Give Away Something Significant = Success

My goal for October was to give away something significant.

I thought about it all month and tried hard to think of something incredible. Let's just say that if I had the money I would have given away a house. But I don't have the money...so I set a $100 budget (significant to me...) and thought some more.

I thought of people I love who could use a million things and I saw a million tragic stories of a million people in need. And decided against them all.

Instead I spent the money on a loads of food and hygiene stuff to give to someone on the street.

Josh always keeps a giant box of granola bars and stuff like that to give to people when he sees them asking for things. It's not much to give, but it's something I really love about him. There's not a human on the planet Josh wouldn't help if he thought they needed it. And he never wonders or speculates if he is being cheated or taken advantage of. He simply gives to people who need things. At every opportunity.

So I loaded a backpack full of food and a couple of water bottles and hand warmers and a hat and good pair of gloves and socks. I grabbed a blanket and a warm waterproof coat and hauled it around in the back of my car waiting for someone who looked like they needed it.

I didn't finish in October, so technically I guess I failed. But I finally found someone who needed something I'm calling it success anyway.

There was a man standing on the side of the freeway holding a sign indicating his homelessness. I jumped out of the van, handed him the package of stuff and wished him well in his life. He was a little stunned I'd say. But since we were just stopped at a light, I couldn't really stay to talk.
I wish I knew his story.
I wish I knew what he really needed.
I wish I could have taken him on a shopping spree instead.
I wish I knew if anything helped.

But I gave him what I had. I hope he was a little warmer last night. And I hope he has a little hope and can get back on his feet somehow.

Bottom line: I want to give more. I want to be better prepared to help people. I want to have the feeling of having done something significantly good more often.