Selflessness

Acts of unconditional love. An act of service towards another, without expecting anything in return.
I tried to come up with a list of selfless acts that were directed towards me throughout my life and was challenged more than I thought I would be. It was harder than expected, not because I didn’t receive much from others, but because I wasn’t aware of it and took it for granted.
This exercise taught me to invite more gratitude into my life, as there exists no selflessness without gratitude.

Our spiritual teachers claim that introducing selfless acts of service into our lives will make us feel most fulfilled. Whenever I can, I share my money with people in need on the street. Partly because I know my money serves others just as much as me and partly because I am aware that everything comes around.
Often I have wondered if giving out of the “wrong” intention will not make it return. There have been numerous situations when I felt helpless and guilty and shared my money with that underlying energy.

It was not until my first act of service, that I was ignorant of the fact that gifting my time is worth more than money. While working at IKEA, I was chosen to join a few co-workers for a day in a kitchen for people with low incomes. Within a few hours, we breaded 160 pieces of meat and produced large amounts of salads and rice. It was intense work, as we always had to keep an eye on the clock.
Never would I have guessed that what happened next, would touch my heart so deeply.

We went out into the dining hall, with all the food on the serving trolley, and met our customers for the first time. Every plate I handed out was accompanied by a smile and making eye contact. There was something I saw glistening in the eyes I met that I had rarely seen so intensely before. When a man expressed in words how thankful he was, it hit me.

The whole room was glowing with gratitude. The atmosphere had been stripped of wariness and judgment and, on the most profound human level, we shared life with each other. With love, we gave out the plates and love met our eyes as they were received.

That moment the man spoke up, I lost my slight sense of superiority. Despite being only a few years younger than him, our paths in life were so different.

That could’ve been me.

Since that day, I have met every single soul, no matter the social status, with the same attitude. I know it should be a given, but having worked in customer service and as a bartender, I know that many people don’t see those in lower social classes as their equal.

Spoiler alert to myself: we all are. No matter how shiny or worn down a facade, on the inside we’re all human. Longing for connection, love and security.
So, since that day, I have incorporated small acts of service into my daily life. Vividly, I recall one in particular, but that’s another story.