Friday, December 17, 2010

Changing the World. One Smile at a Time.



They’re haunting me.  No, not the perfect pair of shoes I tried on seven years ago at the Neiman Marcus after-Christmas sale but didn’t buy.  Nor the people who sent us holiday cards that I didn’t reply to even though their address was right there on the back of the envelope.  I think I was too busy or maybe was being chintzy with my cards.  Or both.

The voices are quiet at first, but steady as they nag me this time of year.  I hear them when I whiz past the man and his son standing at the Salvation Army red pot ringing the bell.  They get louder when I toss a Feed the Hungry request-for-donation mailer into the recycling bin without even opening it.  Then they start to sound like cries when I read an article about the sex trafficking trade while I am sitting in my optometrist’s office.

We all have a point at which we stop and listen.  First Born Prince can’t look at photos of children from The Smile Train—an organization that fixes poor children’s cleft lips and palates—without offering me some of his allowance.

The Professor can’t walk by a homeless person in the cold.  He once saw a man in NYC shivering on the sidewalk, ran into the nearest department store, bought some sweatshirts and gave them to him.

The young woman who works in the salon I go to cannot stomach animal abuse.  She told me about her friend’s boyfriend beating the crap out of his dog.  Regularly.  As she painted my toes, we devised a plan to rescue “Oscar.” 

My friend’s parents are academics and have built a life around research and study.  Her mom, who carries a purse repaired with duct tape, sent a $5,000 check to the rescue relief find for Hurricane Katrina.

I know we can’t help everyone, or all be philanthropists, or even save the world.  But we can help change and improve it by giving something, even if it is just a few dollars to help repair a smile or distracting a jerk while you dognap a helpless pet.  I really love that this time of year gives music to those voices.

No comments:

Post a Comment