Last night at the Salem information session we wound up talking about soup. Maybe in part because we have a Soup Social coming up Feb 5 (Proudfit Hall from 2 -4). Maybe because the idea of getting and giving help cooking and setting up for an event came up in the conversation.

It the sort of thing we easily offer to a friend or close neighbor - just lending a hand - without compensation.

Today a friend is feeling a little under the weather and his wife is out of town for work. I thought about the quarts of chili I have in the freezer and offered to bring him some. I don't want to get an hour for this, but it keeps me thinking. I happen to know he could use a little help, he's a friend as well as a neighbor. But what about the neighbors whose needs I don't know? There are many around me with whom our friendly exchanges are not much more than "how are you holding up this winter?" Maybe they would welcome a pint of chili or someone to take them to the grocery or pick up their order at the Farmer's Market on this very cold day. Short of calling around the neighborhood, I can't know who could use a little help.

The time bank doesn't necessarily cover all the little changes in our life - but we can post things like: I broke my foot and can't drive for 3 weeks - I need help running errands. Or - I have the flu and would love to have a couple servings of homemade soup to see me through (and maybe a couple boxes of those ultra soft tissues.)

Sometimes it is easier to think of giving than receiving, but just writing those two fictional needs made me feel warm. How sweet it is to wish for connection and nourishment, to simply ask for help and have a kind person step up to offer. I am almost inclined to think this is the way of all guardian angels.

It's what we do for each other. But it goes beyond what we can do for friends and people we know. We reach for another level of our character to offer a hand to those we don't know, whether or not we get something in exchange. We feel good. But for those who find themselves doing a lot for others (in so many ways, including through our work), it's nice to be acknowledged, to earn a time bank hour, and to use it to get a little support for ourselves.