I shovelled my neighbours walk yesterday. Not the older couple to the east whose walk I shovel with joy knowing I’m easing their burden. It was already shoveled by the time I got back from a meeting and got to shoveling mine. And of course, the neighbour on the other side of our house hadn’t shoveled hers. She ‘never’ does. At least not until its piled up and pounded down and icy and is dangerous to everyone passing by.
I didn’t want to shovel hers. My facile mind danced around the thinking about how she ‘never’ does it. Is always the last one on the block. Why should I help her?
Because I’m committed to making a difference. I’m committed to living from my heart, not my head’s judgmental dictates that measures the world in good deed/bad people, doling out reward for those who play by my rules while punishing those who can’t get it right by my standards.
I had to get out of my own way to shovel it. I had to get out of my head and into my heart.
And so I filled my heart with gratitude for the opportunity to be of service and kept my mind out of it. I shoveled and was grateful for the opportunity to be of service to someone who left that morning earlier than I did and wouldn’t be home until much later. It was nice to know she’d be surprised to see a SnowAngel visited while she was gone.
And seriously? It took all of three minutes to do her stretch of sidewalk.
And when I was done, I looked down the avenue to the east and every walk was cleared all the way to the corner. And I looked to the west, and every walk was cleared, all the way to the corner.
And I felt better knowing that whomever walked along our avenue could do so on sidewalks that were cleared of snow and safe to walk on.
I liked the difference that made to my community.
Dare Boldly 
well, as per wise people you earned double point on this lazy neighbour of yours.
i have read somewhere and truly admired that if you do a noble thing and dont derive any pleasure from it your “punya” (score for good deed in god’s eyes) becomes double.
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I like that my punya doubled! Thanks 🙂
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How lovely – good on you for getting into your heart and making someone’s day. Maybe now that they know what a nice surprise it is when someone does some kind deed without need for recognition they will think to gift the same feeling to another… or maybe just shovel their own walk in the future, haha.
It’s actually quite a foreign concept to me, shovelling the walk, as it never snows here – it sounds like hard work though!
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That would be the perfect ripple Cassandra. To have someone pass it along — Pay it Forward.
And seriously? Never snows. Oh my. It is hard work but… I do love the snow. The freshness. The serenity. The virgin landscape of its blanket. Quite lovely!
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Never 😦 Snow is beautiful but, you know, cold.
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i’m head over heals about this heart over head story.
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And I love how your head tells the story of your heart turned over!
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After all, why not? Three minutes, less resentment on your part toward the negligent neighbor, and possibly you saved somebody from a bad fall.
Kind and smart of you – and you got a blog post out of it, too!
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So true Beverly. Three minutes of toil and…. I get a blog post! 🙂 I love the balance that comes with that. Thanks!
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Thanks Mark 🙂 I appreciate your words and thank you for illuminating the path with your thoughtfulness.
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the difference – in my view – was not in the neighbours shovelled walk or sidewalk safety on your street; the difference is in your head . . . and now, through you, in ours
the difference was not in your daring or your thoughts before or after, it was in your doing
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My neighbors on either side, we do each others’ walks. I’m usually the benefactor because they are many times out there before me, but if so, I will periodically buy a case of beer for the one and leave goodie bags for the other. I like when I can do theirs first and surprise them.
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That is cool Debbie — I love the case of beer and goodie bags. A great idea to share!
Thanks for dropping in. Nice to ‘see’ you but it would be more fun in person! 🙂
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We have that here too Maureen — there is a city bylaw requiring you do it and if you don’t there’s a cost for the city to come and do it — and in residential neighbourhoods, the city does not plow so really the only excuse is — not wanting to, not being able to, or not having time before leaving for work — which is what I think happens next door:) And mostly, people shovel their walks here. I guess we’re just accustomed to having to do it so we do. it’s part of winter.
And yes, doing it, whether for myself or someone else, makes such a difference to me! 🙂
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SnowAngel on patrol!
It’s so much better when everyone cooperates and helps shovel walks. So few do it in the county where I live that the county board had to come up with a measure requiring it. What the county forgot to take into consideration were the state snow plows that push the snow back onto the shoveled walks. So it got the “no good deed goes unpunished” award.
I think of how much time people spend not doing something when, as you say, it’s three minutes and done and everyone benefits. And even if no thanks come with the good deed, you at least know what you’ve done, and what you did made a difference.
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