What has generosity taught you?

This one requires you to have a writing utensil, get one; I'll wait.....

Documenting our learning is a good thing. The process of putting pen to paper increases the chances of the information sticking longer. Taking a moment to consider all that a topic has taught, gives us the opportunity to poke around in the corners of our experiences and recognize how this influences our thinking and feelings.

Write down five things generosity has taught you? Since we are living life together, I will go first, and this will give you time to get a pen I mentioned above. 

- Empathy: This virtue allows me to try to see the world from another perspective and in some small way, enter it.
- Gratitude: My generosity has cultivated an appreciation for what I have and when I have experienced the generous acts of others the gratitude is further magnified.
- Humility: I have been on the receiving end of much generosity and each time I am reminded that I can't accomplish this life on my own.
- Boldness: I have become more willing to talk about my struggles and needs. Friends have responded with various kinds of generosity; taking the time to call to make a referral or help move a household. If I don't let anyone know I need help, then I don't get it until it has become an emergency or not at all. Additionally, I rob them of an opportunity to help and they later ask "why didn't your ask?" 
- Love: My wife has generously put up with my shenanigans for a long time and graciously continues to love me in spite of my weaknesses.

Now it is your turn. Don't cheat and just scroll away. You have made it this far, so you may as well get the benefit of the exercise. It will be worth the effort, I promise.

Going Further: What opportunity has generosity provided? What generosity lessons have you learned at home, school, work and play? What learning has been a surprise? What other question about generosity must be asked?

YouTube Link: What has generosity taught you?

How are you generous to your teachers?

Darrell Brooks sang, with his red guitar, tucked in the corner of the sandwich shop during the lunchtime rush. The steady flow of lunch customers bustled past him in their return to the office. Every once in a while, a dollar or two would drop into his tip bowl. Darrell continued to sing a string of great covers, regardless of what fell in the bowl.

I usually seek to negotiate the best price that I can for my latest purchase. I ask for the greatest discount or scouring the web for a coupon code to knock the price lower and may have even burned a CD or two over the years. Amanda Palmer's book, The Art of Asking, challenged me regarding compensating artists for delivery of their daring work.

As I watched Mr. Brooks and heard him sing, I learned something from across the room. Truly appreciating the artist, drove my desire to compensate Mr. Brooks in exchange for his creative efforts. This singer, with the red guitar, delivered the beauty of a well-covered song to a lunchtime crowd and taught me a lesson that was long overdue. The artist earns the generosity of fans by shipping creative work.

With extreme gratitude, I emptied the contents of my pockets for the schooling. $13.65 for a life lesson is an excellent deal. Ms. Palmer prepared me to hear the lesson and today; Mr. Brooks was my soulful teacher.

We have arrived at today through the tireless efforts of a host of others that have taught us about life. Some teachers were good and others poor, but lessons were learned either way. Taking the opportunity to extend generosity to those that initiated the virtue, can take many forms and is well worth the effort. These teachers are not expecting you, and your news is the best kind of surprise.

Thank-you Mr. Brooks.

Going Further: How have you been generous to those that have invested in you? Who is still waiting? What has been the outcome of expressing generous gratitude previously? What other questions come to mind regarding your teachers?