—

When I was about three, so my moms says, at one of the big family parties my parents used to host at home, one of my cousins of about the same age would not stop crying. I asked my mom why. She explained he had lost his pacifier.

I walked away in silence, went upstairs to my room and returned with my pacifier in hand, and then I plucked it into the open mouth of my crying relative, and that was the end of pacifiers for me.

This week I asked myself: If could only pick one value for a good life, what would it be? My usual top three are humility, gratitude and generosity. After some reflection, I picked generosity. I think I picked generosity when I was about three.

It’s funny how giving is both a gift for the receiver as well as the giver. And there are many forms of generosity beyond the material. Here’s a list of what we can give this holiday season, including to ourselves.

• Giving time
• Giving patience
• Giving silence
• Giving peace
• Giving joy
• Giving understanding
• Giving empathy
• Giving positivity
• Giving energy
• Giving the benefit of the doubt
• Giving a second chance
• Giving up being right
• Giving the center stage
• Giving sincere appreciation
• Giving belief in someone
• Giving forgiveness
• Giving unconditional love

What could you give more?

What would you add to this list?