Live…Learn…Lead

Friday night was a late night for her, yet on Saturday morning she was at my house, bright and early setting up one of the sweetest surprises for me.  She had come prepared, with all her colors and boxes, stencils and designs.  She was even dressed for the job ahead of her and that yellow headband which pulled her hair away from her face, said it all.  She had a job to do and she was going to do it well.  She had arrived early on the morning of my birthday to surprise me with her Rangoli designs.

Rangoli is a popular art form in India; however, it is not easy.  It involves painting patterns on the floor using white and colored powders, and is used to decorate the front portion of houses on auspicious days.  Completing a design requires planning and carefully following a series of well orchestrated steps. 

It was a surprise for me to see her that morning, but fortunately it was way before she had completed her task.  The blessing was that I got to spend the next 3 hours with a very sweet friend, while she completed her designs. 

What struck me the most after she left is that I was so touched that she had made time for me.  Rangoli is not a gift that will last forever, three days maybe, if we are careful with these delicate chalk designs.  However, the memory and feeling that I have captured will stay with me forever.  In essence what she had given me was the gift of time.  Time we took to create a memory, time we took to get to know one another better and time that let us both know we mattered to the other. 

Who can you reach out to today? Who can you make feel special? Extending your time can be as little as a few seconds to pay someone a compliment or multiple hours over several weeks volunteering.  A phone call, an email, a power lunch or a walk are some of the easiest ways to connect.

Reach out and you will see that the gift of time you give someone else will make you happier as well!