I had reason recently to contemplate generosity. While we often think about generosity in gift giving, or tipping, there are many other ways to show generosity. Generosity in spirit or word isn’t spoken about much, but is so important in our interactions.
Giving abundantly invites us to draw deeply upon knowing that our lives are plentiful. Within each of us, there is an unlimited supply of love and compassion. It is from this abundant heart space that generosity flows from.
Consider this story told by Thich Nhat Hahn:
There is a kind of vegetable in Vietnam called he (pronounced “hey”). It belongs to the onion family and looks like a scallion, and it is very good in soup. The more you cut the he plants at the base, the more they grow. If you don’t cut them they won’t grow very much. But if you cut them often, right at the base of the stalk, they grow bigger and bigger. This is also true of the practice of generosity. If you give and continue to give, you become richer and richer all the time, richer in terms of happiness and well-being. This may seem strange but it is always true.
Your thoughts? How do you experience generosity?
Barbara
Organizations by Design
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