If the last couple of months have taught us anything, it’s that the large part of the world can come together in support of one another. We have been willing to give up parts of our lives in order to help protect our loved ones and people who we don’t know. As I scroll through Facebook, I have seen creative ways in which family members have gathered together to celebrate or visit their friends and family members. Ways such as birthday parades and window visits have become popular.
People mailing birthday cards to kids that they normally would not have to help make their birthdays special. I have heard of people giving elderly neighbours a red, yellow and green piece of paper to place in their window so that when they need help with something, they can get it without much risk of being exposed to a virus that could be very dangerous to them.
May 16th was “National Do Something Good for Your Neighbour Day”. Learning about neighbours is something that I teach my first-grade students. At the start, when I ask them who is their neighbour, I typically get the person(s) who live beside them assuming that they know who they are. But then we get to talking about it more. A neighbour can be defined as:
- A person who lives near another
- A person or thing that is nearby another (such as at your work or school)
- One’s fellow human being
According to this definition, everyone who is around us is considered to be our neigbour, and this weekend I challenge you to do something good for someone who lives around you or that you know. There are a lot of ways that you can accomplish this:
- Smile and say “hi” as you walk past one another
- Hold open a door
- Give an honest compliment
- Thank someone who has helped you or that you appreciate, maybe send them a handmade card
- Be a good listener when you ask how someone is and respond appropriately
- Offer to help someone with their yard work now that the weather is getting nicer out
- Treat someone with a cup of coffee or tea and a yummy goodie that you either made or bought special for them
- Let someone “butt” in front of you in a line
- Send someone flowers, or pick the prettiest ones out of your garden, for no reason other than to brighten their day
Look for the little ways to bring a smile to someone today.