Samaritan House Christmas Challenge

So, here we are. A time of year where reflection and contemplation are valued as we look back over the past year and think about what has happened. As the holiday season looms on the horizon, its easy to kick back into cruise control and simply coast into 2014. I mean, we've all earned a little respite from the hustle and bustle and chaos of the year. Time to relax, right? Enjoy our friends and families and the 3,000 college football bowls about to begin.

Hmm... Sounds nice.

Or, what if we bucked conventional thought and ended the year with a flurry of activity? What if we fought aganist the logical and rational ideas of rest and relaxation and made ourselves very uncomfortable instead? For those interested, I would like to propose an idea absurd enough that it might just change the culture and social landscape of Kalispell. For lack of a better name, lets call it the Samaritan House Christmas Challenge. Here's how it works:

From now until the end of the year, do one thing every day that is inconvenient and a hassle and will cause you to wince. Do one thing every day that focuses on helping or blessing another person simply for the sake of it. Forget accolades and notoriety or being recognized as Philanthropist of The Year. Exhibit kindness because it the right thing to do. I won't tell you how or what this looks like. It can be anything from dropping off a donation to holding a door open so a few more people can walk through.

If this seems trite or silly or a waste, then I fear you have forgotten what it feels like to be the recipient of such an act of kindness that your whole day changes. We can change the course of people's lives by simply being kind. Performing such random acts of kindness might just inspire others to do the same. So, this is the challenge I propose. Lets end the year proactively, doing for others.