Guest Blog by DS

Thankfully, people have helped me many times in my life.  When I express my gratitude, I’ve been told to just do something nice for others.  It’s the little things in my life that make a big impact.  Doing something nice for others has been my life’s passion, and I find great joy in “paying it forward”.

A noun is often defined as “a person, place, animal, or thing”.  What strikes me most about a noun is the animal or thing.  My heart holds a special affinity for animals, plants and gardening.  As humans, we have great ability to express ourselves.  The animals and living “things” in our lives try so very hard to express love, but aren’t always noticed.  If we’d pause for a moment, we’d all recognize the appreciation they give.  The feeling is expressed in their eyes, wags, purrs, vibrant colors, strength, abundance, and growth.

We house several chickens and guinea fowl near our home.  Every morning I wake and head out to their coop to clean and feed.  As I pick up each egg, I thank them aloud.  As I recognize the lack of bugs and ticks, I thank them aloud.  As I pick the garden vegetables, I thank them aloud.  Most of all, I thank them aloud for the joy they bring.  It truly brings me joy to have them in my life.

Paying it forward doesn’t just mean doing an action, it also means recognizing others who do great things.  This fall, a car broke down at the end of our driveway.  It was a woman who needed to reach school to pick up a child.  Before I was able to reach her, a passer-by stopped to offer help.  It was a beautiful exchange, and I was able to share their story with a local news reporter!  Although I wasn’t there in time to help myself, I was able to recognize it and share a “feel good” story.

Whenever I see someone picking up trash, holding a door open, or cleaning a public place we all frequent, I thank them.  It’s not hard to do, and you will truly feel happy inside. – DS