The Zen of Anonymous Giving

Standing by the frozen canal in Ottawa, the wind bites, but the atmosphere feels surprisingly warm. It’s National Kindness Week 2026, and there’s a distinct vibration in the air that wasn't there a few years ago. We’ve moved past the era of performative posting and into something more tactile and grounded. I see students handing out hot tea and older folks teaching kids how to skate—simple exchanges that require no hashtags. It reminds me of why Rabbi Reuven Bulka started this eighteen years ago. He knew that the soul of a city is measured by how we treat the person we owe nothing to.

There is a certain Zen to being a ghost in your own good deeds. When you help someone without the expectation of a thank you or a social media shoutout, you experience a purity of spirit. It’s a form of active meditation. Your ego steps aside, and for a brief moment, you are just a vessel for compassion. In a world that constantly asks us to build our personal brands, choosing to be an anonymous helper is the ultimate flex of character.

True generosity doesn't need a camera lens to validate its impact on the soul. It lives in the quiet satisfaction of knowing you eased a stranger's burden while nobody was watching. This week, try to perform one act of kindness that nobody will ever find out about. Maybe you pick up litter in the park during your morning walk, or you anonymously pay for the next person's transit fare. The secret makes the act belong solely to you and the universe.

As we celebrate the third week of February, let’s honor the legislation that made Canada a leader in compassion. Bill S-223 might be a document in an archive, but its lifeblood is in our hands. We are the ones who turn a legal holiday into a living reality through our daily choices. Strength isn't always about holding your ground; sometimes, it’s about making space for someone else to stand.

Take a breath, feel your feet on the pavement, and look for the hidden opportunities to be soft. Our communities are hungry for connection that doesn't feel like a transaction. When we give freely, we break the cycle of scarcity that keeps us stressed. We become the peace we are looking for.