Last week my inspiration for charitable organizations had peaked. My desire to give back flared up and has yet to die down. Pay it forward has been in full rotation.
As a child my dad would tell me stories about his friend Skippy. They had been best friends growing up in Madison, OH and had eventually gone their separate ways as adults. Skippy took a route that most don’t. He joined the Peace Corps. He met his wife in the corps and together they ended up in Swaziland. Skippy spoke Swahili and they were immersed completely into the culture of the land. They had a family as time passed, and their children were also immersed in the small country. Each year I would wait by the mailbox in anticipation of their annual Christmas letter. The letter would fully detail what had been going on in ach family member’s life for the past year. The letters were so interesting and so different from the life I led. At a young age I learned that there was more to life than what I saw on TV, there was a world out there.
I had never met Skippy or any member of his family but the letters they sent once a year combined with the stories my father told me about his childhood made me feel like The Kennedy’s (no relation) were a part of my family too. Their work inspired me as a young girl and whenever someone asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up my answer was always the same, I want to join the Peace Corps. But as many things often do, my plan for the Peace Corps got tossed aside, just as my fondness for Phish tour did. Thank god (about Phish tour***, not the Peace Corps).
Skippy passed away awhile ago and the letters stopped. My father has been trying to get in touch with his wife to no avail to see how the rest of the family is doing. I know that they all went into some kind of public service for the less fortunate. They followed in their father’s footsteps. I forgot about those letters for a moment but remembered how much they meant to me. What a big part of my childhood they were and I may not be able to join the Peace Corps anytime soon but I know that I can easily give back. I can easily use my good fortune to pay it forward.
And why shouldn’t I? There is a whole helluva lot of pain and suffering out there. Life’s too short to be selfish.
This Friday is the Dress for Success Annual Gala and I am giving TWO tickets away for the event! It is gonna be a kickass good time! Dress for Success is a rad national organization that not only supplies suits for success but also focuses on the women’s journey to person self sufficiency through mentors, professional women’s groups, and career centers.
The event on August 14th called, A Denim Affair, will feature VIP reception & appetizers, live auction (with tons of awesome items including 2 tix to see Conan), and great company! To win the two tickets I would like to know how you Pay It Forward in your life. It doesn’t have to be anything big, fancy, or amazing. Sometimes the little things make the most change and bring the most inspiration. Leave me a comment below and I will announce a winner Friday morning.
Bonne Chance bitches.
A special thanks to the Dress for Success peeps including Christina for setting the Widow up with this great giveaway!
***Ever want to see pics of the Chef on Phish tour, now is your chance!
I pay unpaid meters! Ha! I know that sounds so ridiculous but as a downtown resident who relies fairly heavily on metered parking and has suffered mightily at the hand of the City of Cleveland for unpaid parking tickets (to the tune of over $400, ahem) I know the pain of getting bit in the ass by the meter maid for being just a couple minutes late. Therefore, I like to stick spare change in expired meters I come across! I guess it’s also my own little way of stickin’ it to the man!
My philosophy of “paying it forward” is really simple and traditional. I was brought up by the Golden Rule and really believe in treating people the way you want to be treated. So if a stranger asks for $1 for bus fare or my brother needs me to drive him to the airport at 5am, I can’t help but say yes because I’d want them to do the same for me.
I also believe in helping others who can’t always help themselves, which is why I purchased and make dinner for the Cleveland Ronald McDonald House last week with a few coworkers. It was such a great experience seeing the smiles on childrens’ faces and knowing they were going to bed with happiness and full bellies. :O)
Amelia, this is a difficult question for me to answer and I’ll tell you why. I think that acts of charity are most wonderful when done anonymously. There is a Hindu maxim that suggests not even the left hand should know what the right hand gives. This is a common idea expressed in one way or another in many religions. In fact, this notion is expressed almost verbatim in the bible (not bible thumping here just saying how interesting it is to me that both Hinduism and Christianity have such closely worded proverbs). There are charitable acts that Steve and I decide to do together and there are things that I do that not even Steve knows about. At the same time, it seems that it is possible for others to be more encouraged to act on their impulses to give when they see or hear about what others are doing.
With all that being said, the things I’m comfortable talking about are those that would fall into the “random acts of kindness” category.
A few years ago when my neighbor was pregnant I started shoveling her driveway and sidewalk whenever I did mine. I figured her husband’s time could be better spent with her when he got home from work instead of outside shoveling snow. This is something I’ve continued to do ever since.
Also a few years ago, I was dining out when I observed a family dining in the same place on what seemed to have been a very special occasion for them. I over heard bits and pieces as the family was talking about what they could or couldn’t order based on price. I was very touched by the special experience the parents were providing for their kids and also by how sweet and polite their children were. I got the feeling that dining out was a very rare occasion for them. When I asked my server for my check I asked for him also to charge that family’s meal to me (and not to mention it to them until their meal was done and I had left). This is something I’ve done a few times since as well as leaving extra money with a cashier at the supermarket checkout to put towards the bill of the person (usually a family) behind me.
As far as what Steve and I do together and what I do on my own, it is usually things that will have a direct and meaningful impact on the lives of people who struggle to get by.
To pay it forward I practice selflessness and always try to think about how I make others feel and act accordingly. It is as simple as sending someone a hand written note, telling them how they enhance your life or simply giving them your full attention. In such an electronic society, we are all so distracted and pulled in a thousand directions and selflessness through simplicity is how I try to live my life.
I’m having my own little denim affair with my Gap party on Friday, otherwise I would enter myself to win.
Do small things for people every day. Hold open doors, tip more for good service, smile, let old people cut you in line and volunteer for an organization, no matter how big or small.
Amelia, we need to talk about this sometime because I need to tell you about how one of my favorite bars in Detroit handles this, Honest?Johns. See you soon.
Steve