Generosity

I don’t know if generosity is the cure for everything, but it seems to be the cure for a lot of things. I think of generosity as a spirit of being — a general philosophy of existence — more than a reflection of how much you have to give, from a material sense. I know some very generous rich people, and I know some very generous poor people. And I know people, rich and poor, who cannot seem to open their hands or their hearts toward others. The most generous people I know operate within a world of abundance — certain that they have something extra of themselves to share (whether it’s love, money, time, attention, or faith.) I also believe that the highest grade of generosity must include the self. (Showing Mercy toward yourself for your own broken humanity is perhaps the most intimate act of generosity of all. The people I know who are the most easeful in their giving seem to have done the most healing work on themselves, too.) - Elizabeth Gilbert


 

What I read: A Gentleman in Moscow

Last month, I finished Amor Towles, "A Gentleman in Moscow".   It was one of the most challenging books I've read, with very dense language and a slow moving story line, but a book that gave me a sense of accomplishment upon finishing it.

Set in early 20th century Russia, we see the world through an aging man's eye.   He examines communism, friendship, love, suffering, integrity and life.  The descriptions are poetic and the conclusions so beautiful they can nearly make you weep.

"He had said that our lives are steered by uncertainties, many of which are disruptive or even daunting; but that if we persevere and remain generous of heart, we may be granted a moment of lucidity—a moment in which all that has happened to us suddenly comes into focus as a necessary course of events, even as we find ourselves on the threshold of the life we had been meant to lead all along.” 

"In the end, a parent's responsibility could not be more simple: To bring a child safely into adulthood so that she could have a chance to experience a life of purpose and, God willing, contentment."

"I have countless reasons to be proud of you… But the moment I felt that pride was not when you…brought home news of your victory. It was earlier in the evening when I watched you heading out the hotel’s doors on your way to the hall. For what matters in life is not whether we receive a round of applause; what matters is whether we have the courage to venture forth despite the uncertainty of acclaim."

And the line that truly took my breath away: 

“Looking back, it seems to me there are people who play an essential role at every turn. And I don’t just mean the Napoleons who influence the course of history; I mean men and women who routinely appear at critical junctures in the progress of art, or commerce, or the evolution of ideas, as if life itself has summoned them once again to help fulfill its purpose. Well since that day I was born, Sofia, there was only one time when life needed me to be in a particular place at a particular time, and that was when your Mother brought you to the lobby of the Metropol. And I would not accept the Tsarship of all the Russians in exchange for being in this hotel at that hour.”