A Game Anyone Can Play

The most miserable people live in their own little worlds ofnisolation. They do little for others and rarely have much fun.

I heard of one older gentleman who was considered by the townspeoplento be both rich and thrifty. His austerity earned him the reputationnof a miser. When he died, everyone expected the authorities to findnmoney stashed everywhere in his home. All they found were a few gallonncans filled with coins.

It came out that he had used most of his money to help put needy youngnstudents through college. And the coins filled his pockets as henwalked down the streets of the business districts looking for carsnwhose parking meters had expired. When he found one, he would drop inna coin. One of his neighbors commented, "That explains why he lookednso happy and contented!"

Of course! People who go out of their way to help others will alwaysnbe happy.

I once tried the same thing with parking meters. I decided that,nwhenever possible, I would look for expired meters and drop in a coin.
It became a game to see how many I could find just around my own car.

Then I learned something disturbing. I discovered it was illegal to donthat in the city where I lived. When I learned that I was breaking thenlaw, I quit looking for meters to feed. And I lost an extra bit of joy
I found in anonymously helping out a stranger.

I believe that now it's time to change the rules of the game. It cannbe about doing something kind for somebody else - anything! - and notngetting caught. Anonymous notes or cards ... flowers on a desk ...nraking leaves in secret ... you get the idea. The trick is to remainnanonymous. Plan in secret, act in secret, and most of all, have fun.

It's a game that is guaranteed to make you smile. And best of all, neveryone is allowed to play.