Lessons in Generosity

Weekly wisdom to level up your creative life in 3 minutes, for free.

A SHORT STORY

There is a Buddhist saying I often return to — “If I can help, I will help. If I cannot, at least I will do no harm.” It helps guide me when I often don’t know what to do.

It reminds me that daily we get to choose how we show up. There are ways we can act that bring understanding, connection, joy, happiness, well-being, and ways we can act that create suffering.

I remember one time when I lived in the Dadaab Refugee Camp, my friend Kimo invited me over for a meal at his home. Due to the danger of Al-Shabaab and other insecurity, the opportunity to visit a refugee’s home without a security escort was rare, but I welcomed the opportunity.

Kimo and his wonderful wife prepared an Ethiopian meal from their homeland, and there was this small detail that has always stayed with me. Kimo told me, “We always make a little bit more, just in case someone comes by and is in need of food.”

This brings me back to the simple choice of how one shows up in the world.

Reflecting on Kimo's generosity, I encourage you to consider where you can metaphorically cook a bit more food and bring someone else along as you navigate your week. And recognize that sometimes the simplest choices have the most profound impact.

What small actions can you take this week to embody the spirit of Kimo's generosity? Where can you metaphorically prepare 'a little bit more' to extend a helping hand or create a space for someone in need?

A CREATIVE TOOL

META introduces an AI language translation model - Can you imagine a world where you can communicate across languages in real-time translation through AI? Well well well, that recently became a closer reality with the launch of Meta’s new tool, Seamless, which is the first publicly available system that unlocks expressive cross-lingual communication.

I think what is most impressive about this model is how it preserves human expression while moving so fast. Check out the demo here 👀

A PIECE OF ART

“A Good Story” by Ada Limon

originally published in The Hurting Kind

Some days—dishes piled in the sink, books littering the coffee table—
are harder than others. Today, my head is packed with cockroaches, 

dizziness and everywhere it hurts. Venom in the jaw, behind the eyes,
between the blades. Still, the dog is snoring on my right, the cat, on my left. 

Outside, all those redbuds are just getting good. I tell a friend, The body
is so body. And she nods. I used to like the darkest stories, the bleak 

snippets someone would toss out about just how bad it could get.
My stepfather told me a story about when he lived on the streets as a kid, 

how he’d, some nights, sleep under the grill at a fast food restaurant until
both he and his buddy got fired. I used to like that story for some reason, 

something in me that believed in overcoming. But right now all I want
is a story about human kindness, the way once when I couldn’t stop 

crying because I was fifteen and heartbroken, he came in and made
me eat a small pizza he’d cut up into tiny bites until the tears stopped. 

Maybe I was just hungry, I said. And he nodded, holding out the last piece.

Grateful,

Michael