Falling Stars

It is interesting to me that service just for the sake of being kind is a rare concept nowadays. We have what I like to call "Free Bread Day" at work. Free Bread Day is a day during the week where a man gets all of the bread from a local grocery store that is still good but cannot be sold and brings it to my office for the tenants that live in the housing complex where I work at. A young woman came into the office today asking about the bread that was on the table just outside and we told her that it was free and she asked why. We explained there was a man who brought the bread everyday and again she questioned why. He doesn't get paid yet he does this every week, just as a man before him did. If he cannot come his wife brings the bread. When she realized that this was a regular occurrence and that bread was brought just because of a kind man a broad smile appeared on her face and she commented on how wonderful it was.

Service for the sake of service, just to be kind and to show love to others. I want my family and friends to be able to experience this through me, and not to question the motives of kindness. As Disney sponsors "Give a Day. Get a Disney Day." I feel even more strongly about this. In some small way I feel like it's not the same service as it would otherwise be. It feels like people are just getting paid to do service which, to me, seems almost like it is not quite service any longer.

Don't get me wrong, I think this exchange is doing and is going to do some great things for the communities in which we live. I do not think Disney should cease their sponsorship of this program. However, I feel sad about the state of the nation when people as a whole need such large motivation to give back just one day to their community. I am not saying that they people who are participating in this program are wrong in doing so or that many are not already people who give back so much to their communities just because they love those around them. I myself would consider participating in this program for its benefits. I am simply saying that I want to show those around me that people that I can be one of those that gives back, or even just gives, because I care and expect nothing in return.

In order to demonstrate that I value service just to serve I in need to be the kind of person who gives expecting nothing. It is a lot to ask of a person, to give and expect nothing. Expecting nothing is more than just not wanting anything in return, it is not expecting someone else to be nice just because you were. It is not expecting someone to change, to stop being mean to you or cruel to others because were kind to them. In my mind, expecting nothing involves hoping that your influence will make a difference in the lives of others but not regretting the service rendered if others do not recognize that difference or change because of that difference. (I would just like to point out the importance of hope. Hope is SO important and it keeps us going when people don't change or we cannot see the difference we have made.)

I believe that sometimes it is ok to perform a function and expect a certain result. For example, a person goes to work expecting that they will receive compensation. I create a monthly newsletter at work expecting people to read and remember the information found within. Companies send invoices to their customers expecting those bills will be paid. I simply want people around me to live in a world where the type of service which I have spoken of is not a rarity and is not a surprise. I want it to be something that they know is real and not just a figment of an idealist mind. I guess I have a lot of changing to do. I am done waiting on the world to change.