Making others happy

Do you ever feel like by doing good unto others it makes you feel happy in return? I know that if I do something nice for someone I do get that warm and fuzzy feeling inside that helps in some ways benefit me more than the person I am helping. It makes me feel human, connected. It doesn't have to always be big or spectacular. A smile to a stranger, a kind word of encouragement, a simple text or email picture that may make someone smile or laugh could make all the difference to not only you but that person.  Smiling can sometimes make us happy even if we are going through a lot.
Volunteering to help out whether it be for an organization, a neighbor or friend. I recently went to visit a friend in a nursing home who isn't doing so well. I know that she is stuck there and there really isn't much she can do about it, it is dreary and boring and by no means a 5 star resort even though they got a 5 star rating.  She is probably depressed and unhappy on top of her ailments. These types of situations where you not only have to go see someone that you may not want to remember that way, but you have to see them in pain and suffering and that can sometimes reflect on our own happiness. It can make us in turn feel depressed or sad.
In a way we have to look at it as an opportunity to feel blessed with our own situation no matter how unhappy, stressed, confused, or difficult our life may seem to be. Sometimes the littlest gestures that you can do for them, whether it is the reaction you would get from a healthy person, or just a little nod, chuckle or smile can make all the difference in how a person leaves this world. Sometimes we learn a lot from the most difficult times in our lives.
How do you want to leave this world? Have you made your mark? Have you spread love and joy to others. In light of some recent happenings in my life I have reflected on what type of person not only I think I am, but how I want to be remembered. Am I living every day with knowing that I will leave this world remembered that way? If your answer is no you may need to do a little soul searching, because no matter whether someone thinks they can predict that their time is up, we will never know how much time we have until it is gone. Live for the NOW, Take life one day at a time, focus on what truly matters.
 You can be a workaholic trying to have and get the most you can to provide for your family and all their wants and needs, working your butt off so that you can spend more time with them in the future.  But if you work too much now, and there is no tomorrow for you, did you really accomplish your goal. My kid is 3, does he want me to buy him things sure, does he want to do things and go places sure, but what is most important to him is the time I spend not the things he gets, spend more time with the ones you love and less money and I bet that makes all the difference.
"People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; never throw out anyone." Audrey Hepburn