Make Yourself Happy

I want to share something that makes me happy.

This country has been torn apart by the antics of the current Republican administration. I have written about my dismay and anger resulting from what has gone on, and still is going on, in the U.S. 

But today I want to write a positive blog post. I'm going to write about something that made me happy, that made me feel good.

It's a long story, but a 7' tall artificial Christmas tree, along with two storage containers of ornaments, recently was returned to me. I didn't want it, as I know I will never put such a big tree up again. So I wanted to find it a new home, with the minimum amount of work on my part.

I know a local therapist who works at a shelter for victims of domestic abuse. I had previously donated a sleeper sofa to the shelter, so I reached out to her to see whether the shelter might want the tree. As it happens, she was just leaving to visit the shelter, so she checked with staff when she arrived. YES! They wanted the tree. That was great news. I also included more than eight strands of colored lights and two large boxes of ornaments.

When I talked to the guy who was going to pick everything up, I asked whether the shelter would like my 55" Sony rear projection television. It works great, but I had bought a larger set with a brighter screen last year. YES! They would like to have the television as well. And by the way, I asked, could they use a couple of women's jackets? One is a down jacket, the other a dressy wool coat. YES! They would like the coats as well. I also had a large bag of colored pencils that I donated.

After the fellow left with all the donations in his truck, I was so happy to have a) found a home where these items I no longer wanted would help others and b) cleared out my garage.

When online friends congratulated me for my good deed, I realized that while these donations helped others, they also helped me. Donating to the shelter allowed me in some small way to fight back against the hatred and the negativity that are consuming our nation. I'm sure many of the women in this shelter had to flee their homes with little but the clothes on their backs. I hope their kids will enjoy using the colored pencils to color and draw. 

We all need to practice small acts of kindness to peacefully protest the anger and hatred in our country. It can be something as simple as donating a few cans of food to a food drive, delivering dog or cat food or old towels to an animal shelter, or donating some time to a local charity you support. 

It wasn't the thanks from friends and acquaintances that made me happy. It was simply the feeling of doing something for others with no expectation of anything in return. It doesn't take a lot to make a big difference. And it benefits the giver as well as the recipient.