We smile and shake hands. "Keep me posted!" I say. "I will for sure!" And we each go our way beneath the sunny sky, in the afternoon warmth.

Compassionate service is a simple and always accessible path to happiness. It doesn't require years of mediation, practice, or great study. It requires that you open your heart and feel our common humanness, our inextricable interconnectedness, and see the sacredness of each of us.

Science tells us compassion is good for our health, and we know that helping others makes us feel good, but sometimes it feels like there just aren't enough hours in the day. In minutes, at no or low cost, and from your desk, you can contribute.

Often we resist the idea of making a difference, because we're convinced it will take a tremendous amount of our time and energy. Or, that we may not have the information or answers others seek.

Compassion in action or selfless service doesn't require heroics. You don't have to save someone from a burning building or snatch them out of the way of a speeding truck in order to serve.

Be the love you seek in the world, beginning with the one in the mirror. A random good samaritan act reminds us we are worth it.

It's the rare person that has never felt pain or had tragedy touch their lives. And anyone that's come out on the other side has something valuable to say that others can benefit from.

Adjusting to this new reality means appreciating that just because there's a crisis going on, you can't live in it all the time: in crisis mode there's nothing to do but get immobilized with dread.