[2021-04-01] Good karma

Despite feeling off physically, I had a productive day.

For the first time in months, I got up early enough to accompany my son on his morning walk. I was awake earlier than usual and thought I'd walk with a buddy rather than going solo.

I picked up a few more items for a couple of little gifts of sunshine—a concept I've wanted to try since a friend told me about it a few months ago. As I explained in Spread a little sunshine,

A box of sunshine is a thoughtful care package that typically includes only gifts that are yellow. And, it's perfect for lots of occasions! A little themed box works like magic for cheering up low spirits and for sending well wishes to the sick. It's a happy surprise when sent for a birthday or even just because.

I opted for buckets over boxes as the former were easy to find, given that we're so close to Easter. I put together one gift for my sister and one for my mom. While I might have made many more, as I always have so many people to thank, I wanted to start small for my first attempt.

My buckets of sunshine included the following:
  • Homemade Lemon Loaf
  • Potted daisies in yellow, white and purple
  • Yellow gladiolus bulbs
  • A garden rock with yellow butterfly and orange flower
  • A sunflower decoration to welcome visitors to the garden
  • Yellow heart-shaped sticky notes
  • Lemon-flavoured sparkling water
  • A fresh lemon
  • A card with a sunflower on it in a yellow envelope
  • Yellow ribbon bow
  • An insert with the words "Sending you a little bucket of sunshine to brighten your day, the way you brighten mine"
I was so excited by how the gifts turned out that I couldn't wait to deliver a little bucket of sunshine to my sister. Her reaction was just as I expected: surprise and joy. All that yellow was overwhelming, in the best sense of that word.

While my husband and I were dropping off my gift, a box of love was being delivered to our door. We returned home to find that a bouquet of flowers and a basket of chocolates, taffy, biscuits, crackers and cookies had arrived, courtesy of Chris' brother and sister-in-law.

How thoughtful and loving. It made me think: "Good karma."

I believe in karma. When we put kindness out into the world, it comes back to us—sometimes from the same person, oftentimes from someone else.

And even if that kindness is not returned in an obvious way, giving creates its own reward. It enriches the giver. As Dawna Markova wrote in Random Acts of Kindness, quoting her grandmother:

"When you give from your heart, it's not so you get anything back. There is no owing or owed. You just give because you want to give. When you give like this, it fills you up. Your heart can never run out. The more you give from there, the fuller you will be."

Giving has one other benefit: it helps me to stay focused on the beauty of today rather than the worries of tomorrow. Doing something kind for someone else heals me.

This evening, my mom called after opening her bucket of sunshine, delivered by my brother. Surprises always make my mother laugh. She said, "Did you know that I love yellow?" I didn't know that, but now I do.