Giving is the least I can do...

So it’s the holidays… I’m almost done Christmas shopping for those I love. I’ve tried to cut back and be thoughtful this year about what I give… but mostly what that’s made me think is that I would like to give to strangers. I have heard so much about trouble out there in the world this year and past years and now have friends living abroad and experiencing problems in other areas of the planet… it all makes you feel very fortunate for things we have. Washing machines, dishwashers, microwaves, CARS, public transportation that takes an hour rather than 3-6… countless countless things to be thankful for. And we may still not have everything we want but who really wants to have everything they ever wanted? Studies and experience show that the richest of the rich are not usually the happiest of the happy, that at least a little struggle in life keeps us guessing, keeps things interesting, makes us stronger etc etc.




People are doing amazing things with much less. People are just doing more things than I am with much less…. And I’d like to acknowledge that… I’m setting aside money this month to give. I’m giving to Partners in Health, who work in Haiti and elsewhere around the world, they are linked in my title, I have a friend who works with them and have heard reports about their success and effectiveness… and I’m going to go on Kiva and give some loans through that. I really like the mission they have at Kiva, have meant to do it for years… and now Oprah’s even gone and ‘discovered’ it, so I have no excuse not to… never had one really. Partners in Health recently asked, with the Cholera epidemic and all, if people could send in $25, that's nothing for me right now, I spend some nights at bars. Kiva lets you give loans of less than that, I believe… Anyway, consider doing something, not just at the holidays, but it is a convenient time to be reminded… I should do sooo much more. I procrastinate about a lot of things, but these giving things, they are not hard, why do we procrastinate them away?! Read Mountains Beyond Mountains if you want more on this…



Another thing I’m thinking about is volunteering. The holidays are flooding all the places I’m interested in right now, so Kiva and Partners in December, perhaps in person volunteering in January/February?  What do others do?  What are some good causes to get involved in?  I'm all ears.



Kiva: www.kiva.com

Partners in Health: https://donate.pih.org/page/contribute/2010holiday?utm_medium=email&utm_source=pih&utm_campaign=20101209nondmk&source=20101209nondmk