Most people feel hard pressed to give even a dollar to the person collecting money outside the grocery store for charity or to the homeless person standing at the corner near the traffic signal. Their own sense of lack—their fear that they don’t have enough or won’t have enough—causes them not to reach into their wallets and share even a small amount of money with the needy although they may have a job and money in the bank. Those who actually are in need provide a stark reminder that “there but for the grace go I,” and that’s often a reality we don’t want to look in the eye. So we walk straight ahead and don’t give.
That hasn’t been the case for Reed Sandridge. After getting laid off from his job at a nonprofit in Washington, D.C., he remembered a lesson his mother taught him: When you’re going through tough times, that’s when you most need to give back.
So despite his lack of job…rather because of his lack of job last December, on the third anniversary of his mother’s death, Sandridge started giving away $10 a day to a different person. He planned to do this for a full year.
As he wrote on his website, Sandridge acknowledges $10 won’t change anyone’s life, but he believes the act of giving will inspire others to pursue the ideals of altruism–because they receive $10 from him or from reading the stories of the people he’s met since he began his project.
Can you believe that now the 36-year-old businessman’s day job involves walking around Washington, trying to convince people to take $10 from him? On Day 126 of the Year of Giving project, Sandridge had given away $1260 and met 126 people he never would have met otherwise.
What do you say? Should we all be giving away $10 a day…no matter our circumstances? What an affirmation of abundance! Plus, we must always give…especially if we want to receive. (But don’t give in order to receive; that’s a trap. You can read my booklet, to find out more about that.)
Of course, some of us don’t have that much. I know someone who lives out of her car. Sometimes she barely has enough money to feed her daughter. Yet, she could give a penny a day possibly.
Should we all decide on an amount and give it away daily? Should we do it as a tithe? Jews, like many other people, give 10 percent of their income to charity (or are supposed to do so). We could each figure out that amount and then parcel it out by day and give it away randomly to people. If we can’t afford that much, we could give a lesser percentage.
Let me know what you think. In the meantime, know that Sandridge is calling June 15 a Worldwide Day of Giving. He’s asking everyone who has heard his story or been to his Website to do what he’s doing, for just one day: Give $10 to a stranger and then write about your experience on his site.
