#GivingTuesday

You may see the hashtag GivingTuesday today. The Tuesday after Thanksgiving, has become known as #GivingTuesday, an international day of charitable giving at the beginning of the holiday season.

Entering its seventh year, #GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media. Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their end-of-year giving. Since its inaugural year in 2012, #GivingTuesday has become a movement that celebrates philanthropy through a catalog of helpful resources.

You might believe every day should be one of giving. While that is true, #GivingTuesday provides us with a reminder, that what we share with others should be celebrated. In Nashville, we have many opportunities to help.

Here’s a list of local resources to consider:

There are also many ways to give. Helping someone in need costs nothing, and provides them with the act of companionship, laughter, a warm hug and a smile. We have many opportunities to give back today. Some of the ones that come to mind and cost nothing:

Visit someone in a nursing home
Take a meal to a homebound friend
Pay for the coffee or the meal of the person behind you
Engage someone in a conversation, a moment, a hug

What matters is that you shift from your own mindset to someone else’s, that you make the effort to think about another person. Generosity of time, thoughtfulness, pays off in many ways. Not only is the recipient likely to be appreciative, but the gift of giving is mutually beneficial. Generosity is both unexpected and spontaneous, and causes us to reach farther, act selflessly and exhibit empathy. Empathy enlarges our world, and brings a new perspective. And it will change someone else’s life, if only for a moment, only for a time, or only through a random act of kindness.