Holiday spirit

Is there joy in the world?
I see it, sometimes, on customer's faces or people I encounter on the street, the store, the coffee shop. A glimmer of hope, a smile, gratitude.
Most days, I see sadness and despair. For instance, today, I waited on this woman that had no joy in her life, or so it appeared. She was unsmiling and wanted the apple steak salad without bleu cheese and the dressing on the side. Very strict and boring, to be honest. She was extremely precise and rigid with her posture and her demeanor. On the plus side, she did tip well.
Lately, I seem to question that when I am pondering life. I worry that we are carrying to much stress in our lives. I see how much difference a smile makes. I am trying to smile more often or be nice. I know, if you know me, it is trying for me to do either of these things. I used to cringe when customers would tell me that I should smile. My typical response would be--I am not a dog...so I do not smile on command.
Again, that was the past and now, I am thankful for my life and as we embark on Thanksgiving, I see more and more strife around me.
I wish that I had told my sister's my wishes, last year.
Every year, we exchange gifts and as much as I enjoy this practice, I know there are people out there who have nothing. I considered donating their gifts, last year, and didn't do anything about it to change it for this year.
My aunt donated my gift to the Heifer Fund, last year. I think she bought a goat for a family in Africa. It was either a goat or a chicken. She was excited about her idea, how it would benefit that community and told me that was what she preferred instead of giving me a gift.
Plus, when it came to moving in October, I was grateful that I had less crap to move. Not that my gifts are crap, but instead of receiving something another material good, why not give back?
This year is another gift giving year since I know Jade has already bought all of her gifts and it isn't fair to spring it on her with short notice. But, I am going to make it a point to change our gift exchange for the future.
I saw on the news that they expect a 38% decline for charities this holiday season. That, alone, makes me sad. If you are able, donate food, money to a charity or simplify your life and take used goods to good will. We can all benefit from spreading a little joy, right?
In other news, I went running, earlier this afternoon, and it felt great. No pain on my foot or knee issues. Instead, it was blissful and instead of focusing on my physical issues, I was able to think of the lack of joy in the world and what I could do to change it, on an individual level. My life is positive and rife with possibility...