Find something you love and donate to it.
To find something you love, a cause we would enjoy supporting, is fun. And having done our research and made our choice, we can then donate time, energy, enthusiasm or funds to it: Children and adults in need, trees and forest conservation, all kinds of wild and wonderful creatures, the causes of free speech, our local library, local producers, volunteer centres, all of these benefit from our input, big or small.
We may say we “cannot afford it” – we haven’t the time, or the energy or the funds; but on closer inspection, we may be excusing ourselves because “there’s so much wrong, what difference can I make?” or “I’m just so busy… I’m tired by the sheer scale of the problems we face…”
These are always good arguments, valid and full of reason, to explain why we fail to get involved. And indeed, compassion fatigue can creep up on us. How many petitions have we signed lately, urging action? How many appeals have we seen, and wished we could do more for? But maintaining that, therefore, there is no point in getting involved, is a tiny bit like walking along the street or in the supermarket, seeing a lost child, and not stopping to ask them, “Can I help you?”
I know there will also be lots of people who would say, “I would love to help, but I don’t want to be accused of doing anything inappropriate…” and that too, is a legitimate concern. But, on the other hand, how appropriate would it be, to leave a lost person lost? How appropriate is it, to notice that there is a problem and do nothing about it? How appropriate, to leave the moral, the difficult physical and emotional work to other people, to our young people and those who must come after us?
Lots of people do that. They make a mess, and expect nameless “others” to tidy it up. I see very clear examples of this from my kitchen window, when someone fills up the communal waste bins with something totally inappropriate, or dumps something on the kerb that they know will not be picked up by the garbage collectors. How do they expect that stuff will get sorted out? Who else will deal with it? Is it right just to expect it to miraculously vanish, one day?
Lots of questions. But it is easy to make a difference. We just have to decide that we want to, and the rest follows.
Thanks for listening.
Please share:
February 28, 2020 @ 11:23 am
Thanks for these thoughts, Fran! Yes, if only I could stand on a soap box every time I see someone needlessly drop waste, fly tip or carelessly walk by spitting or dropping their dogs’ poo, supposedly unseen, I would be busy all day. We try to make a difference, first by keeping our own yard in order, and cleaning up the verges and doing hedge cutting and lawn mowing for two of our neighbours, who until now, have not thanked us for our efforts, but the facts are that we live in this neighbourhood too and difficult as it may be, we should not be influenced by others’ lack of care. I hope you have a pleasant weekend. I pinned your post to one of my boards on Pinterest. Maretha
February 28, 2020 @ 1:56 pm
Thank you too, so much, for popping by and commenting, Maretha! I could feel myself getting on my soap-box too, writing this blog post. It’s too easy to take clean streets, roads and gardens for granted, isn’t it? And, like you, I could be busy all day clearing rubbish, so now, I’ve had to step back from it a bit. I like taking a bag with me in the car too, so if I’m driving somewhere and happen to stop, and I can do a bit of tidying and stretch my legs at the same time. It is good to do these things, if only because we notice the beauty in small places, all around as, as we go on our daily rounds. Thank you so much, for pinning this post to your boards on Pinterest! 🙂 Have a lovely weekend.
February 29, 2020 @ 6:55 am
Hi Fran – it’s good to remember that the small things can make a difference – and a moment here and there given in a good cause is never wasted. Keep well, my friend.
February 29, 2020 @ 4:49 pm
Hi Margaret – thanks for popping in and leaving your comments. Much appreciated! Yes, it is good, finally, to learn that life is less about grand gestures or conspicuous success, and more to do with little, frequent steps forward, and small victories against the odds. I am well, thank you, and I hope you are too. Let’s keep our determination alive and bright!