Times are tough out there. Not just for you, but for your neighbors, your friends, and your local nonprofits.
Money is just money – until you don’t have enough. Then it’s a problem. You can’t think comfortably about anything else. You can’t enjoy anything else. That not-having-enough-money thing occupies an enormous corner of your mind, and it won’t leave even when you try to ignore it or speak to it sternly in a firm and confident manner.
It turns into pernicious worry that sucks the life out of life.
Community bands worry about being able to play their next concert. Shelters worry about being able to stay open another night. Food banks worry about handing half-empty bags to hungry people. Your friends and neighbors worry about clothes for their kids and gas for their cars.
We’re not talking enormous donations here. A hundred bucks can stock a food bank shelf. Fifty can fill a gas tank.
Why wait until you die? Inflation and general cost of living increases are more than current interest rates, so that nest egg isn’t growing. Will the need in 30 years be that much greater? I don’t think so. And you never know, that Mayan prediction thingie could be right.
If you’re giving to a cause, why be anonymous? Your name on the community chorus program tells other fans that they can be donors, too. Your name on the shelter donor list says “this organization is worth supporting.”
Your money in their hands says “I care about you. I have faith in you. And I want you to succeed.”
Even if you have no cash to spare, you can still give of yourself. Cultivating a spirit of generosity makes you feel rich even if you’re not. Mow your neighbor’s lawn. Clean out your closet and donate what you forgot you had to a thrift store. Make extra lasagna for dinner and take it to a friend. Volunteer for a local charity.
Your world could end at any moment. Make a difference now.
thruppence 