Peggy Wheatcroft was getting ready to celebrate her 80th
birthday and she didn’t want a birthday party. She decided to do something
different.
Peggy took 80 envelopes and put $80 in twenty-dollar bills
in each envelope. She took the envelopes and gave them to 80 people with a note
asking them, in honor of her birthday, to give the money to anyone they chose.
She asked them to find someone who least expected it. She also asked them to
write and tell her about the person’s experience. What she wrote was “Let’s
spread a small bit of joy!!”
It took her a year to distribute the envelopes. When the
people who were the givers started to write her, the first thing she noticed
was the joy people experienced when giving the gift in person to someone. The
second thing was the connection to her when the givers explained the source of
the money to the recipient.
The research shows that it is better to give than receive as
our bodies release the “feel good” chemicals that reinforce our giving. So…it
doesn’t have to be $80 to 80 people, just consider whatever the amount how you’re
bringing joy to someone else and to yourself. Thank you, Peggy for showing us a
unique way to celebrate a birthday and may you have many more!
(Reported AARP Bulletin/Real Possibilities October 2019)
(Reported AARP Bulletin/Real Possibilities October 2019)
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