Clueless

Over the weekend, I realized this year is the 30th anniversary of “Clueless”, one of my favorite movies from the 90’s! And yes, if you’re wondering, that makes me feel old as dirt.

I decided I had to do a rewatch… I don’t know how long it’s been since I last watched it, but I definitely laughed like it was the first time I had ever watched it. I still crack up watching Dionne and Murray fight, or when poor Tai takes a clog to the head. Along with the iconic clang introduced in this movie, it’s definitely “classic” for a reason.

As I watched the movie this weekend, one quote in particular stuck out in my mind. When Cher misquotes Charles Dickens saying “‘Tis a far, far better thing doing stuff for other people”, I giggled, but I realized how right she really was.

I was inspired to make this graphic based on the quote, to celebrate one of my favorite movies from my teenage years, and wanted to share some thoughts with y’all.

In church yesterday, part of the sermon covered the same basic message. We’ve been studying Acts, and Acts 20:35 is a verse where Paul, in his farewell address to the elders of Ephesus, reminds them of a saying of Jesus: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Even if you’re not spiritual, the message is powerful.

I remember when I was growing up in First Baptist Church in my hometown of Portageville, MO, I always volunteered to work things like VBS and children’s camp. I also helped out in the nursery from time to time, and it got me thinking about volunteering at the church I’ve recently begun attending here in Tennessee. I love kids, so I sent a message this morning to volunteer in the nursery. I don’t know if they need workers, but it would be a lot of fun. Who doesn’t love playing with babies or little kids? One thing I love about this church is that they have a special needs classroom, complete with a sensory pit- Sawyer LOVES it. He got to sit in it this weekend and was so excited that he got to get in “the foam pit”. That would be another room I’d be happy to help in. 🙂

I always enjoy volunteering. Doing things that help other people is something I genuinely love to do, whether it’s sharing a motivational quote on social media, volunteering at an event, or just listening to and talking a friend through a problem. As I was thinking about all the ways we can give to others, I realized that there are so many ways we can give without even realizing it.

I used to get messages about my blog a lot, from people thanking me for writing about certain things. They’d tell me “Reading this helped me realize that my child is probably autistic” or “Thank you for helping me feel less alone”. Hearing things like made me feel so happy that I was able to help them.

I have learned the value of pictures throughout my life, and that was one reason I operated a photography business for a long time; I wanted to be able to provide the opportunity for beautiful portraits to people who couldn’t necessarily afford to pay the high-end prices I saw living near Nashville. Being able to provide beautiful senior photos to a single mom who just wanted to get great pictures of her graduate or family photos for military families or make a little girl’s dream of becoming Elsa come true through fine art photography warmed my heart.

Having gone through the pain of losing my parents, I can empathize with friends when they experience this tragic event in their lives, and help them through the grieving process.

The thing is… we all have talents and skills we can use to help others. Even if you think you’re not qualified to do much, I guarantee there’s some way you can help others. It doesn’t have to be some grand gesture or a career path… just be yourself and do what you can to help someone else’s day better- even if that’s something as simple as cheering someone up who’s having a rough time, or paying for someone’s coffee in the line at McDonald’s.

I guarantee it will not only help them, but you’ll feel happier because you did a good deed.