Fresh Lines

Growth is looking both inward and outward. There are many ways we can give.

What Can I Give Today

When I awake my first thought is,
"What can I give today?"

No matter how small.
No matter what way.
Whether Time; Effort;
Impart Knowledge;
Warm a heart; Just be there.

I make a quiet offering
before the day begins asking.

I can give a person a lift to the corner of the street,
I can lift their mood,
or lift the weight off their chest so they can breathe.

I can open a door with the turn of my hand,
or help someone to open a future.

I can give someone a hand lifting a load,
or give them a hand so they don’t fall alone.

I can move a person’s furniture to a new room,
or move their heart toward hope again.

I can back a person’s car into a tight space,
or back their truth when the room turns cold.

I can feed a person when they’re hungry,
or feed their courage with one honest sentence.

I can stand beside someone in line,
or stand up for them when they’re not there.

I can give a person knowledge of a skill,
of a lesson learned in life,
or a “how to” to show others the way.

I can show up at a person’s door,
or show up again and again until they believe it matters.

I can give a text to someone I haven’t checked on in a while.
Or give time to sit with someone who’s lonely.

Or give as simple as a smile to someone in public.
or a sincere sentence: “You matter.”

All these are meaningful,
and many other ways;
Physical and Support.
Both important to give.

What I give today gives to both others and me.
It does not travel only outward,
it returns, quietly,
to the place in me that forgets it is part of another.

When I give, my heart remembers it’s not alone.
It widens my world beyond the small room of “me.”