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Give an Anonymous Gift
There is inside of us all the desire to be recognized and appreciated. We are our own worst enemies, taking simple “flaws” and exaggerating them in our minds until they become the defining features in our lives. We will do nice things, hold doors open, say ‘thank you’ and ‘please’, let a car in front of us, or give up that last slice of pizza, but do we do those things because it is nice, or are we looking for a little something in return, even a thank you or a smile. Does that make it a selfish act?
I don’t think that it does. Yes, it does bother me a bit when I hold the door open for a stranger and they do not even say thank you, but if I was doing it for a selfish reason, always looking for the thank you, I wouldn’t be doing it at all. Just because the possibility of a reward exists, you do not do something for that reason. If I find a wallet, I do not return it in the hopes for a cash reward, but I do it because it is the right thing to do.
The reward that you can receive from doing something anonymous, however, is like the first sip of an fine wine or the feeling you get having dirt flying in your face as you slide headfirst into home. When was the last time you did something anonymous for someone? Leaving flowers on a doorstep, or movie tickets under a windshield wiper?
The strength of an anonymous deed for the person receiving does not come from the gift itself, but rather the feeling of knowing that they have touched the lives of so many people, that someone has gone out of their way to do something nice. It becomes a reflection of the type of person you are and the power that you have to touch lives.
So I’m going to do my part, do something annonymous. I encourage everyone to do the same as well. And when you have, don’t share it with anyone, let it be your secret, your moment of happiness, your own little gift to yourself.