Nurture Is Our Nature

42 everyday acts of giving from ordinary people like you and me

Welcome to another edition of Beyond Self Improvement! If you missed it, here’s last week’s article: Cuddling Is Healing.

This past week, my stepson confided in me for the first time while his mom was out of town.

He talked about how much he enjoys reading and learning from Of Human Bondage. He spoke of loneliness, developing feelings for a classmate, concerns about being controlled by feelings, and that money troubles cause far more suicides than relationship challenges (according to the author of Of Human Bondage).

It was a special moment—nothing like a child trusting you enough to share their thoughts and feelings.

Dear Friend,

I’m convinced the world would fall apart without the millions of unacknowledged daily deeds, big and small, of individuals globally. Biology may drive us to procreate, but nurturing one another fills our hearts and lifts our spirits.

We enjoy being in contribution and want people to live well, realize their dreams, love and be loved, survive, thrive, and live meaningful and purposeful lives. We wish for people to be healthy, happy and fulfilled, to feel seen, heard and understood and to know that they belong and matter.

We want people to be free of suffering, have autonomy, feel empowered, and experience peace, laughter, contentment and joy. We wish all beings to see, be free of confusion and ignorance, and “live the life they imagined,” not that of their parents or culture.

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People care for each other in innumerable ways. Here are just a few:

• The book I AM THAT arrives in the mail carefully wrapped.

• A young man steps aside in the Starbucks hallway, and a middle-aged woman smiles at me as I leave.

• My friends pick up trash on mountain climbs.

• A 30-something couple adopts a scarred dog and names it Kinako (soy flour in Japanese) after the color of its fur.

• Neighbors beautify their yards with trees, plants, and flowers.

• A wife gets up early to make breakfast before her husband’s road trip.

• My partner’s parents take in stray animals. They recently took home caterpillars from their community garden to save them from birds so they could become butterflies.

• A fellow retreatant voluntarily cleans more than his share at a meditation retreat.

• A teen runs her fingers through her boyfriend’s curls.

• The resurgence of plants at home and in the office.

• My dad cares for my mom, who is suffering from the “hell of Alzheimer’s,” as he calls it.

• A person at a highway entrance gives a dollar to a homeless person.

• Nancy Agne volunteers to drive the elderly around town to run errands.

• My older sister made brown bag lunches with a sandwich, chips, soda, and a pack of gum whenever we went on road trips.

• Tom’s of Maine replaces three tubes of runny toothpaste.

• A dad drives his daughter and her friends to the beach an hour away because they don’t yet have a license.

• A mother cradles her baby at a local park.

• A woman at the Greek restaurant scoops food carefully.

• A parent drives a child to school five days a week.

• Caregivers adopt a girl in Korea who later becomes a dear friend.

• A friend drives his wife to the hospital for chemotherapy.

• My partner adjusts the car seat to accommodate my longer legs.

• A grocery clerk checks my eggs to ensure none are broken.

• My fourth-grade teacher says, “You’re special, Ryan,” on the last day of school.

• A young woman on the subway gives up her seat for an elderly man.

• The owner of a local bike shop replaces my pump through the manufacturer without asking for anything in return.

• A barista draws a leaf in my latte.

• A highway transportation department employee tows my car after it gets stuck in the snow during a family ski trip.

• The caregiver of a husky mix brings back a box of cookies from Japan.

• A driver gives another driver an open spot in a busy parking lot.

• My stepkids’ dad lets us use his SUV to drive to a soccer tournament in Las Vegas.

• A neighbor picks up a nail from the road to prevent someone’s tire from being punctured.

• A person walks carefully after it rains to avoid stepping on worms.

• A meditation teacher in the local Buddhist community delivers a talk nearly every Sunday for 34 years.

• My brother manned a suicide hotline for years.

• My mom prepared beautiful meals nightly, carefully placing a sprig of parsley on each plate.

• A teenager helps an elderly woman across a busy intersection.

• My dentist and dental hygienist carefully tend to my teeth twice a year.

• Grandparents from China, India and elsewhere push babies in strollers while their daughters and sons earn money.

• A person holds an elevator door for someone in a hurry.

• Millions pick up poop after their dogs.

• A child draws an endearing card for their parent’s birthday.

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Acts of generosity remind us that we’re all in this together, and there are no grand gestures, only moments of grace, beauty and love.

When I see others loving, I’m inspired to love. When I see others nurturing, I’m inspired to nurture. When I see others serving others, I’m inspired to serve.

Life is beautiful and painful. Caring for one another makes life easier and the painful times less painful.

Keep serving,

Ryan

Thanks for walking this path with me. See you next Wednesday.

My biggest passion is working 1:1 with readers like you.

I can help you transition from self-improvement to self-acceptance whenever you’re ready. Schedule a free, 30-minute discovery call now.

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SimBa (Bichon Poodle mix) sporting his signature mane.