Go-Givers

Welcome to Springtime.  After a busy week mostly spent getting to and returning from Atlanta, I regrouped a bit on Friday, then spent as much time as I could cleaning the yard up yesterday.  The front lawn received its first mowing of the year.  Thankfully the good folks at Wright Brothers Power got my leaf blower back into form (the coil was shot), so I could clear all the tree seeds, twigs and branches that last week’s storms deposited over everything.  I’ve never asked them whether they are related to the Wright Brothers of Dayton, Ohio…I’ll try to remember to check into this the next time I’m over on Church Street.

One of my friends used a term this week that has stuck with me:  Go-Givers.  They are like go-getters, but are more other-centered.  They think more about how they can be helpful to others.  There is a book titled The Go-Giver.  I haven’t read it, and can’t vouch for it.  But I find the term evocative.  Pro-actively helping others without a quid pro quo mindset is a good way to roll, in my opinion. 

It brings to mind the notion of karma.  In Indian and Buddhist traditions, karma refers to the principle of cause and effect - where both intent and actions influence the future.   When it comes to karma, it’s not enough to do a good deed - the intent behind the action matters, too.

One needn’t have a specific outcome in mind when doing something nice or helpful for others.  We’re wired for reciprocity.  If someone does a good turn for me, I’ll look for a way to do the same - for the person who was kind to me, or sometimes just for anyone.  The lesson of doing kindnesses is that it is more than enough to pay it forward to anyone, even strangers.  

A quote attributed to the American spiritual teacher, guru of modern yoga, psychologist and writer Ram Dass:  “We are all just walking each other home.”  I’m not sure I’ve seen a more succinct way of saying how I aspire to behave.  The universe is estimated to be about 13.7 billion years old.  The 90 to 100 years we all aspire to live are a blink of an eye when compared to this timescale.  We might as well be fruit flies.  Our time here is so brief.  Why not be kind, generous and helpful?

It’s interesting to observe how money and status can affect behavior.  We’ve all heard the term “F-You Money.”  If you won the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot yesterday, how much would your behavior change?  Let’s assume that you could keep the windfall a secret.  No one is treating you differently.  How differently would you behave?  It’s an interesting thought experiment.

Compared to just two generations ago, I feel pretty close to being a Powerball winner.  My circumstances are quite different from those of my grandparents.  And I think Lori and I may have boosted our children into a slightly higher orbit.  That’s what humanity does - we all stand on the hard fought-lessons and accumulated blessings of those who came before us.

Sunday Supper
I made a bunch of this Chaat-Spiced Chex Mix for my friends this week, using 2 TBSP each of all three versions of Maanis Spice Blends.  It's super-easy and much more vibrant than the traditional Chex mix recipe.  With the weather warming up, I think we should light the grill and enjoy some Mediterranean food.  This Shish Tawook recipe is fantastic, as are these Kefta Kabobs.  Pairing these proteins with some Tabbouleh salad (I substitute quinoa for the bulgur wheat, for my Gluten Free Goddess (TM)) is a great idea.  And if the grill is lit, I gotta make some Baba Ganouj.  Make some, or all of these for a great Sunday feast.

Sunday Music
This Sunday my mind goes to Tom Waits. I consider him to be one of America’s greatest songwriters - right up there with Randy Newman, George Gershwin and Aaron Copland.  His deep, gravelly voice can sometimes overpower the beautiful melodies that underpin his music, so here I offer three different female artists covering Waits tunes:  Rachael Price (lead singer of Lake Street Dive), performing Take It With Me with Chris Thile on mandolin.  Madison Cunningham covering Hold On.  And the lovely Diane Krall performing Jockey Full of Bourbon at the Montreaux Jazz Festival in 2010.  To wrap it up, here is Waits himself debuting the song Take One Last Look, performed live on The Late Show With David Letterman, around the time of Letterman’s retirement.   Enjoy!

If you know anyone who might like this essay, please send it to them. 

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,