If you are reading this on Saturday, October 26, today is Make A Difference Day. Make A Difference Day is a national event, created by USA Weekend Magazine, which is held on the fourth Saturday in October annually. It is a national day of service when neighbors help neighbors do things which need to be done or when people just do good things for other people. Many organizations and civic groups plan projects on large scales, but what can an individual do that will make a difference in the life of someone else? There are many things to do, and they don’t have to be enormous undertakings.
Last Wednesday was Bosses’ Day. Our staff made an extraordinary lunch for us and gave us Gift Cards to Wal-Mart. I love going to Wal-Mart with a gift card. It’s almost like spending Monopoly money on frivolous things, and it’s a lot of fun. It felt really good to be appreciated and made aware that we have made a huge difference in the lives of our staff members as well as those of our patients. The whole experience was humbling, and I am still reveling in it. Make a lunch or some other edible treat for someone you appreciate and let them know how much they mean to you. The gain from this is priceless and both of you will have the “warm fuzzies” from it for a long time.
When I was a little girl my grandparents lived across the street from Norman and Myra Allen in Hardwick. My grandparents’ house had huge pecan trees in the back yard, and I used to love to pick the pecans up off the ground and eat them or throw them at my cousins, depending on my mood at the time. I was a royal pain in the rear end of Mr. Allen, but he loved me anyway. One day I went over to their house, uninvited as usual, to hang around and ask questions about what he was doing. Mr. Allen was a little perturbed at me for showing up unannounced once again. I could tell that he was a little bit put off by me that day, and I wanted to give him a peace offering. I took a brown Piggly Wiggly grocery bag, filled it with pecans, and dropped it off on the carport of my grandparents’ neighbors. Later that day Mr. Allen came to thank me for the pecans and for coming to visit them. (I thought I had really done something great for them until I realized that their back yard had huge pecan trees too!) My gesture still meant something to the sometimes grumpy Mr. Allen, and he never let me see him being perturbed at my showing up unannounced again.
On Father’s Day last year, my neighbor was down from Atlanta enjoying his weekend place at Lake Sinclair and anticipating a visit from his daughter. His daughter didn’t show up. As I was going to deliver some homemade chocolate chip cookies to my grandfather, I made an extra bag to give to my neighbor. When I gave them to him, he didn’t know what to say. I told him that I was glad he was my neighbor and that I hoped he had a happy Father’s Day. Our relationship has been different in a great way since then.
When I lived in Orlando, Florida, I frequently traveled the Bee Line Expressway from Orlando to the beach in Melbourne. The Bee Line was a toll road, and more than once when I went up to the toll booth to pay my toll I was told by the attendant that an anonymous person who had just left the booth paid my toll too. I had no way to thank the people who did this, but was warmed by this random act of kindness, and softened by the gesture. My response was to pay the toll for the person behind me just to keep the momentum up.
If you haven’t done so, rent the movie “Pay It Forward”. There are countless ways in which you can make a difference for someone else. Sometimes the difference you make can be enormous and life-changing. At other times the seemingly small things you do will make a huge heart-warming statement. Occasionally it feels great to do something anonymously and just know that you made a kind gesture to the universe. Be assured that what goes around comes around. When you least expect it, someone will do something that makes a difference for you. If you haven’t made plans to make a difference today, it isn’t too late. Look around. Find something that needs to be done or someone who needs to be touched. Reach out, and treat your spirit well.