DSTSS - how can i help

73. Make service an integral part of your life

today i was contacted by a friend in brisbane who wanted to see if i'd be interested in reaching out to someone who had just moved to melbourne and didn't know anyone.....sound familiar? well yes, cause that was me some months back.  but since then i have slowly started to build a circle of friends, got involved with things that interest me and continue to step outside my comfort zone in order to expand my world.  sometimes it's still not easy, but i'm not a quitter.

the underlying story of chapter 73 is about kindness and generosity and doing simple things that may make a difference to someone else's moment, day or life. for example, i often see women in the train subway struggling up the stairs with a stroller and rather than rush past, i stop and offer my help, while other's rush past. i'm not saying that you have to be on the lookout all the time to do great things all day, but just seeing an opportunity to be kind is enough.

everytime i go to lord of the fries for a big parma, i smile and laugh and talk to the people who work there and i get rewarded with free chips and even the offer to have stuff bought back from an upcoming trip to india...  but i'm not wanting the chips, or the trinkets, or rewards....it's about knowing that my soul feels better having done or said something kind that may make a difference to someone else.. i don't want anything in return, it just feels nice to connect genuinely with others.

so back to the newbie in melbourne - well yes, i have their number and yes i am going to call and say hello and welcome to melbourne....would you like to meet for a coffee or a drink. it's for no other reason then knowing that a few months back, i was that person, who felt like a ship floating adrift in the vast ocean, hoping that i'd see land soon while still trying to work out which direction i was going in. and yes, land did come with some chance meetings where i was hugged, offered suggestions of things to try, invited to things and it made such a difference and i'd like to give that back cause feeling solid ground under your feet is nice when you need it.

note to self: i remind myself everyday to feel what it might be like to walk in another person's shoes (if they are size 10, wedges with sparkles then i'd be all over it), but to stop and actually think about how you can make a difference isn't really hard, it's just about making a choice and i always choose to be kind.