Good Deeds Can Lead to Happiness

This summer, my daughter worked for the Montana Conservation Corps, a branch of Americorp. Throughout the summer, her group did service projects for all sorts of "outdoorsy" organizations (I'm sure there's a better term for that), including state and federal park services, national and state parks, and other public areas. Most of their meals are eaten on site and are usually some type of camp food.

This weekend, her crew was actually in town, doing housing weatherization projects for people in need. I figured it had been a while since they've had a home-cooked meal, so I asked my daughter if she would like to invite them over for dinner. She said sure and so we set up the dinner for this evening.

It was one of the most pleasurable experiences I've had in a long time. It was so satisfying to see these young men and women surrounding my dining room table, where we had set up a taco bar for them. They all dug in hungrily while expressing gratitude for our efforts. Dinner was eaten around our living room TV while watching the first game of the Royals-Blue Jays playoff series. We talked about baseball, football, and the crew's experiences in the backcountry this summer.

I got such a high from the energy in the room. The people in my daughter's crew were friendly, outgoing, and very personable. I am so glad that my husband and I could do this small gesture for them. Seeing their happiness made me very happy. Good deeds can (and do) lead to personal happiness!

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