If you've been following this blog, you know that we went one week without spending a cent, which wasn't as easy as it may sound, then challenged ourselves to go six months without buying anything that isn't consumable. It was an ambitious challenge and we didn't make it, albeit we did last six weeks - seven if you count that first one.
It was something we needed to do to sharpen our awareness of the problem of poverty in the world. We think of those in Haiti or wherever the current media spotlight happens to be shining, but there's poverty right outside our front door, if we only have eyes to see it.
I remember when a hamburger at McDonalds cost 39 cents and my friends and I would lift sofa cushions, check phone booth returns (back in the Jurassic age before phone booths went the way of the dinosaur), and scrounge around until we came up with enough to buy a blessed burger. Sometimes, standing in line, I would notice people in front of me opening fat wallets full of tens and twenties and I wondered if they knew how rich they were. Looking back at that, I can only smile. I doubt any of them were close to rich, but it's all a matter of perception and degrees, isn't it.
I'm thankful for the blessed life I have, for the fact that I can afford to buy a hamburger if I want to, but I never want to lose touch with the fact that I've known poverty and that it still exists all around me, even though I'm no longer living it personally.
Last week, our youngest daughter worked hard to earn five dollars. She took it everywhere we went, debating how she wanted to spend it. It was hard-earned money and she didn't want to waste it. I was proud of her because it used to be that every dime she earned burned a hole in her pocket, wanting to be spent quickly.
Anyway, we drove past an older couple who appeared to be living in an ancient pickup. They had a sign on the window of their truck that said simply, "Please help. We're hungry." I slowed down, considering, and my daughter said, "Mom, stop!" Then, before I could react, she jumped out of the car and ran over to the truck. I saw her slip her five-dollar bill through the crack in the window. The man took it and waved. His smile was nearly toothless.
Our "experiment" was a worthy one because it brought fresh awareness of the suffering around us, of how blessed we truly are. I can see the impact it had on our daughter. It changed her.
It changed me too, brought me back to a place I haven't been in awhile, a place where I'm aware of every penny I spend. As I said before, the more I can save the more I have to give.
It's not important that we didn't make it six months; what's important is the heart that led us to try, and we won't stop trying to make a difference. Compassion must lead us to action.
©Just Kate, March 2010
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