Abundance & Connection

When I was studying in college, one of the part-time jobs I worked at was a street fund-raiser. Yes, one of those! Who stands in wait for you as you emerge from the tube station or from the grocery store. Who accosts you when you’re walking down the street minding your own business and asks you to donate the equivalent of a cup of coffee a week, to one cause or another. My team and I were placed all over the city, and while most people would cross the road to avoid us, some would stop to listen. Some would stop to empathize. Some would stop to share their own stories. And some would stop to donate.

Why? What was it about some people that made them want to share their time and money? A study conducted many years ago found that the poor were more charitable than the rich, showing that generosity was not necessarily tied to wealth. Rather, it was feelings of sensitivity and care for the welfare of other people and, essentially, the emotion that we call compassion, that determined who was more likely to give. And compassion can only exist when there is a sense of connection.

The greatest illusion is that we are separate and that we need to hold on tightly to what we have with both hands. This is such a limited, fearful, desperate view of life.

The scarcity-mindset sees life as a finite pie, so that if one person takes a big piece, that leaves less for everyone else. The abundance-mindset on the other hand, is the idea that there is enough for everyone to share. There is a level of simplicity, of mindfulness around it. Of knowing what we need and being able to see that we have enough of it. Of being able to rejoice in the good fortunes of others, understanding that their gain does not mean our loss. Of having the faith to be able to sip from the river when needed rather than damming it up. Living with that mindset allows for a generosity of spirit.

I have a good friend who runs a home business that barely breaks even every month. She constantly surprises me with the abundance with which she lives her life. There will be flowers on her table, small gifts constantly being exchanged, friends dropping in every week for meals, tea, a chat. And no surprise there - every meal she makes feels like a feast, every cup of tea an indulgence, every chat like an intimate tete-a-tete where you are the most special person in the world. Because she understands that abundance and generosity are about so much more than just money. They're about effort, attention, time, warmth, kindness, joy. They are made from all of the things that are truly unlimited. They're about seeing ourselves as part of a much larger and wonderful whole. Allowing us to keep our arms wide open to both give and receive freely of life’s bounty.