Wipe Up That Water
Creativity is the most powerful weapon in our toolbelt. It's the tool that unlocks doors and unveils new opportunities. Creativity can (and should) be integrated into all aspects of our lives, including generosity.
As I often discuss, we all have something to give. Our unique roles in life provide unique giving opportunities. However, our lack of creativity frequently holds us back. We either think too linearly, or we're not thinking at all. Life can be crazy, and we get so consumed by our tasks that we don't see all the fun opportunities around us. I'm certainly guilty of this at times!
However, if we keep our eyes and ears open, allow ourselves to think creatively, and are willing to step into the opportunity, amazing things can happen. I have two fun examples of this.
Yesterday, during our weekly Northern Vessel run with the family, I stumbled into a fun opportunity. As usual, the place was packed, and the line extended outside onto the sidewalk. I started a casual conversation with a woman and her cute little daughter while we waited. Turns out, the daughter loves our donuts. However, since it was so late in the morning, the mom warned her daughter they would probably be sold out. She wasn't wrong. We usually sell 8-10 dozen by mid-morning on the weekends, so the odds weren't in her favor.
I asked the girl what her favorite kind of donut was. "Cherry, or the sprinkle one." I told her I would check to see if we have any, and if we do, make sure she gets one. I immediately bee-lined it to the pastry case and noticed a few donuts left.....and one was cherry! I asked barista Dante if he could pull one for a little girl in line, and he nodded.
When it was my family's turn to order, I purchased that cherry donut and quickly handed it to that little girl. Her eyes lit up, and she called me "a nice man." So sweet! I'm glad I kept aware of my surroundings and found some creativity to unlock that door.
My second example comes from the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament. Liberty, not known as a basketball powerhouse, was about one minute away from getting beat by Oregon. Their season was coming to an end, but ending it in the Big Dance was a huge accomplishment.
With less than a minute remaining, as Liberty was dribbling the ball into the frontcourt, the ref blew the play dead after noticing water spilled on the court. Except there wasn't water spilled on the court. Just a few feet from him was a Liberty bench player at the scorer's table, waiting to check into the game for the first time. The ref, recognizing how important this moment could be for this player, used creativity to blow his whistle and allow this player to enter the game. He grabs the player's hand to help him up, and the player gets his moment. The ref had a unique role, and with a little creativity, unlocked a door for an act of generosity. Beautiful!
I hope you find ways to use your creativity in whatever roles you're blessed with today.
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