Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Doing Something Worthwhile
I got an email today from my friend Aaron, who is walking/running in a charity event coming up in April to benefit mental illness (no, it has nothing to do with buying me a strait jacket or padding a room in my house.) If you’re feeling especially friendly, you can contribute to his cause here. He’s a great guy, clearly a better human being than I am. It made me think about my charitable contributions. Sure, I give like crazy to Goodwill. But I think that Aaron’s purpose may be nobler than mine.
You see, like a lot of us who give to Goodwill, it serves two purposes: 1. tax deduction 2. thin out the piles of accumulated stuff that we no longer want, but feel guilty throwing away. See? Aaron is actually going to go outside and run for charity, while I simply drop off a bag of old sweatpants for charity. While I’m sure someone will find a good use for said sweats, I usually make the drop off when it is convenient for me, and the walk from my car to the drop off point is less than twenty feet, it’s not raining or snowing, and the temperature is somewhere between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit (that’s roughly two deciliters, converted to metric).
If you ever see me running, you should know that one of only a few things has taken place.
1. I made someone much larger than me angry, and they are only a short distance behind me.
2. Something similar to the scene in Indiana Jones where the giant rolling boulder is right behind him. If this is the case, I advise you to turn and run with me.
3. I angered a hive of killer bees (probably with an off color joke about their queen).
So take a minute and help out someone who is actually doing something worthwhile. Or save that money and buy me a beer the next time you see me. Whatever floats your boat.
You see, like a lot of us who give to Goodwill, it serves two purposes: 1. tax deduction 2. thin out the piles of accumulated stuff that we no longer want, but feel guilty throwing away. See? Aaron is actually going to go outside and run for charity, while I simply drop off a bag of old sweatpants for charity. While I’m sure someone will find a good use for said sweats, I usually make the drop off when it is convenient for me, and the walk from my car to the drop off point is less than twenty feet, it’s not raining or snowing, and the temperature is somewhere between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit (that’s roughly two deciliters, converted to metric).
If you ever see me running, you should know that one of only a few things has taken place.
1. I made someone much larger than me angry, and they are only a short distance behind me.
2. Something similar to the scene in Indiana Jones where the giant rolling boulder is right behind him. If this is the case, I advise you to turn and run with me.
3. I angered a hive of killer bees (probably with an off color joke about their queen).
So take a minute and help out someone who is actually doing something worthwhile. Or save that money and buy me a beer the next time you see me. Whatever floats your boat.
