Simple Generosity

I think most of us enjoy being generous.  Here are a few simple ways to engage in generosity that don't entail a lot of time or money but can make a big difference.

Listening
Being generous with your attention starts starts with silence.  Curtail the impulse to jump in with something to say.  Offer your attention with your silence.  Give someone the gift of having a chance to speak his mind, to think aloud, to be noticed. 

Supportiveness
Tell someone, even if you don't know her that well, a good quality you've noticed in her.  Explain to someone why you believe in her.  Be someone's "first follower."  Add your open-hearted energy to someone else's blossoming project.  Be willing to say "good job" whenever it applies.

Appreciation
Say thank you regularly.  Thank the people who teach the classes you take, provide services, and affect you throughout your day. 

Smile
Share your smile with abandon.  Smile in the grocery, store, and bank.  Smile walking down the street.  Smile at home.  Smile when you greet someone.

Non-judgment
Realize you don't know where a person come froms until you've walked a mile in his shoes (if that!).  Follow the biblical advice to let the person without sin cast the first stone.  Accept others for who they are.  Accept situations for what they are.  Accept yourself exactly as you are.  Accept until your heart grows a size bigger.

Appologize
Don't wait for another person to appologize.  She may never appologize.  Offer your expression of regret and caring for someone's feelings.  Forgive. 

Generosity is an act of opening your heart and allowing what's inside to seep out and allowing what's on the outside to come in.  In fact, it's about not making a distinction between "inside" and "outside" and considering it all the same.  It can have a material component, but ultimately, generosity arises from our hearts, our minds, and ultimately our souls--not our pockets.