When we talked about giving, a lot of people believed it had to be ambiguous, obvious, and an earthshaking gesture for you to be worthy of being called a giver, but I've come to understand that everyone must give according to their own capacity. In fact, sometimes it's the small, simple, and intentional things we do without expecting something in return that often go on to have a great impact on the lives of the benefactor, and in this article I'll be telling you briefly about my act of giving, or basically how I give back to my community.
To start with, my profession is one that can be recognized as an act of giving back. I am a teacher, and my work revolves around mentoring young minds. I teach them lessons that are beyond the classroom, from teaching them moral values to preparing them for the world to even being a source of encouragement to them when they feel lost or unsure about something. As a teacher, my encounters with many children and potential adults and the impact I've had on them have made me believe in shaping not only the mind but also lives.
Outside the school walls, I still do my best to help those around me, from helping some elderly people to write a text message to their children or relatives to helping them dial numbers of their loved ones, even helping some people to write official letters, and as little as being there to talk to someone who needed someone to talk to. Beyond that, I also give alms where I can, especially when it's obvious such a person genuinely needs help and has no means of working to make ends meet due to one disability or another, and these have made me come to see giving as a part of my lifestyle.
In my immediate environment, I still try to give my best and not turn a blind eye to things that need to be fixed. Be it contribution to fix electricity poles that fall or clearing the drainage system so as to prevent floods and the like, I sometimes even took it upon myself to clear overgrown grass that could serve as a hideout for dangerous reptiles, and on days when I can't do the clearing myself, I don't mind calling someone else to do it, and I pay them for their service. I'm doing all of these to have a safer neighborhood and tobe part of the solution, rather than a spectator who just watches or applauds those who do it.
Even though I don't have much, am I among the richest in my neighborhood? Still, I've made it a point of duty to give what I can, be it my time, skills, voice, or even my presence, all for the good of humanity, because that's what my understanding of what giving back means, and I'll encourage you to also pick up the mantle today and start giving back to your own neighbors today, but it doesn't matter how little you have; everything isn't about money or food. Your words can be a shining light into the lives of someone cloudy with pain and struggles.
All photos are taken and edited on canva.