by Deborah Lindsey

Its so easy to see the darkness when it shows up in our lives. Someone says something mean or someone gets sick or dies and it has so darn much power, often sitting with us for long periods of time. In fact, most people can recount the various traumas in their lives with great ease and yet struggle to find one moment of sheer happiness.

I think that’s why I’m so excited about this little project called “A Billion Acts of Love.” It is being put on by a group of all volunteers called Common Passion. It is a simple idea—the idea that we change the world with just a little bit of love.  If each one of us intentionally did one act of love, that would be what, 7 Billion acts of love?  I mean jeez, how easy is that?!  They have put together a Facebook page for people to report on their acts of love. It is starting now, in the light of the Venus Transit which is believed to activate a higher level of love on the planet (takes place June 5th in the US), and will continue until December 21, 2012, perhaps the most auspicious date of all.

I have to say that on some level I think this is happening automatically. In fact, everyone that I know does something good every day. Most of us, I believe, are DESIGNED to act from a place of love. So I look at my day today and I ask myself, did I do anything out of love?

Me? Well, I have this silly thing that I like to do. On many days I cross the toll bridge. It costs 50 cents to cross which can be quite the irritant. So one day, on the provocation of Neale Donald Walsh, I decided to pay for the guy behind me. I didn’t know who he was or anything about him/her. But I did it anyway.  Oddly, the minute I handed the man at the booth that extra 50 cents and said, “Can you pay for the person behind me?” and saw him flash me that grin, I felt like a million dollars! Small price, big payoff don’t you think?

Today I took a few minutes out of my day to hang out with my dear friend James. Hes’ this beautiful young man of 13 who lives on my street and for whatever reason thinks I’m cool. Its beyond me, but who am I to argue? lol. He is such a delight! He is excitedly learning palm reading and tarot cards and is even attuned as a reiki healer. He is like a brilliant sponge who takes what I says, rolls it around in his delightful brain, mixes it around for awhile and then congeals it into thoughts that are uniquely his own. Today he popped over just as I was finally talking myself into getting back to work, knowing I had plenty to do before the sun went down. My first inclination was to shoo him on his way but then I saw his shining face and decided that life, in this moment, was much more important. So I took about an hour and I hung out with young James and I did it out of love. Maybe its a small thing but again the payoff was huge.

You see his cell phone stopped working but I had an extra in the drawer upstairs. So, I got to send him home with a new cell phone, temporary as it is, that will soothe is soul until the new one arrives next week. So do I get to count that as TWO acts of love? lol.

Oddly though I’m not sure if I’M the one who performed the act of love or if it was Young James! I’m thinking that perhaps it was a two-way street?

So, let me ask, what did YOU do today that could be counted among the Billion Acts of Love?