MI Love: Generosity

Some years, Detroit is listed as the most charitable city in the country as measured by proportion of income given to charity. This is one measure of generosity, but of course there are other ways to be generous. This is a list of a few that I've been thinking about lately.

1. Be generous with smiles.

Someone once told me that the smile I give someone might be the only one they get that day. I'm not talking about smiling because a man on the street told a woman to (that's ridiculous), but smiling at people you know or even respectful strangers is a lovely, easy way to be generous.

2. Be generous with praise. 

When someone does a genuinely good job, praise her. I'm not talking about flattery (which will get you everywhere, but is fake). I'm not talking about praising people for doing everyday things they should be doing. But when someone tries hard or performs excellently, don't hold back.

3. Be generous with gratitude.

I'm a pain in the butt sometimes. I guess we all are, but I can be difficult and needy. I need the pharmacy to stay open an extra minute so I can grab my meds on my way out of the last appointment of the day. I need people to wait a minute while I take an important call. I need more tables and chairs in my classroom, and the custodian has to help me get them. When someone does something nice, I am working on being generously grateful and showing it. Of course, this increases the likelihood that people will help me next time, but it's also the right thing to do.

4. Be generous with flexibility.

If there's one thing I have learned from teaching test prep and showing up to various locations, using other people's classrooms, and having an ever-changing schedule, it's that flexibility is a virtue. I try to make things work no matter what. For two weeks of a GRE class, this meant using a tablecloth to project onto because we didn't have a proper screen. I joked a little about this with my students, and they accepted it. This doesn't mean that I always do what someone else asks (I was once asked to move a class of twelve students with a half hour to go), but I consider accommodating whenever possible.