GreenGuy
19th December 2013, 04:58
In my last post (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?66116-Good-News-Inspiring-People) I linked a podcast that I participated in tonight. Probably no one will listen to it, and I don't blame you...it's strictly local, and it's not that interesting. But I want to repeat a message that a pastor of mine gave me many years ago. It sounded glib at the time, but over the years I have discovered the depths of wisdom in her statement.
Her statement to me was: When life sucks, go scrub someone's floor. It seemed glib at the time. But over the years, I've seen over and over the wisdom in those words.
What I've learned is this: she didn't mean donating ten bucks to the United Way. She didn't mean give a homeless guy a few cigarettes or a sandwich - not that there's anything wrong with those things.
What my friend was talking about was stepping outside your comfort zone and doing some work on someone else's behalf, something that takes some effort and doesn't have any obvious benefit for you.
This, I have decided, is the secret of life. I go out every Tuesday, whether I feel like it or not, and deliver furniture and donated household goods to needy folks throughout the area where I live. I am just one of a dozen or so men who do this. I don't mention it to toot my own horn - I'm an ordinary, imperfect, f*cked-up guy like anyone else.
My point is that if you'll make the effort, spend the time, do something for someone you don't know, you will discover the following things:
People are often noble. It has nothing to do with their economic status.
Your problems are no worse than anyone else's. This is worth repeating a thousand times.
We are all related. No, we're ONE. I am you. You are me. You'll never know until you really connect with people you ordinarily avoid.
Virtue attracts virtue - you WILL benefit.
I remember years ago when I used to stuff the ashtray in my car with bills for the guys who stood on the corners with pieces of cardboard: WILL WORK FOR FOOD. My then-wife always criticized me saying, "You know they'll just spend it on alcohol or drugs. We need the money." The truth is that she had a point. But the truth also is that it's good to give. If you give a guy ten bucks and he spends it on drugs, that's on him. You aren't wrong because you shared.
Sometimes you'll see the same man or woman standing on the corner for years, and you may come to realize they're making more money begging and looking pathetic than you do by working. So? Stop giving to that person. You have still ennobled yourself by sharing.
But forget money. You want to find real joy? Go scrub someone's floor. Wherever you live, I guarantee you there are people who sleep on bare floors, people who have nothing to wear and nothing to eat. Some of them are addicts, some are crazy, some are people who are just out of luck. It isn't for you or me to judge them. Their suffering is real.
You have Craigslist where you live. Craigslist has a "Free" category. I search it every day, looking for stuff I can give to someone else. I challenge you to spend just a little time every week looking for people to help. It will change your outlook and your life. By most measurements, I'm destitute. By my estimate, I'm one of the richest and happiest people in the world. You can be too.
Her statement to me was: When life sucks, go scrub someone's floor. It seemed glib at the time. But over the years, I've seen over and over the wisdom in those words.
What I've learned is this: she didn't mean donating ten bucks to the United Way. She didn't mean give a homeless guy a few cigarettes or a sandwich - not that there's anything wrong with those things.
What my friend was talking about was stepping outside your comfort zone and doing some work on someone else's behalf, something that takes some effort and doesn't have any obvious benefit for you.
This, I have decided, is the secret of life. I go out every Tuesday, whether I feel like it or not, and deliver furniture and donated household goods to needy folks throughout the area where I live. I am just one of a dozen or so men who do this. I don't mention it to toot my own horn - I'm an ordinary, imperfect, f*cked-up guy like anyone else.
My point is that if you'll make the effort, spend the time, do something for someone you don't know, you will discover the following things:
People are often noble. It has nothing to do with their economic status.
Your problems are no worse than anyone else's. This is worth repeating a thousand times.
We are all related. No, we're ONE. I am you. You are me. You'll never know until you really connect with people you ordinarily avoid.
Virtue attracts virtue - you WILL benefit.
I remember years ago when I used to stuff the ashtray in my car with bills for the guys who stood on the corners with pieces of cardboard: WILL WORK FOR FOOD. My then-wife always criticized me saying, "You know they'll just spend it on alcohol or drugs. We need the money." The truth is that she had a point. But the truth also is that it's good to give. If you give a guy ten bucks and he spends it on drugs, that's on him. You aren't wrong because you shared.
Sometimes you'll see the same man or woman standing on the corner for years, and you may come to realize they're making more money begging and looking pathetic than you do by working. So? Stop giving to that person. You have still ennobled yourself by sharing.
But forget money. You want to find real joy? Go scrub someone's floor. Wherever you live, I guarantee you there are people who sleep on bare floors, people who have nothing to wear and nothing to eat. Some of them are addicts, some are crazy, some are people who are just out of luck. It isn't for you or me to judge them. Their suffering is real.
You have Craigslist where you live. Craigslist has a "Free" category. I search it every day, looking for stuff I can give to someone else. I challenge you to spend just a little time every week looking for people to help. It will change your outlook and your life. By most measurements, I'm destitute. By my estimate, I'm one of the richest and happiest people in the world. You can be too.