Random Thoughts and Musings

Life is a roller coaster of twists, turns, ups, and downs. Fate throws us curve balls. Karma brings to us what we have dealt out. Opportunity knocks. Chance opens windows.

Our worlds are filled with change: some we implement, some is forced upon us. You can own the change, and make it your own, or you can sit back and let life happen. Better yet, you can instigate change that will benefit someone else, and better their lives temporarily or permanently. If you are truly successful, that change will be paid forward and continue to grow, blossom, and shine.

Many people talk about what “could” be done to help a situation, but not so many people act upon those ideas. If everyone in the world took a moment out of their day to do something positive for someone else, without benefit to themselves, the world would be filled much happier, more peaceful people.

What can YOU do to implement change for someone else? Here are some easy ideas:

Do you have some time to spare?

• Why not help encourage children to read through a foundation such as the one I wrote about before, called In2Books?
• Or maybe help build a home and/or community with my favorite cause, Habitat for Humanity? You can show up for a few hours, or a few days … the camaraderie of the builds is amazing, and the organization is worldwide.
• Perhaps you could set up a small (or large) fund-raising drive, or blanket-and-food drive (for people AND pet shelters!), or coat collection drive, or scarf-and-gloves drive …
• Volunteer at a food bank: the food has to be sorted, shelved, bagged, and distributed somehow; they rely on volunteers to do much of this!
• If you need more ideas, check out DoSomething.org

Do you have an abundance of love to share?

• Find a local children’s ward or hospital and see if they need volunteers for craft time, reading stories, or even tutoring.
• Stop by a senior home and offer assistance.
• Check out your local animal shelters and see if they need volunteer dog walkers or kitty cuddlers.

Have a little (or a lot) of $$ to spare?

• Do you buy bottled water for yourself? If so, every time you buy a case (or even a bottle), set aside the same amount of money to donate water to a person, family, or community who does not have such easy access to clean water. In one year, you could provide a person with clean water for life ($70), a small group of people could provide a whole family with clean water for life ($400), and a full-fledge fund-raising effort could provide a whole community with water for life ($5000).
• Purchase food for a local pantry, supplies for a local shelter (personal hygiene products are always needed!), an interview-worthy set of clothing for a person struggling to get off welfare, or help a random person with their rent/mortgage payment in a month when they just cannot make ends meet.
• Forgo your daily coffee run one or two times a week, and sponsor a child (or two!) a month. I did not link to anything here because I have been sponsoring children through my local Churches, rather than outsourcing to other countries. Please consider this if you are in the position to sponsor!)
• Donate gas cards, bus passes, or train tokens to people through the unemployment office. It is frustrating to have to walk to an interview, because you feel hot and icky by the time you get there. Not to mention, some towns do not lend themselves to walking because of safety issues.

Need Inspiration?
Check out this blog post: http://roshanthomas.blogspot.com/2008/12/power-of-one.html
Do not limit yourself to my list. Use your imagination, expand on the ideas I have here and fit them into your lifestyle and means. The world is yours to change, just as it is mine, and hers, and his, and theirs. Together, we can make a difference.