I have never seen my neighbor when she wasn’t busily on her way somewhere, usually at just shy of a dead run. She works days as a travel agent, nights as a waitress and on weekends, she belly dances for private parties, street fairs and conventions.
When she comes home, she dog sits as many as five pups at a time in the little home she inherited, tucked behind her one luxury: a beautiful ivy-covered wooden fence that offers her privacy and security for what little time she has to relax.
While she is rich in spirit and life experience, the coins she retrieves from her spangles just barely cover living expenses. Which is why it was just plain unfair when a rare whirlygig ripped through our Los Angeles canyon. The day after the hailstones and thunder had wreaked their mischief, there were fallen branches up and down the street, an overturned deck chair and a basketball hoop that had been sent flying half a block away. But the only one who suffered property damage was Annie, whose beloved fence lay in shambles.
The story has a happy ending because a couple of us got together and held a neighborhood fundraiser “slow money” style. “Slow money” is the new hot trend for do-gooders who are micro-targeting projects — the closer to home, the better. The phrase takes its inspiration from the “Slow food” movement, based on the philosophy that the more locally one’s food is grown, the higher-quality it will be. Think organic backyard and neighborhood co-ops and potlucks featuring home-grown food, and you’ll get the general idea.
Applied to money, the idea is to worry less about getting a fast return on investment whatever it takes, and more on investing in building relationships that can nurture lasting communities over time.
When I bumped into Jane the morning after the whirligig and told her I wanted to help out somehow, I didn’t know I was going to be part of any kind of movement. It just felt “right” to know that I had skills, connections and motivation that would make a real difference for someone right down the block.
In a nutshell, I offered to do a retreat for the neighborhood on the occasion-appropriate subject of The Art of Resilience my Random House book. Our local community center donated the space. Peggy, another neighbor, provided cheese and crackers and husband Dan was recruited to take donations at the door.
Our target for the event was 30 households, and 20 either donated and/or attended. Over the course of several hours, we got to know each other better. We shared our stories, and a few tears. The only thing fast about the gathering was how quickly we bonded over feeling good about what we were doing for Annie.
I have to admit that while I give as generously as I can to far-flung places like Haiti and Chile, not to mention an alphabet soup of diseases, natural disasters and worthy causes on a regular basis, I’ve recently noticed that I’ve got more than a touch of burn-out licking at the embers of my goodwill.
The crises people face in the world are so overwhelmingly huge, and it so often feels that however far I stretch myself, there’s so little I can do. The checks get written and put in the mailbox nonetheless, but even before the carrier has picked it up, there’s a new round of planetary melt-downs vying for my attention.
I won’t stop trying to do my best to do what I can, whenever I can. But meanwhile, it doesn’t hurt to be able to take a walk down my own street, and give Annie’s restored fence, a nice, slow pat.
I am in total agreement on that.. and thanks for Annie….TRACK
Thanks for the atta girl!
Well done — and — I hope you and all who read your work will take up that banner and wave it mightily in the circles of progress. I have been done with outside (U.S.) charities since 1982 when I refused to take on a child from a country other than the U.S. I am aware of poverty, illiteracy, lack of health care in this country — and always insist on helping one of ours. This may seem too nationalistic, however, I have also been aware of billions going to other countries in the name of charities and the ‘skimming’ that goes on by crooked governments. And maybe even skimming before it gets to the real cause of the charity. Not for me.
One simply must be selective in all things — from the food we eat for better health, to the thoughts we put into our own heads to this most outrageous and much ‘abused’ program of charity. We are taxed by everbody — and maybe we get 55 cents to our dollar after taxes. And still government wants and encourages and insists we support everything from disease (cancer) to Senators. It’s wrong. However, we have free will and brains to deal with that. Let’s do it!!
I think you are wonderful to try to make your contributions as you can. I truly love your act of kindness to your neighbor — and hope you stay in that lane of ‘giving’.
just great – doing what you did. one’s local area is where we should try to help out first if at all possible. as you said it can be overwhelming dealing with all the disasters that our world faces on a daily basis. when i read about Annie’s workday, i realized how lucky i am with being able to work only 3-1/2 days a week. she sounds like one heck of a woman.
Also, enjoy your VN weekend this weekend. I live on Vancouver Island, so too far for me to go to. Would be good to have something in Canada possibly? I, however, get to go visit the Kootenays and the Okanagan.
Thanks all. The retreat should be very rejuvenating….and can’t wait to meet the members who are coming. We are starting regional gatherings, and I will pass along your request for Canada to the planning team!
We too try to give locally as much as we can. For the last five years we have (anonymously) given two scholarships at the local high school to help kids going on to college. It has been our experience that there is not much available out there for non-need based students, even though they often come from modest backgrounds. So we base our scholarships strictly on academic record, extra curricular participation, and an essay. It is gratifying to be able to help in our own little way.