Day 349 of #LiveWell2017

What does it mean to give (or lend) a hand? It means to do something to help someone else. Giving a hand can be a small random act, like pushing a car stuck in the snow, or a major act of kindness like volunteering to build a house for Habitat for Humanity. As a gift, giving someone a hand might be a planned act that brings them joy or eases their life in some way. Think about the people you know or interact with every day. Is there someone who might benefit by your lending them a hand?

• Is there someone who is ill and needs help cleaning their house?
• Does someone have a new baby and need help doing laundry?
• Are your parents getting older and need help balancing their checkbook?
• Is there a latchkey kid in your neighborhood that could use a safe place to do their homework after school?
• Does your grandma need a ride to the doctor or the grocery store?

Giving a hand requires being observant as well as generous. Giving a hand means we are mindful enough of what’s going on around us that we see things that need to be done, people that need to be helped, or wrongs that need to be righted.

Giving a hand is a priceless gift from the heart, one that shows we care and that we are willing to act. Be a helper. Give a hand.