Written by our Founder and CEO, our Celebrations Pulse Sunday Letters aim to engage with our community. From sharing stories to welcoming your ideas, we want to help you to express, connect, and celebrate the important people in your life.
In the late 1950s, anthropologists made a startling discovery when examining the remains of a Neanderthal in an Iraqi cave near the country’s border with Turkey. The 50,000-year-old bones showed evidence of wounds, perhaps from hunts or battles, that would have killed anyone without substantial care. And yet, the skeletal remnants showed that he continued to live to the then-ripe old age of 45.
Researchers don’t know how he was injured but believe that he could not have survived long without a hand from his fellow man.
The discovery was the first evidence in our history of caregiving for an adult, but we all intuitively know that helping each other is what we have in common. We are hardwired to want to help, to provide, and to give to others. Giving nourishes our souls.
Giving is in our DNA
It feels good when you give your time, your effort, your money, or your anything to help other people. It is part of what makes us human.
You know this if you’ve ever helped a visually impaired person across the street or pulled over to help an elderly person change a flat tire. You’ve also felt the joy of giving when you’ve spent days cooking a meal for a group of your family and friends. And you certainly know this if you’ve taken someone with nowhere else to go into your home or helped out at a soup kitchen on a holiday morning. There is pleasure in giving as it’s in our DNA.
A community of givers
We built a company on knowing that people are hardwired to give, and it’s no coincidence that we’ve found our best customers to be the ones who enjoy giving the most.
The giving instinct can be found in the heartfelt messages that our customers send to friends, family members, and colleagues. It’s also found in the stories they’ve shared with us on how they give back to their families and to their communities. A single thread runs through all the giving: It brings joy to everyone involved.
Happy Holidays!
Chris and Jim
