If I walk by a homeless person and I drop $2 in their hat, I won’t be impacted by the loss of that money. I won’t know if they’ll use it for alcohol or drugs. I won’t know if they’ll use it to feed themselves or their starving child. I won’t know if they’ll use it for a haircut before a job interview that helps them get off the street.

If I call a friend who’s suffering, and they don’t pick up, I won’t be impacted by the loss of that time. I won’t know if they saw my call or not. I won’t know if me calling them made a difference in their day or not. I won’t know if my call stopped them from doing self-harm, or indulging in actions that were detrimental to their safety, or the safety of others.

If I say “good morning” to a stranger in an elevator or on a street, I won’t be impacted by the effort it took. I won’t know if the connection made them feel less lonely. I won’t know if the smile I gave as I said the words, made them feel some love as they were feeling unloved. I won’t know if I interrupted dark thoughts they were having.

If I offer my seat on the bus to an older person, or a pregnant woman, or someone who’s injured, I won’t be impacted by the loss of a seat. I won’t know if that person had an easier time getting through their day because they could sit. I won’t know if sitting down prevented them from falling when the bus had to stop quickly. I don’t know if them having a seat gave them respite from pain, or discomfort.

When we choose to practice kindness to others, and charity, we don’t know the impact it will have. We don’t do it for the impact it will have. We do what we can – as little or as much as that is – because of the type of person we want to be. Because of the values and principles we were taught and embraced, regardless of which religion taught them to us.

We do it without seeking praise or acknowledgment.

We do it with zero expectation or anticipation of anything in return.

We do it because that’s the type of person we choose to be.

The size of our gesture may be small – the size of the impact, is unlimited.