It was the perfect way to usher in my favorite month of the year.

I had just spent a magical week in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, shooting a television campaign with a group of people who brought such laughter and joy to their work it left me feeling changed. I made the drive home thinking about it—the people, the work, the interactions. Why was this project so special?

At the heart of it, I believe there was a remarkable spirit of generosity that marked this shoot, permeating every aspect of the work and spreading location-to-location, person-to-person, like a goodwill virus. Everyone had a job to do, yes. But each also looked out for the others, going way beyond his or her own “job” to provide whatever assistance was needed; doing something simply because it needed to be done.

It made me realize how dramatically the tenor of life changes when you go about your days thinking: What can I do to help?

I woke up this morning grateful for this insight and the many lessons I learned on the Beaufort shoot. Then I turned toward the light to find October dawning.

October Sky, Day 1

30 Days of Grace