Negativity and selfishness gets great publicity in our social networking, indirect-contact society. You’d be led to believe the world’s running low on good people and that no one cares for or respects one another anymore. Their only concerns are themselves; and when they’re in need, no one is willing to lend them a hand without reward.
This is not the case. Kind, caring, selflessly-generous people still exist. Gloria Mann is a shining example.
Mann’s a versatile film maker and actress with a resume equally as all-around. Complimented by New York Times, she’s graced television favorites such as ‘Thirtysomething’, classic heist film ‘Point Break’, and the heart-wrenching true story ‘The Lennon Report’. An intensely believable performer, she blew away audiences in award-winning short film ‘The Cassie Confession’, a starring role that won her the “Rising Star Award” at the 2018 Melbourne Independent Film Festival. In 2019 she added a “Best Actress In a Play” award to her mantel for her portrayal of Valerie in ‘The Weir’.
Mann’s also a blues and jazz singer. Her ability to captivate an audience with her voice is not an act. While good at what she does, she’s also a good person and one who believes in helping others.
I asked Gloria Mann to tell me about a time when she did something nice for someone she didn’t know. Here’s what she shared.
“I am always on the lookout to help others. I love helping people and making them feel appreciated. I find that sometimes even the smallest gestures can have the most powerful impacts in a person’s life.
Sometimes I pay for coffee for the person behind me or slide my metro card twice for the person behind me. I try to offer food whenever possible to homeless people and animals. I’m in NYC a great deal so there are lots of opportunities to brighten people’s days and hopefully lighten their weight a bit.
I also try to support others on social media and spread positivity. I feel we all have a relationship to each other just by being human.
Last week it was a particularly cold and rainy day in NYC and I noticed people seemed so tired, even at the yoga studio where I practice. I went to the bank and got $50 in $5 bills and 10 envelopes. I put a $5 bill in each envelope and I wrote on each envelope ‘It’s gonna be a bright, bright, bright, sunshiny day!’ – it’s a lyric from that Johnny Nash song ‘I Can See Clearly Now’.
I let a bit of the $5 bill peak out and I found ten places to put the envelopes so someone would find it. I put some in Whole Foods, in the bathroom, in a coffee shop, in a drug store, in a stairwell, on the subway seat, different places where someone would find them.
I never saw anyone actually find any of the envelopes. But I can tell you it gave me great joy knowing people were going to. It certainly brightened up my cold, rainy day.” |THIS
“We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving.” – ‘We Are the World’
[Written by Mr. Joe Walker | Follow THIS on Twitter @THISENT1]
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