I hate asking for help.
However, I have frequently found myself in a surgical recovery room depending on those around me for my well-being. I joke that I wouldn’t have survived the Oregon Trail, but the truth is I have had a few strokes of bad luck that put me under the knife.
I found myself back in that position of vulnerability earlier this month for a small procedure.
When you are vulnerable, you tend to learn a few things, particularly when you are used to being a STRONG, INDEPENDENT WOMAN, DAMMIT!
On the second day of my recovery at home, we realized Rosie, my anxiety-ridden chocolate lab, was missing. When did we let her out? Two hours ago? Is she at the back door? No. Is she at the front door? No.
She didn’t respond to any calls in the yard. It was sub-freezing. Dark.
We quickly discovered she wasn’t within earshot, and we live near a busy road. Rosie is easily frightened and particularly scared of fireworks—which I heard in the distance for some unknown reason on the seventh of January.
We gathered flashlights and disbanded to the street. I threw on a coat before my husband gently reminded me that I was feeling adrenaline but needed to stay put. So, I only did what I could: I called/texted neighbors and posted on our neighborhood Facebook group.
To my surprise, my next-door neighbor gathered her children and hopped in her minivan immediately upon my call. She did not hesitate or hope that someone else might do it; she just got up and ran to help.
She called a bit later to tell me that she found Rosie and the darling dog hopped into her car upon hearing her name…feet from the busy road nearby.
Rosie was cold and shaken, but she was home.
Two days later, a person I had never met who was connected to me by a mutual friend delivered a homemade meal to my doorstep. I still have not seen her face.
One day after that, another neighbor dropped cookies on the porch because she thought searching for a dog was stressful and that we needed a pick-me-up.
I have been reading excessively this January as I try to reduce my time doom scrolling on my phone. One of the books I am in the middle of is Theo of Golden by Allen Levi. It is a curious story about an elderly man who moves to a fictional Georgia town and undertakes a campaign of anonymous, radical generosity.
It is interesting timing to be reading this story when I have just encountered people giving above the “expected” — in staunch opposition to the selfish human nature I have grown accustomed to experiencing more often than not.
Lindsay wrote about a similar reflection a couple of months ago when a couple reached out to simply give us the website domain of tealhaus.com because they saw our work and wanted us to have it without any fee.
The power of doing good for no reason is endless. It is a gift that carries boundless potential and impact.
In another book I read, this gift-giving is described as a “symbol of love.” The author says, “When we are the givers, we experience the joy of knowing that we have made another life better or brighter. When we are the recipients, we experience the beauty of knowing that we are not alone or unnoticed as we make our way along the path.”
So, as we move through the dark, cold days of January, I hope that when opportunities present themselves, we seize them to be radically generous to one another.
We show others they are not alone. They are noticed, loved, and worthy.