(For)giving Tuesday
As we approach the holiday season, we are all facing the reality that our celebrations will be different. A year that has been like no other now presents us with holidays like no other. And it feels stressful, sad, and even unkind. As we assess the requisite adjustments, perhaps these final weeks of 2020 — simpler and quieter than years past — can be a time for reflection and forgiveness. Forgiving ourselves for being annoyed or downright mad that the holidays will be atypical. Forgiving the circumstances that have brought us here. Forgiving people who disappointed or hurt us the most. For in the act of forgiving, we open up a space for healing and compassion.
This year, Giving Tuesday falls on December 1. Created in 2012 as a counterpoint to the hyper commercialism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday is based on a simple premise: “a day that encourages people to do good.” Now some might argue that Giving Tuesday has spun into its own avalanche of hype, but here’s my point. Encouraging people to do good is admirable. Alright, I can hear you saying we really shouldn’t need a day to remind people of it, but let’s stay with the idea. As much as all nonprofits need financial contributions (particularly in these trying times as we work to support those most in need), this year, working from that premise of Giving Tuesday as a day for doing good, then the response needn’t be only in dollars. It can be a day of finding the compassion that allows us to see, hear, and understand one another. Then acting on it.
So, in preparation for Giving Tuesday, I am proposing “(For)giving Tuesday” or any day you choose; it is in the act of forgiving that we set up the conditions for giving. (Yes, I like that word play.) When we are kind and compassionate to ourselves, we can be kinder and more compassionate to others. And isn’t that a nice way to go into the holiday season?
“Forgiveness is not forgetting or walking away from accountability or condoning a hurtful act; it is the process of taking back and healing our lives so we can truly live.” Brené Brown in Rising Strong.
To do good, it helps to look beyond our current situation and consider how we might be of service. At Soul Seeds, we’re in the process of building partnerships with organizations in our area that work with women veterans and women who have formerly been incarcerated. Both groups give their participants tools to help with their well-being and enrich their outlook for the future. Stay tuned for more details as our partnerships progress.
The beautiful act of self-healing through forgiveness and compassion is a gift you can give yourself this season. And it is a gift you will give to others when you share yourself. As His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama said, “The planet does not need more successful people. The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers and lovers of all kinds.” What will you bring to the planet? Compassion for yourself and others is splendid place to start.
Melanie Davis-Jones (she/her/hers)
Executive Director
In Case You Missed It:
How Do We Open Our Hearts in Heart Closing Times? | Blog by Nancy Rebecca
Resources:
November is National Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, “a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people,” National Congress of American Indians.
Ho’oponopono Meditation: an ancient Hawaiian practice of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Stress, Depression and the Holidays: Tips for Coping.
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