(Apologies in advance for the funky spacing on this post, Blogger is NOT cooperating with me today!)
This is Chip. I'll tell you about him in a few minutes...I mentioned in my last post that I had donated a few dollars to a young man in uniform who was standing at a busy intersection collecting for a new Veteran's Assistance Center here in South Florida. Though I believe it's my duty as a human being who has been blessed with life on this planet to give back as much as I can, I admit that I also do it for selfish reasons, too... it makes me feel good! If you haven't consciously done a nice deed in a while (or even if you did one this morning), I've got some ideas for a few things you can do today, with barely a change in your normal routine, to make yourself feel good and help someone else out at the same time. I challenge you to give one of these a try. If you do, I'd love to hear about it!
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Ever been on a plane?
If you've ever signed up for a frequent flier program, there's a chance you're sitting on miles that (1) you don't use, or (2) you don't have enough of to buy a ticket. Rather than let them go to waste or use them to buy magazines you don't need, why not donate them to someone who could really use them? After all, 3,287 miles aren't going to get you anyplace... but they could make a huge difference to someone else. Click on one of these airline links for more info on their specific programs and partner charities:
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Ever have leftovers?
If your family is like mine, a full pound of pasta is too much for one meal but not enough for two. Sadly, we almost never eat leftovers. I've got 2 ideas on what to do with the unused pasta.
- If you have a child in the house (or if you're a kid at heart), save out a handful of uncooked pasta (this works best with elbows or ziti.... spaghetti won't work). Find a piece of string and some other small holey items around the house (beads, small pieces of colored paper cut into shapes with a hole punched through the middle, etc.) and let your little one make a necklace. Wrap it in tissue paper and present it as a "just because" gift to a neighbor, friend from church or even the cashier at the grocery store. Watch both your child's and the recipient's face light up at this small act of kindness.
- Cook the pasta like you normally would, but package up the leftovers in a disposable container. Pack it in a bag with plastic utensils and some napkins, and give it away. You might know of a homeless person who is always at a specific intersection, or you might have an elderly neighbor who doesn't always get a home cooked meal. Give someone a great dinner tonight that they might not otherwise have.
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Got kids?
My daughter (she's 4) is in love with her box of crayons. She'll draw pictures till the cows come home and I love every one she makes. The problem? She makes a LOT of them. I have stacks and stacks and stacks of pictures that I can't bear to throw away but don't know what to do with. After wallpapering half the house with her drawings, even framing the "most special" ones, I still have dozens left. A lot of them look exactly the same... this month every picture has a house, a rainbow, a tree, a lake, grass, a sunshine, 2 clouds and a bird. What am I going to do with all these pictures? I'm going to give them away. To a nursing home, maybe the VA hospital, a friend down the road who had surgery and could use a good pick-me-up. Might seem like a small thing, but who's day wouldn't be a little bit brighter when they receive a home made piece of artwork from a little girl with a big heart? Of course, I'll have her sign them all so that some day when she's famous, they can sell the pictures on eBay.
My daughter (she's 4) is in love with her box of crayons. She'll draw pictures till the cows come home and I love every one she makes. The problem? She makes a LOT of them. I have stacks and stacks and stacks of pictures that I can't bear to throw away but don't know what to do with. After wallpapering half the house with her drawings, even framing the "most special" ones, I still have dozens left. A lot of them look exactly the same... this month every picture has a house, a rainbow, a tree, a lake, grass, a sunshine, 2 clouds and a bird. What am I going to do with all these pictures? I'm going to give them away. To a nursing home, maybe the VA hospital, a friend down the road who had surgery and could use a good pick-me-up. Might seem like a small thing, but who's day wouldn't be a little bit brighter when they receive a home made piece of artwork from a little girl with a big heart? Of course, I'll have her sign them all so that some day when she's famous, they can sell the pictures on eBay.
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Got 5 minutes?
Yes, you do! You really do!! Earlier I said I donated money to a man on a street corner. Though my $2 won't go very far, I've been counting... there's an average of 18 cars stopped at each intersection on my ride home at any given red light. If every car that stopped dropped just 50 cents into that bucket, that guy would collect $9 every 90 seconds. Imagine the cumulative effort of only 1 hour's work? Think of the number of veterans that could be served with the change that's just hanging out in our cupholders. It's this "cumulative effort" theory that stands behind this little guy, my new friend Chip.
Chip is from CoolPeopleCare, an organization I can't say enough wonderful things about. CoolPeopleCare is aiming to be THE online destination for anyone who wants to make a difference, and all it takes is 5 minutes a day. They're full of ideas on how to make your community and your world a better place, things that make a huge cumulative impact but you may never think of on your own. Bookmark the site, or sign up for their daily email newsletter and let them come right to you every day.Want to learn more? Check out their site, see what they're all about, what they believe. If you like what you see, you can even order a copy of their new book for yourself, or to give to a friend. (I've already preordered five, and will give them as gifts along with some fun stickers and t-shirts).
Come on, take 5 minutes out of your day... you'll be glad that you did!
("Chip" logo used by permission from Sam at CoolPeopleCare)
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