An Occurence

Today, my sister and I went to brunch with my brother and his fiancé in the Short North. After we ate a great meal, we decided to go to Anthropology and look around. As we were walking there, we passed a man giving out those homeless papers for a donation. I decided to be an inconvenience and just pass without giving him money.

Money for a good cause.

We go into an extremely overpriced store and when we have enough money to buy an outfit, I neglect to donate money as a good samaritan would. This thought haunts me the entire time we were shopping. When we began our walk back to the car, I grabbed my wallet to donate. I had two twenties and seven spare dollars. I wasn’t ‘in the mood’ to donate a whole twenty so I gave him the seven ones. I got home a half an hour later with the donation still on my mind. I asked my mom how much someone on average gives, and she replied “usually a dollar”. A dollar. I gave seven and was still unsettled. I kept thinking how I missed my chance to give more. I currently have a knot in my stomach for this reason. I gave seven bucks, I gave more than your typical downtown-ee and I still want to give more. Why is that? Shouldn’t I be proud of what I did do? Or at least content with my choice of the moment?

I eventually come across a settling answer. “But now you have 13 dollars to spend somewhere else. Whether that be on donations is your choice, but spend it well.”

Have you ever had a throbbing in your head from the change of weather, from crying or from what have you but it’s like your heart is beating in your head. I couldn’t feel the throbbing but I knew it was there. I know I’m officially letting my heart lead me. Not with the logistics, not with worthless rules that don’t apply to me.

I’m the kind of person that gets worked up over crowded hallways. I’m the kind of person that cares too much about other people and not enough about myself, but I know now that’s who I am. I should embrace it rather than try to change. I need to help others to help myself. And that means I need to donate and you may not be the same as me. You most likely are not. But I think, I really honestly believe you should donate. Volunteer. Do good for those who can’t.

A dollar is a small price for a big impact.

Until next time,

Emma