More Than a Pot of Stew

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October was going to be about gratitude…to prepare us for November. That’s how I found Thank you, Omu! (affiliate link) It’s a story that’s new to me and the illustrations are delightful. While the title made me think of gratitude, the storyline goes much deeper.

Omu is making a pot of stew for herself. She seasons it, tastes it, and decides she is going to have an especially good dinner. She lets it simmer while she reads a book. The smell drifts through the neighborhood and leads a little boy to her front door. Omu shares some stew with him. Someone else comes a few minutes after the boy leaves. Eventually, people from all over the neighborhood come to her door, drawn by the smell of what she made.

Omu keeps sharing.

When it is finally time for her dinner, the pot is empty, and she’s sad. Her generosity cost her something, and she feels a loss. She doesn’t regret sharing, but she is sad there’s no delicious stew left.

She doesn’t have to pretend she’s happy about not having anything left for dinner. She sniffles and sits with the empty pot. Generosity and disappointment exist in the same evening.Then she hears knocking at the door.

When Omu opens it, she finds the people in the neighborhood returning with food of their own. They fill her apartment, share dinner, and celebrate together. Omu’s pot of stew created community.

When we make dinner, we’re also creating a memory around the kitchen table. When we check on a friend, we’re taking care of each other. When we volunteer, bring soup, drive the neighbor to an appointment, it can seem like a small action because we often don’t see how far that act reaches.

The lesson of this lovely book is not that every time we share, people will return that night carrying roast chicken and dessert. Real life isn’t that tidy. Sometimes we give and never see what happens with our gift. Omu’s pot reminds me that an empty pot does not mean nothing remains. In fact, I think I may let an empty pot live on my stove this month to help me keep thinking about that. Ordinary generosity that moves through a neighborhood one bowl at a time is a beautiful way to live

This week, notice where you might be creating more than you can see. You may not know the full effect of your offering. Imagine the next page of that story. Where might your one generous act go?

I’d love to hear the story of your generous act. Message me: paigekullmancoaching@gmail.com

I’ll be cheering you on,

 

You can purchase Thank you, Omu! with my Amazon affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn a small commission at no cost to you  from qualifying purchases.