Maybe the Buddhists have it right. They say that everything we do in life produces a consequence–positive or negative, and that your intention causes the outcome. For example, if you had a rich great uncle and you visited him often and brought him gifts so you’d be left a small fortune in his will, your intention would be that of greed, so your karma would be bad karma.

And what’s interesting is that the Buddhists believe that we live many times as souls and each time we inhabit a body and a life circumstance that gives us a different perspective. So, maybe you’ve been both rich and poor in your journeys through this universe, gorgeous and homely, both a strong leader and a person of weak character. You might have been absolutely brilliant a few times, or a poor farmer without an education.

What I do believe, Eastern religious beliefs aside, is that the people around us are always giving us an opportunity to do good things and to come to terms with the fact that our lives aren’t just about us. They’re also about giving to the poor, helping our friends, and feeling moved to make the world a better place. If nobody needed us, how would we display our goodness?

I read recently that a good test of character is whether one brings their grocery cart back to its proper place. It’s a simple test that most people in our lovely town pass with flying colors. But in other places I’ve been, not so much.

Here’s a nice holiday story about a man who had nothing, and yet gave so much:

On Christmas Day in 1921, a Swedish immigrant quietly wheeled his humble hot dog stand to a street corner in Boston’s North End. There, Axel Bjorklund handed out 500 free hot dogs to hungry children. Axel knew poverty well; he barely scraped by himself, but he felt a deep desire to give back. Hundreds of shivering children, wrapped in thin, tattered clothing, swarmed his cart, their faces lighting up as Axel placed a steaming hot dog in each small hand. The food eventually ran out, but Axel’s resolve did not. That day, the tradition of “Hot Dog Santa” was born. Over the next eight years, Axel gave away nearly 10,000 hot dogs before his death in 1930.

Axel Bjorklund was born on August 6, 1869, in Gothenburg, Sweden. He immigrated to America in 1889 and eventually settled in Boston’s North End, a neighborhood teeming with newly arrived immigrants. Most lived in crushing poverty, struggling to make a fresh start. The Spanish Flu Pandemic had devastated the area, leaving countless families destitute and many children orphaned.

After a brief, failed marriage, Axel found himself alone. He started a hot dog stand on the bustling corner of Blackstone and Hanover Streets, and the work gave him renewed purpose. Yet Axel could not ignore the hungry children he passed each day. Moved to action, he vowed that no one would go hungry if he had food to give.

His first Christmas hot dog giveaway in 1921 was a success. In 1922, Axel doubled his effort, handing out 1,000 hot dogs. The giveaway became an annual event, growing larger each year until he distributed 3,000 hot dogs annually. Children adored Axel, affectionately calling him “Hot Dog Santa.” Newspapers across the United States–and even as far away as Sweden–reported on his generosity.

In time, the annual Christmas event shifted to New Year’s Day, but the children’s excitement never wavered. As Axel’s legacy of giving grew, so did his personal struggles. Plagued by rheumatism and frequent hospital stays, Axel’s health deteriorated. Financial hardship soon followed. Unable to pay rent, Axel appealed to the public for help, determined to keep his hot dog tradition alive.

In December 1928, just weeks before the giveaway, Axel was evicted from his home. The Salvation Army stepped in to provide temporary support, but Axel’s troubles persisted. Over the next two years, he drifted between the poorhouse, the Cambridge Home for the Aged, and occasional shelter offered by kind strangers. Despite his dire circumstances, Axel managed to host his final hot dog giveaway in 1929.

On November 10, 1930, Axel Bjorklund died, penniless and alone, in a Massachusetts hospital. With no surviving family, he was destined to be buried in a potter’s field. However, news of his death sparked an outpouring of compassion. Moved by Axel’s story, citizens rallied to raise funds for his burial. The Swedish Charitable Society coordinated the effort, and Axel Bjorklund–Boston’s beloved “Hot Dog Santa”–was laid to rest with dignity in Cambridge Cemetery.

Everyone whom he touched, and who endeavored to help him, was given a true opportunity to show what they were made of.