Creativity Tips: Show, Don't Tell

Yesterday, as we started this week-long series, I told you to be a mensch. My bad. A good writer should show, not tell. So, as we move forward, I will show you mensches in action.

Let's start with the story that sparked this series:

When our daughter Kate turned 17, Tom and I bought her a used VW Passat. Kate's 26 now, a real estate agent with a house of her own and two dogs. The Passat was old and had over 100,000 miles on it. She wanted something bigger, newer, better.

She went online and found a great deal on an Audi SUV. So, earlier this month, she sold the Passat. A used car transaction -- it happens every day. What makes this one special?

The day before she sold her Passat, Kate took it to a car wash and spent about $25 to have the attendants clean it and polish it -- inside and out. Then, she drove to a gas station and filled up the tank.

She didn't have to do that. She'd been offered her selling price for the car, sight unseen.

Kate is a mensch. And the young man who bought the VW? He was thrilled. He didn't have a lot of money. He was buying a 12-year-old car. The polished wheels? The full tank of gas? They mattered to him. They mattered a lot.

A mensch thinks about other people -- even strangers -- and is willing to put their needs first. How can you do that that? What can you do, today, to make someone else feel cared for -- to feel special?

P.S. There's nothing more satisfying than raising a mensch. Unless it's raising two mensches! Kate and Mary both inspire me to be a better person by their words and their deeds. They make a momma proud. Tomorrow, I'll share the story of another young mensch -- not related to me! -- who gives me hope for the future.