Six years ago, my life completely changed when my kidneys failed. For over two years, I was on dialysis three times a week – hooked up to a machine, waiting and running on empty. Then, on Sept. 23, 2023, a phone call changed everything. A kidney was available. Someone I will never meet had made the choice to be an organ donor, and that single act of generosity gave me my life back.
That experience taught me something permanent: One generous choice has a massive ripple effect. They say one donor can save or improve up to eight lives. It made me look around my own neighborhood and wonder – what if we approached our daily lives with that same mindset? What if the small things we do every day could compound into something just as powerful?
These days are difficult. The world feels fast, stressful and often disconnected. People are carrying heavy burdens, dealing with high costs of living and just trying to make it through the week. But that is exactly why a new movement matters. I call it Giving Back Plenty – or GBP. It’s not about big money, corporate charity or waiting until you have a lifetime of wisdom. It’s a daily rule for every single one of us, right now.
Imagine the impact. Right here in Lake Nona, we have about 17,000 residents. If just 10,000 of us commit to one simple act of kindness every single day, that equals 3.6 million acts of kindness in our community every year.
How can that be bad? Think about the energy shift in our neighborhood if millions of positive moments were happening all around us.
An act of kindness doesn’t take hours out of your day. It’s holding the door for the person behind you at the coffee shop. It’s pausing to say a genuine hello to the person treating your lawn, asking how his family is doing and actually listening. It’s dropping off an extra bag of groceries at the pantry, checking on a neighbor or just putting your phone down to give someone your full attention.
No matter your age – whether you are a student, a professional working in Medical City, a parent raising kids or a retiree – you have something to give. Kindness is a currency we all possess, and it never runs out. When we hold onto it, our community feels isolated. When we share it, the entire neighborhood lifts up.
The best part? It changes us, too. When we actively look for ways to be kind, we feel more connected, less stressed and more alive.
Here is how we get to 3.6 million:
• Practice Everyday Micro-Kindnesses: Start small and start today. Hold a door open. Smile and thank the cashier. When someone is working hard on your street, take a moment to ask how they are doing.
• Show Up for the Next Generation: If you have skills, mentor a local student or coach a team. If you are younger, take time to check in on an older neighbor or help someone carry their packages.
• Support Local Lifelines: Give an hour a month to places making a local impact, like our area food banks, schools or hospitals.
• Share a Skill: Teach someone a simple recipe, help a neighbor fix a broken gate, or share a piece of advice that helped you through a tough time.
We don’t have to wait for the world to get easier to make a difference. We have the numbers, we have the heart, and we have the time.
Give back plenty. Commit to your one act today and watch how far it spreads.
The neighborhood gets stronger. We feel more connected. And that’s a pretty good deal.
