My Dad (who's In AA And Has Been For Years) Was Telling Me About A Guy From AA Who Lived In Venice, Not

My dad (who's in AA and has been for years) was telling me about a guy from AA who lived in Venice, not far from the beach, where tons of homeless people lived. And when he was having a bad day, he would go to the store, but a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter and a jar of jelly. He'd make the whole loaf into peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, put them all back into the bread bag, and go down to the beach and pass the sandwiches out. The man said that it never failed to bring him anything but gratitude.

There was a similar story with some guys in LA (where he used to live). After 5 o'clock, everyone would leave work and go home, leaving downtown a sort-of ghost town, except for the homeless. A couple guys would go to a store that sells canned goods, get a couple cans of refried beans, cook up a bunch of rice and beans, and make a bunch of burritos. Then they would put them all in a bag, get on their bikes and ride around the city, handing them out.

I used to (and still sometimes do) this thing where if I realize I'm feeling down, or just having a crappy day, I set a goal or maybe 5 or 10 people, and I have to compliment that many people by the end of the day, and it can be strangers or someone I haven't talked to in a while, or someone I talk to everyday. By one or two people, im usually feeling a lot better, and it can actually help.

If you ever have a bad day, or just want to make someone else's day better, do it! Helping people (without overworking yourself) is a form of helping yourself!