PURE GRATITUDE

Hi everyone.

A quick blog that I just had to post as today I have witnessed the purest of gratitude.

Picture the scene.  Busy Leeds City Centre just short of 3 weeks before Christmas.  Lots of fun and frivolity and shopping.

We had gone in as a family for the kids to choose their Christmas presents.  I witnessed a number of spats in shops with kids wanting more than they could have.  We had just enjoyed a pub lunch as a family and were all warm and filled up with good food and drink.

We walked back into the City Centre to carry on our shopping and there, sitting on the floor amongst a sea of designer shopping bags was a homeless man.

We swiftly diverted away from him.  I’ve done this a lot in the past to avoid the embarrassment of refusing to give any spare change.  This time it was different.  We diverted into a nearby Tesco and bought a food deal.  Sandwich, crisps and a drink.

My 20 year old student son even dipped into his own precious funds to buy an extra tub of crisps.

We walked out as a family and crouched down to hand over the goods.  The look on that man’s face will stay with me forever.  I have never seen so much gratitude.  When he looked up at the direction of the voice and offerings – I realised he was blind.  We gave him some human physical contact and shook his hand.  What a beautiful firm hand shake.

In that moment, something that has been stirring in me for a long time just shifted so hugely it was almost overwhelming.

What are we doing!!!!!!???!!!

How can it be in this world that another human being should have to live like this alongside designer handbags and Jimmy Choos.

We are human beings.  We are here to express humanity towards one another and live in harmony.

This is not going to happen through government and politics.  This is going to happen through people helping out their fellow citizens.

I recently ran a Conscious Cafe with my awesome business partners.  The humanity in that room was palpable.  The passion in that room was palpable and the desire to take action was palpable.

We do not have to make some grand sweeping gesture to help others.  We can all contribute to humanity in the way that feels right for us.  If every person helped another person every day – can you imagine what a wonderful society we would live in.

We came home to a warm house to put our Christmas decorations up with our beloved family.  I wonder what that man is doing tonight?

It’s down to us folks.  What difference do you want to make in someone’s life today?

Vivienne