The Generous Game

Peals of laughter, unexpected pouncing, uncontrollable smiles and hugs, lots of hugs. A weekend with best friends always my heart swell with love and happiness. Nothing ever goes as planned and it's always the most fun we have ever had.

It all started Friday night, when I got to spend time with some friends from college that I haven't seen in awhile. The beautiful model, the soon to be NYC sensation and the amazing Boston ballerina. :) The evening was filled with Mexican food, frozen yogurt, cake pops, funny anecdotes, crazy stories and hilariously bad dance videos. Just what the doctor ordered for a cold, rainy, icy night after a long week at work.

                                         (I'm the crazed one in the corner wearing glasses...)

Then this morning, The Three Musketeers were once again wreaking havoc as we gallivanted through the nearby city. The Three Musketeers consist of two of my oldest and dearest friends, friends since middle school. True to form, we started with the plan to get brunch at IHOP, ended up getting slightly lost, accidentally drove the wrong way down a few one way streets and ended up in a wonderful little hole in the wall diner. Which by the way, had one of the best omelets I've ever had, so there IHOP and your 1.5 hour wait....

Aaaanyway, The Three Musketeers and I have this thing called The Generous Game. Well, we've never actually called it that until today, but it's something that we've done for years. It's something that we've done for years without ever talking about it, or deciding it's something we would do. We just do it. You're probably wondering what I mean by the Generous Game. Ha! Well...basically one of us does something extremely generous for another member of our little group without expectation of reciprocation, simply because we want to. And the other members protest and try to pay the other one back. The originator refuses money and that's the end. The next time we meet, it begins again, but miraculously (without a single word having been uttered, or a schedule made) a different member begins the whole process. It's a plethora of random acts of kindness and generosity between us and it's beautiful. What other way to celebrate our friendship and our mutual love of a equally generous God, than by being spontaneously generous ourselves? I challenge you all to do the same. It's simple, next time you go out, you simply pick up the tab, maybe not for the whole group, just one member, but you do it without the expectation of being reimbursed. Or you give the friend who travels the most a little extra gas money, or an unexpected present simply because you were thinking of someone. It gets you in a charitable, generous mood, and it makes you feel wonderful. Challenge accepted? I hope so.