“Mary, you are
going to see things that you have never seen before,” my blonde-haired friend
with hazel eyes who I nickname “The golden-haired girl with a heart of gold”
warned me solemnly. She was referring
to “The Midnight Run.” “The Midnight Run”
is a collective and purposeful event and experience of individuals gathering
together to prepare necessary food, toiletry supplies, and clothing to then
give to the homeless at different stops in Manhattan. Many of my friends have already gone on at
least one “Midnight Run.” My
golden-haired girl with a heart of gold friend had gone to many because, as she
said, “It makes me feel good to give.” Yes, I thought, it
makes me feel good to give, too. I also
wanted to add here: “Because people have given me so much.”
My life was and
still is incredibly blessed with family and friends who were so generous and
giving to me. More often than not, I
spend a lot of my alone time reflecting on my life and how the ultimate form of
generosity and selflessness occurred when two of my organ donor families chose
to give their loved ones kidneys when tragedy had struck them to the core. My thoughts revolve around what my family and
friends had to see when I was sick and thought that the suffering and pain was
endless. I think about this larger than
life need I have to give to them and to give forward but, most of all, to account
for whatever I do or say to whom. When I think about my life and all the generosity from others (and complete strangers, mind you!) that have enveloped me, I cannot fathom or understand how others cannot feel a sense of responsibility and can hurt others? In these
last few years and outside of my dearest family members and friends, my
life’s journey has crossed with remarkable individuals—mostly in the
transplant community that have enhanced my life and gratitude to give
forward, but also in supposedly “ordinary” individuals who have played
extraordinary parts. I believe life is a combination of personal and
purposeful choices tied tightly with fate and destiny to make the
meaningful and purposeful life. I believe we are all connected in some
way or somehow. My paths crossing with so many special people have made
me have a great and deep sense of responsibility to the world I live
in, and that nothing that happens and no one that comes into your life
or leaves your life is an accident or coincidence. That night of my
first experience of “Midnight Run,” the New York City lights illuminated the
magic of the typical Manhattan mayhem with the contrast of people sleeping in
the streets or people literally hungry for the homemade chicken soup that was
brewed by a volunteer. I saw the depths
of desperation, sadness, and hopelessness mixed with a fighting spirit in their
eyes. I metaphorically felt the heavy
weight of this world and how we are embedded and engulfed with personal battles
that we somehow become desensitized and impersonal to the person. A lot of people do
not think about or take accountability for their actions. Many are quick to pass judgment on and
responsibility to others. The immediate
reaction is to defend and/or blame. We
lose sight of the bigger picture and the greater world we live in and our
responsibilities to strangers and friends because we get so wrapped up in our
daily lives. All this world needs and
all people need are simple and sincere gestures that can make the most
significant impact. I have found that
what occurs in the time spent with someone matters more than the actual ticking
time itself. I have found that a hug, a
smile, holding someone’s hand, or just chatting with them means more than an outer
presence with inner absence. When it
comes to someone, anyone, or everyone, it is all about commonalities to form
genuine connections. The weight of this
world is becoming heavier and heavier when we unintentionally hurt others with
words and actions that hold no responsibility. The weight of this world is crushing and
pulverizing when people view themselves only and have a lack of regard and care
for others. Perhaps the weight of this world could lighten
if we all got out from ourselves to reach outside together to care for each other and for others. Many of my family
members and friends tell me that I need to slow down and lessen my load of
involvement with the various transplant, Asian, and arthritis organizations,
but I continue to do all this to lessen the heavy load and burden that the
weight of the world feels and experiences.
I am one person, but I could never and have never done this all
alone.
Do you feel the
heavy weight of the world weighing on you to the point that you want to do something
about? How amazing that you alone or
that me alone have that chance to lighten the weight of our world if we could have eyes, arms, and heart wide open to others. Do you ever feel a great
sense of responsibility to this world that you live in to complete strangers
that could someday be your friend? What will you do
today and going forward to lessen the heavy burden and weight of this
world? Keep smilin’, Mary
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