Friday, November 19, 2010

Kindness: Spare Change

This week has been a busy week of lunchtime errands. It's almost Thanksgiving and I had a lot of things to do before we're gone for a whole week.

On Tuesday, I headed over to Newbury Street to make an exchange at one of the shops. On the way, I was accosted by one of those non-profit sellers. You know, the people on every street corner in busy areas of the city asking if you care about the children, the polar bears, the trees or any array of things that, yes, I do care about, but not enough to stand there and talk to you and give you my credit card information. I can make charity donations on my own, and I'm sorry you're getting commission off of trapping people on the street.

I quickly dismissed the latest charity hawker and was, again, stopped by someone else on the sidewalk. I almost just ignored him and kept walking, tired of the barrage interrupting my quick errand. But I didn't. I stopped and let him to his schpiel. He was a homeless man selling the homeless paper - Spare Change. Selling the volunteer-run paper is a way for the homeless to make a little extra money. I'd always see those guys, just never stopped to talk or get a paper. I asked how much it was. He said whatever I wanted to give, "Maybe $5?" Well, all I had was a one bill and a twenty. So I gave him a dollar. And then emptied my change into his open hands - which, to be honest, there was at least another two dollars in there.

A little change to help him make a big one.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Kindness: A Bunch

This past weekend one of my friends was in town. She works for a blindness non-profit and was up here to volunteer at one of their walks. So Saturday morning we got up bright and early to lend a hand. There were some refreshments at the walk, and, after all the walkers had walked their feet right on out to their cars to head home, there was still a bunch left over. Specifically bananas and bagels. Crates of them. Us volunteers discussed it and everyone grabbed a handful. And there were still crates and crates left. So we discussed again and decided someone would take a load to one of the local soup kitchens.

On our drive home, a homeless man was at an intersection asking for money. Instead of offering him money, we asked if he wanted some (leftover) bagels. Nope, a no on the bagels - too tough it seems. Wait, we have bananas too. Yes please! So I jumped out of the car and opened the trunk and gave him a few bananas off one of our bunches. A little snack for the day. And a little bunch of kindness.