Do other people keep the free personalized address labels, calendars, Christmas cards, and notepads that come from organizations looking for donations? If I don’t plan on giving them something in return, I usually toss them. It just feels wrong to keep these “free” gifts when I’m not supporting the cause. In the last two weeks alone, I’ve received three sets of Christmas cards I could actually send to family and friends. I’m lousy at sending out cards, but I saved those because I thought maybe I could donate them to another organization that could use them.
How do others choose which organizations to support each year? We tend to focus on local groups, and now that we’re in Minnesota, that means keeping our support close to home. We also like to include at least one arts organization in the mix, here it’s SOARarts. And we (especially Joe) like to support neighborhood kids raising money for school, scouts, or sports. Joe will often just hand over a $20 donation, whereas if the kid catches me at the door, I’ll buy whatever they’re selling. Somehow that always ends up costing a lot more than $20, even though the actual organization might only get a small slice of the proceeds.
Is it too early to start decorating for Christmas? Three of our neighbors, one behind us and two on our street, already have their lights up. From the sunroom I can see two of the homes, and at night I am absolutely enthralled. If electricity didn’t cost so much, I’d be perfectly happy with holiday lights all year long. Joe told me today he’d put up anything I wanted. I love lights on the outside of a house, but since he’s already planning to clean the gutters this weekend, I hate to ask him to go up and down the ladder even more.
Do I like my neighbors enough to get up two hours early to meet them for coffee? Starting this Friday, some of the neighborhood women are gathering at a local coffee shop at 7:30 a.m. That means I’d need to get up at 6:30 instead of my usual 8:30 or 9:30. I also need to eat breakfast first so I’m not tempted to order a pastry with the coffee. I would like to get to know the neighborhood women better, so I’m thinking it’s doable. And if I find I need the sleep more, I can always bow out later.
And finally, the Epstein bill to release the files. I’m glad it passed the Senate unanimously. Do I believe we’ll actually see the full findings anytime soon? Probably not - but it’s a start. I admire the survivors who’ve spoken up. It’s never easy to go up against powerful people, no matter their political affiliation.
What has been on your mind today?
No comments:
Post a Comment