PERSPECTIVE

Generosity The big blur

learning, being and doing Making our world special again

Ayoung man approached me in a parking lot yesterday. “My family and I are staying over It’s just become one big blur for me. One day blends into the next. One week drifts into another and then months have there and if we could get five dollars we could slipped by. It’s even more pronounced now get a pizza. If we could get ten we could get that we’re into these kind of blah weeks, two and that would cover us.” wintry weeks. Are you still reading? That was I had no idea whether his story was true. definitely a downer start. He looked as though he was living rough, So how do we get through this long, though—gaunt, sunken cheeks, despairing eyes. dark, socially distanced (re: away from Without hesitation, I pulled out my wallet friends and extended family) winter? Does and handed him ten bucks. I don’t know just why I did it. He wasn’t it help knowing that we have a vaccine and that, maybe, by summer threatening. He wasn’t over imploring. He just seemed to really need a we’ll be starting to go about our regular routines, whatever that looks boost right then and interacting with him right there a couple of feet like now? away, I just felt it was a moment.We have a few ideas that might help. One is our Camp Guide It’s not that I’m on a mission to give away all of our money. I walk Preview. Many programs are scheduling summer camps. Many, but and drive by plenty of people who are asking for a little push. And I’m not all, of these are for outdoor activities where it’s easy to stay apart, not driven to help others by a sense of guilt or even a feeling of being as needed. I’m wondering, as are most of us, where we’ll be come lucky enough to have it and these others don’t and so therefore it’s my summer. I have high hopes, but that’s just me. We have excellent social obligation to do it. Nor do I get a big sense of satisfaction. I have healthcare here in northern Colorado and I’m eager to see the a hard time pinpointing why I feel compelled to help out sometimes, vaccine rolling out in the next couple of months. whether scooping a sidewalk for a neighbor or stopping to push a car, You should also check out Lynn Nichols story, page 18, about and other times not so much. family bonding with indoor fun. We’ve all slipped into these routines Every fall, a neighbor of ours comes by with his air compressor that are part of the blur, but Lynn advocates that we shake ourselves and blows out our sprinkler lines. He makes the rounds in our off and get up and do something different, that we interact with our corner of the neighborhood and gets everyone ready for winter. He family outside of our stuck-inside-together-for-all-time ruts. She doesn’t ask for anything. He just does it because he can. It is not a has some good ideas that might grab you. transactional offer in any way. Lea Hanson has some food for thought about how to establish Theresa Baer writes this month in her Learn and Live column new routines that can help put us in a better frame of mind, things about teaching children to be generous and to volunteer. She also offers such as developing a good morning ritual for ourselves and our kids. some ideas about where and how. The idea is to help children to be Find her story on page 16. aware of others’ needs and to understand that they, themselves, have Theresa Baer, in her Live & Learn story on page 12, wants to something to offer. take us on an outdoor adventure in the snow. She tells us what to The goal is for them, really all of us, to not just do generosity as an wear, where to get the gear and what else to bring to make for a fun activity that we have come to understand as something that we should and safe trip for all. do because we’re lucky enough to have something and those other And in Family Activities, page 8, I dive into cooking with kids people are struggling. Where we’re really headed with this is for our and the many options for making successful, fun and delicious meals. children to see people who are just like they are, who just want to be And a final thought: we watched the inauguration today with all happy just as they do and who don’t want to feel bad just as they don’t its patriotic pageantry, high-minded speeches and compelling music want to. We want to get beyond the them and us feelings. We don’t just and poetry. It caused me to reflect on the importance of traditions drop money in a can and walk by. We stop. We talk and engage with and pausing to take a moment to appreciate what we have. people who are just like us. I think that’s especially true now when it might be harder to In the end, we want to be generosity, not just do generosity, though get excited about things through the blur. So I’m going to try to the path to being generosity, it seems, lies through the path of doing remember to find little reasons to celebrate every day and to make generosity. regular celebrations, such as birthdays, into bigger deals.

‘Tis the season, Thanks for sticking with us,

Scott Scott

OCTOBER 2019 • Volume 24, Issue 6FEBRUARY 2021 • Volume 25, Issue 9

PUBLISHER PUBLISHER Scott Titterington, (970)221-9210 Scott Titterington, (970)221-9210 scott.rmpublishing@gmail.com scott.rmpublishing@gmail.com EDITOR EDITOR Kristin Titterington, (970)221-9210 Kristin Titterington, (970)221-9210 kristin.rmpublishing@gmail.com kristin.rmpublishing@gmail.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR Emily Zaynard Emily Zaynard emily.rmpublishing@gmail.com emily.rmpublishing@gmail.com ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Greg Hoffman, (970)689-6832 Greg Hoffman, (970)689-6832 greg.rmpublishing@gmail.com greg.rmpublishing@gmail.com DISTRIBUTION MANAGER DISTRIBUTION MANAGER ADVERTISING SALES EXECUTIVE ADVERTISING SALES EXECUTIVE Susan Hartig Susan Harting susan.rmpublishing@gmail.com susan.rmpublishing@gmail.com COVER PHOTO COVER PHOTO Cheri Schonfeld, Courtesy of istock.com Sky’s Open Design - skysopendesign.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Theresa Baer, Lea Hanson, Kris Kodrich Theresa Baer, Lea Hanson, Katie Harris, Lynn U. Nichols Lynn U. Nichols, Scott Titterington

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