Last weekend we had a blizzard which dumped about 33 inches of snow on us. I remember tweeting that someone needed to come up with an invention that could quickly melt the mountains of snow that we had shoveled from our driveways, decks and sidewalks because even after redistributing it, we still lacked space. It was the biggest snow storm we’d experienced in several years. That morning, my two daughters and I embarked on the shoveling ordeal, and it would be a couple of hours before the driveway regained some semblance of normalcy. Despite our aching arms, legs, and backs, I still had the presence of mind and the willingness to help my neighbors since I had heard several reports on the news of elderly people dying from trying to do it alone. Over the years, my son and I had made it our duty to go over to the home of my 71 year old neighbor, Marlene, to help shovel her driveway. This year was no different, although this time the duty would be assumed by myself and my two daughters. Marlene soon joined us, ignoring our pleas for her to remain indoors. She’s a sharp, chatty lady, so she kept us entertained. As we cleaned our shovels and began moving toward my garage door to retire, I noticed my other neighbor, Lisa, a single mother of two young boys, shoveling alone. Without hesitation I went over to help and noticed my daughters quietly joined me without being asked and without complaining. Lisa appeared truly surprised and totally grateful. In less than an hour, hers was completed too. As we made a move to return indoors, I noticed my other neighbor, Dean, going at it alone, his young wife probably indoors with their new baby. Without thinking, my daughters and I joined him, and began hacking away. What happened next is the essence of this story; Lisa, seeing that we had gone over to help Dean, joined us!! I lack the words to describe the joy that I saw on Dean’s face as we joined him and began shoveling together. He kept mumbling his thanks as we worked strenuously but steadily until his driveway was clean too, this time, in under thirty minutes. These are the values I grew up with, but these are instincts that we all innately possess; this ability to come together as a community and to help one another. This is the essence of humanity; this is the thing that makes us unique and superior to all other species. We must not forget the impact of kindness, and how one act of service can jump-start an avalanche of others. Each of us has the ability to restore faith in our communities, one neighbor at a time, but it starts simply with the willingness to give of ourselves.
Natalie@ Regroup.Refocus.Rebuild
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