Inspiration - Christmas Spirit

Good deeds for Christmas

I'm not a better person than anyone else.  I'm not a worse person than anyone else either.  I'm a blood donor, I'm a world parent, I'm a member of the WWF, I'm a member of Animals' rights,  I sort my waste, I once purchased emissions, I round off to support children's cancer etc, etc.  So I do my share, I believe, I try to be a good person in general.  I do this because I want to, it's my personal conviction.

Yesterday I saw him again - the homeless guy who sells the magazine "Faktum" at the local store.  He's been there for years, selling "Faktum", not bothering anyone, doing his job in a humble way.  I've bought the magazine a couple of times, but to tell you the truth, I don't really fancy it.  Last time I saw him, like last week, I felt bad leaving the store without having bought the magazine, as the homeless people are people I really feel I want to help.  So last night I passed him when I was going shopping, thinking "how do I get out of this one?".  These days you hardly ever carry any cash, so I decided to cash some winnings from the lottery.  I just didn't have the heart to leave the store passing him once more and not give him anything.  So on my way out of the store I heard him say "Please... help".  Sounds more desperate than it was, he just wanted to sell a magazine and get paid for it, he's not a beggar.  So I turned to him and looked at the card he had on his jacket:  "I take credit cards".  I love it!! Now nobody can say "I don't have cash" and keep walking.  I couldn't help laughing, telling him that was a smart move.  But I now had gotten myself some cash, so I turned to him and said:  "I tell you what - I don't read your magazine, I'll simply give you money of the same amount.  Then you can sell another magazine".  He was happy with that, and very grateful for my contribution.  And I got a heartwarming feeling of having done good.

I didn't do this for myself, I did it for a homeless guy who just needs a little help from us who have more than he does.  The best advice anyone can ever give to anyone else is treating others as you would like others to treat you.  The Golden Rule...  I can't say I live by this rule all the time, but it sure helps me in my everyday life.  If it had been me selling that magazine in a place where people have the reputation of being better off than the most, what would that do to me?  These people are brave, it takes a lot of guts.  I'm not sure I'd be up for it...

So Merry Christmas to all people who are not as fortunate...  I hope my gift made a difference...  You are heroes!