Super-Charged Living: Having A Giving Spirit

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• Tags: cause, charity, committed, giving, Volunteer

This is a guest post by Mary from Simply Forties.

When I was trying to come up with a subject for my guest post for Jeff I started thinking about the title of his site, “My Super-Charged Life”. I don’t know what Jeff means by that in relation to his life but I started thinking about what it means in mine.

The best part of my super-charged life is what I can share with others. I believe very strongly in giving. I believe the only way we can really get along in this world is to bring others with us.

How I have chosen to give

I choose to give in many different ways. I give of my time by volunteering at several local community organizations and by being willing to answer the call of others, when needed.

I give of my resources by making financial contributions to several national and global organizations in whose mission I believe.

I donate certain of my possessions for raffles and directly to our local domestic abuse shelter.

I also give of myself by being open and willing to listen to various people in my community who just seem to need a friendly ear. I admit the last is usually the toughest for me!

I know this will be controversial, but I also give to the occasional begging person I come across. Let me quickly say that I don’t come across people like that too often in my small rural community so I certainly can’t relate to issues regarding hoards of homeless people on the lookout for me as I make my way around town. That is not the reality of the situation in which I live.

When I’m in a bigger city, though, I do occasionally come in contact with people who seem down on their luck. I’m not naïve and I do understand that some of the individual people to whom I give may not actually be in need.

Why I give

I give because I see a person who appears to be hurting and to whom I’m blessed enough to be able to give a few dollars without endangering my own well-being and so I do. If that person goes along to the liquor store, oh well. It’s the giving that counts, not what the receiver makes of the gift.

The most important thing is not what you give but that you give. You don’t have to follow my or anyone else’s lead. Nor should you allow others to influence to whom you give.

I’ve read a lot of comments on various Internet boards and in response to articles on charity that highlight the controversy surrounding the issue of giving. I’m always surprised when I come across the heated nature of some of the debates.

The choices we make in giving

There are people out there who adamantly refuse to give to any organizations other than those which support animal causes. There are an equal number of people out there who decry any gift to animals, and wonder how anyone can support an animal shelter when so many children are starving.

There are people who only donate to local causes and people who only donate to global organizations. I believe very strongly in the ripple effect of every deed, good and bad, that we do. We don’t know where the donation we make to someone starving in Myanmar is going to lead.

We don’t know if the surly checkout girl at the grocery store, to whom we found something nice to say, will, as a result, be in a better mood and go out and do something wonderful.

The impact of giving

The more good deeds that are let loose in our global environment, the better the world in which we all live. Don’t know where to start? If you are open and willing, opportunities to help will find you!

I’m Mary from Simply Forties, a 47-year old single mother of a college-aged son. I write about the topics that interest me most as I make my way through my forties – finances, the environment, social responsibility and, sometimes, relationships and dealing with grown children. I hope you’ll stop by my blog and look around. You can also find me every other Thursday over at 5 Minutes for Going Green.

Photo by fabbio