I recently stumbled upon an old fashioned sort of stress-reliever: kindness through giving. It started out as one of those chores we put off for years - cleaning out my bedroom closet. The reasons to put it off seemed to far outweigh my reasons to just do it.
1. I don't have time to tackle such a big job.
2. Once I start, I'll have to either finish the job or step over a massive pile of old clothes for weeks (or months) to come.
3. If this new-found self-discipline sticks, I'll lose enough weight to fit back into that.
4. That embroidered vest holds such loving memories for me, I can't bear to part with it!
Eventually, I realized that I only had to deal with one section of the closet at a time, that even if I could wear those outfits again, they were no longer my style, and that it was time for me to either pass that vest along or have it framed, I slid open the door and dug in.
Once those realities had sunk in, it took an amazingly short time to fill up two large trash bags with skirts, jackets, blouses and shoes for the clothing donations box a couple of miles away.
I drove down the street and pulled over beside the yellow, house-shaped container, and with a fine sense of accomplishment, I deposited first one plastic bag then the other. (Although I very nearly dove in after them to reclaim that vest!)
By the way, the vest was a lush dark green lined cotton with swirls of white and rust colored ribbon embroidery on the front~
But somehow, on the short drive home, my thoughts shifted from my loss of the vest to hoping that whoever wears it next will feel just as grand and self-confident as I had and create her own glowing memories. And I smiled right down through my heart!
It's a fact that kindness given stirs our body's production of seratonin (the calming hormone) and oxytocin (the snuggle hormone), but little did I realize how powerful it could be against long-term stress.
When you do decide to bite the bullet and tidy up your closet, think of it as a giving opportunity rather than a chore - it's a definite feel-good!
Happy giving ~
Lin
Monday, September 27, 2010
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