Tomorrow starts my Month of Hundreds, and my first day of 31 to give $100 to a stranger I meet during the course of the day. I’m feeling a little weary tonight, and a bit apprehensive. I worry that my intentions will be misunderstood by some as “showing off”, or that this whole thing is just a dumb idea altogether. I hope I can let go of trying to control the outcome and remain open to whatever unfolds. I’m excited to get started! Tomorrow will be interesting.
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I told someone today about your project and she said that this happened to her mom. Her son was having a hard time financially, so she took her grandchild to buy his school supplies. While she was waiting in line to pay for them, a stranger came up and handed her $100. She was so overwhelmed by the generosity that she cried.
Thanks, Carole. That is inspiring!
I’ll be waiting to read your posts… this good deed, a reflection of your earlier post on RamBam is so inspiring, I LOVED his ladder of charity – how wonderful you can do this… everyone will remember it and I can’t wait to hear their reactions…
It IS wonderful to be able to do this. Thanks for following along!!
Ray and I are with you! This is a courageous and wise effort. You will be gratified and experience new adventures. Ray says, “Right or wrong, the best thing is, this gets people thinking about giving and helping others.” We love you.
Thanks so much to you both. Your support means a lot to me.
I find your idea very interesting. I’m a volunteer program manager. In case you are taking suggestions…. A homeless guy who comes to our food pantry regularly and is looking for a second hand tent…I told him I’d put the word out…
Kelly- Thanks for the comment and suggestion! One of my “rules” for the project is that I can’t go out of my way to find someone to give the money to; it has to be someone I encounter during my regular daily routine. Your comment made me think again about all the need in our community, and my decision to do the giving this “random” way. No one should be homeless… or hungry…
Hey mom!
I’m really proud of what your doing and excited to see how the next month turns out. I was just wondering though, do you have any other rules for the project?
Love you,
A
No gifts to anyone with stick-and-poke tattoos! Just kidding. Other rules: at least once I have to give to someone I really don’t want to. I have to hand it to the person, can’t leave it in a tip jar or on a counter. Can’t be someone I know or who works in the building where I work. Might come up with more as I go. So glad you are following along! Love you.
You can’t control other people’s reactions, so as long as you’re clear about what you’re doing and why (and you are!) then it won’t go wrong. Can’t wait to read more!!!
Thanks, Hil. This whole thing has, for me, a lot to do with letting go of control over the impact of the gifts, and I guess of others’ perceptions as well. I’m glad you are following along.
I told my youth services team about your give-away and they were all enthralled by the idea. One of them mentioned that it would be fun to replicate in some manner with teens to encourage a mindful giving practice. I have been holding you in my thoughts today as I went about my business, imagining that at some point the MOMENT of connection and decision was occuring. Appreciating your generous, risk taking heart across the days and miles between us…P.
Thank you! I love that you talked with the youth services team about it and that it sparked some additional discussion. Thanks for reading!! I feel your support.
Update? How are have your first three days been so far? I look forward to hearing your stories. Very inspiring.
Pua
Thanks for reading! Check the posts from the last few days for the daily updates! It’s been amazing.