any particular place I can to find a great subject in which to voice my opinion about - be it a welcome topic, a debate, or just a little rant to pass the time. Today's post comes from the heart. One that I know doubt could do better at, but an act so bright, I had to wear shades.
A.R.K. - act of random kindness -- this goes without saying, but for those slow on the up-take, I'll say it anyway. If the world as a whole would do one random act of kindness, we could be such an awesome world. Granted, I do not know of any other worlds with 'people' of our kind, but nevertheless, how great would that be... But one act doesn't seem to go very far and there are far too many people taking 'advantage' of those acts. So I came up (and I'll tell you how in a minute) L.I.G.H.T... Simply put - "Life Is Generosity, Honesty, and Trust". Let me break it down for you.
Life is... Generosity - Taking a moment to tell someone something, do something for someone, being a generous person without expecting anything in return. Being thoughtful of others situation and showing compassion where it is due.
Life is... Honesty - Couldn't we all use a little bit more of this in our lives.
Life is... Trust - If we knew people were honest, couldn't we trust them more? Wouldn't we want to trust them more? I know my life would be a lot less irritating if I could trust people more.
But, LaVonda... How did you ever come up with this?
I'll tell you.
At a local grocery store the other day, I was in the process of filling my WIC voucher. If you have now or have ever been on the WIC program, you are very much aware of how each store has different brands and how only certain brands/varieties to chose from or that are allowed for purchase. Knowing this, the health department created a pamphlet containing a list of all the approved food items -- and they are suppose to distribute said pamphlet whenever a person is certified for the program. However, they tend to keep them locked up tighter than Fort Knox.
Well, I have 5 children and pretty much a veteran of the program, so I'm familiar with the items allowed, however, while in the grocery store the other day, I seen a young lady, who couldn't have been more than 15 or 16 years old, belly starting to look like she had ingested a small ball -- yep, she was pregnant. She was with who I assume to be her grandmother. They were standing in the cereal aisle, as was I. The look on her face was that of fear to say the least. Not because Tony the Tiger was staring at her, but because she looked lost.
Standing there for a moment, I began to wonder just how hard life had been for me when I was pregnant with my first child at 18. I also recall how nervous I was to even be seen in public for a while because of the looks people would give me. But eventually, I got over it.. I'm thick skinned like that and truth be told, I don't care what people think about me - ye that is without sin... and so on.
Well, as I stood there debating on whether to get hot cereal, cold cereal or go out on a limb and get both, I also began to wonder how I would have felt if someone had been kind to me in my time of fear and despair. Glancing back at her casually, I noticed she was trying to see the WIC labels on the shelves that directed the consumer to the approved items as though she had not ever seen them before. Then it occurred to me, perhaps she has never been in this situation before, or ever received WIC before -- heaven help her if she has been pregnant before. She looked so young.
That is when a light bulb came on. Not an epiphany - but just a big ol' smack of reality -- I'll be a light. Not a religious fanatic who preaches about spreading a light and what not - that only works if you are dealing with someone who is lost. I'm talking about MY LIGHT - LIFE IS...
How could I stand there, holding a pamphlet that lists everything she is looking for while I just shop away, possibly capable of reciting the pamphlet by memory alone. Walking up to her and her grandmother, I said hello. I did not go into the 'you're so young, have you thought of adoption" speech that I had heard religiously for nearly my entire pregnancy in 1998. I simply said, "I've already got my stuff and this pamphlet will help you figure out what you can get. You can have it if you'd like."
The look on this girls face was something electric. She seemed like a huge burden had been lifted just by taking the paper from my hands. She thanked me (repeatedly) and said she was so worried about getting the wrong stuff. I told her it was my pleasure and not to worry if she does get it wrong, the register will let the cashier know and they can fix it.
I may not have been the light that I wanted to be, and I may not have really done anything huge in someone elses eyes, but... I helped someone, I was honest, and trusting and generous... and in MY eyes... that is LIFE!
Until tomorrow,
~L
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