December 17, 2023

“Somehow, not only for Christmas but all the long year through, the joy you give to others is the joy that comes back to you.” – John Greenleaf Whittier, Poet

My heart is filled with comfort and joy as I write this final blog of 2023.  In the eight years we have been doing the Pay It Forward Challenge, I have consistently been amazed at the outpouring of lovely stories from my clients and readers about creative and generous deeds they have done for others during this season, which we know can be both joyous and challenging. You may never know just how much a simple smile, kind word or little random act of kindness you do for someone will mean to them.

The Pay It Forward Challenge, where I ask my readers to do at least one random act of kindness for someone during the Holiday Season as a way of demonstrating our gratitude for our own blessings, has taken on special meaning for me this year. I notice little acts of kindness every day by people all around me, in the grocery store, my neighborhood and Starbucks – everywhere I go. I decided to start the PIF Challenge eight years ago, when my grumpy day was completely transformed by a stranger in line ahead of me at Starbucks paying for my drink. See what his one little act of kindness has done for all of us?

The last blog detailed some recent acts of gratitude-in-action by my clients and readers.  As we wrap up the 2023 Pay It Forward Challenge with this blog, I wanted to share one more round of inspiring stories of generosity and kindness. Remember, it is not too late for you to create your own random act of kindness (or a second or third)!

Here are a few recent favorites:

  • A client bought several $10 gift cards to various stores and gave them to the checkers at her local grocery store, whom she has gotten to know since she moved to a new part of the country last summer. They were all surprised and touched that a customer would go out of her way to show appreciation for their hard work.
  • A reader ordered an artificial Xmas tree on Amazon, but when it arrived, she just didn’t feel like decorating a tree this year. So, she gave it to a delighted neighbor.
  • One of my Women’s Manifesting Mastermind members hosted a craft activity for the residents at her mother-in-law’s senior apartment complex. She said she’s done different craft activities each of the prior three years and the residents always enjoy them. This year, they are making Christmas cards.
  • One of my clients gave his last $1 bill to his co-worker who unexpectedly had to take the bus to work and didn’t have enough change for a ticket home. Now, he makes sure to keep a few $1 bills in his wallet in case someone needs it again.
  • My friend is a manager for a company that provides medical and personal assistance to help their clients continue to live independently at home. The administrators were originally planning to host a Holiday party for the staff and clients, but when they realized a number of their clients just weren’t physically able to travel, the staff decided to take Christmas to their clients instead. Over the past several weeks, the caregivers have hand delivered goody baskets to all of their clients at their homes.
  • You will recall in the last blog, I prayed for a “Christmas Miracle” for Lupin, one of the dogs I walk daily for The Little Red Dog rescue organization. I wanted him to have a Home for the Holidays inside a real family home, instead of the garage he was housed in for the last year.  Lupin hasn’t yet found his “forever family,” but a week ago, a generous foster family took him into their home, and he is doubtless ecstatic over the new level of attention, play and extra exercise they are providing for him. Now, Lupin has “paid it forward” in his own way: Because his leaving created some extra time for me, I decided to take on walking a pair of little pups, Chihuahua-mixes named Max and Ollie.  They are being fostered together by a kind older gentleman whose physical limitations prevent him from walking them.  I alternate days with another volunteer so Max and Ollie are now getting walks five days a week. They are super excited every time we go out, and their foster dad says they have been much calmer inside the house since our walks began.

I also found two heartwarming stories in the news that I wanted to share with you:

Ken Hudson Campbell, who played Santa in the classic Christmas movie Home Alone, recently underwent a 10-hour procedure to remove a cancerous tumor in his mouth and rebuild a portion of his jaw. Because he had been ill and out of work for some time, Ken lost his insurance through SAG-AFTRA. So, his family launched a GoFundMe campaign to pay for his cancer surgery.  Famous pals like Steve Carell, Jeff Garlin, Tim Meadows and lots of regular folks contributed and sent heartfelt messages of support. His daughter Michaela reports that Ken is doing well and that all the cancer was removed so he will not need chemotherapy.

She said her father has been “overwhelmed” by the response that has surpassed the goal of raising $100,000. “The first day we posted it, every time he read something, he would just burst into tears,” she said. “It was the first time he really got emotional about the whole situation. It was kind of a shock to him to feel so loved….It really means the world.  My family’s been struggling for a long time financially. So just having my dad’s friends come together, this is just very overwhelming and it really takes a lot of stress off of my family’s shoulders.”

Night janitor Ian Greenarch found a letter in the trash in a fifth-grade classroom written by student Daniel Gambrill, who has been struggling a lot with being bullied. Daniel wrote the letter to his class, in which he was open and vulnerable about what he’s been going through. Ultimately, though, he chose to throw the letter away. When janitor Ian read the letter that was lying open on the top of the trash and caught his eye, he decided to write the boy a letter back.

Ian wrote to Daniel, “I want you to know that I am thinking about you, buddy. Feeling alone is a very scary thing to deal with, and it’s something I’ve dealt with, bud….I know most have trouble feeling like they don’t fit in with other classmates, but in all honesty, being yourself and being kind to others in any situation you’ll experience will take you very far!” He also left Daniel some cash to “treat yourself. Be happy, you deserve it.”

When Daniel shared the letter with his mom, he had tears of joy in his eyes and his mom cried too. Since then, Daniel’s whole family have met Ian and plan to have him over to their home for Christmas dinner. Together, they have started a Facebook group for others to share kind words with those who feel bullied or excluded. “I’m so humbled to see what just one act can do for a boy, a community – it was really special,” Ian said.

If you love reading stories of life-changing kindness as much as I do, a great book that will inspire you is HumanKind: Changing the World One Small Act At a Time by Brad Aronson.  During his wife Mia’s grueling multi-year battle with leukemia (which was ultimately successful), their family were met with an outpouring of kindness from friends and strangers that inspired Brad so much, he began writing about those people and collecting more and more stories about other acts of kindness that transformed a life.

Gabrielle Bernstein’s testimonial about his book sums up for me what our annual Pay It Forward Challenge is all about: “I believe we’re all connected, and our purpose here on Earth is to help one another. In HumanKind, Brad Aronson shows us how to do this. The stories he shares will inspire you and, thanks to his practical tips, you’ll feel empowered to act on that feeling and put kindness into action every day, in ways big and small.”

Well, that wraps up another wonderful Season of Pay It Forward Challenge inspiration!  I hope you will make it a practice year-round, not just during the Holidays.

PLEASE NOTE: The blog is taking the rest of the year off to enjoy the Holidays. In the New Year, we will lay the groundwork for what needs to be emotionally and mentally prepared in order to create an even happier and more successful 2024.  Look for your next Cup of Caroll on Sunday January 7.  My heartfelt wishes go out to you and your loved ones for peace, health and prosperity now and in the New Year! 

*************** Give Yourself the Gift of Dreams Fulfilled! ******************

To schedule a no-obligation, F*R*E*E* HOUR of Success Breakthrough Coaching by phone that will help clarify your 2024 Big Goals and get you into ACTION to make them a reality, please email me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com.