The Selfish Giver…that is what I am! I give because I am selfish. Well, that may not be fully accurate. I have always been a giver; since I was a kid I wanted to give what I could to others because I wanted to help. I can remember when I was very young, like 5 or 6 years old and going to donate a stuffed animal to a telethon that was going on at the Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio. In my adult life I have continued on that path of giving.
This all came to be because I used to often complain about the horrible state of the world that we live in and how so many people can be so hateful. Every time you turned on the news there was a story of some outrageously awful story that was almost unbelievable. I decided that if I was going to complain I needed to get off of the couch and do something about it. That’s how I made the decision to be more active in my community.
When I was in my early 20’s I can recall going to the grocery store around Thanksgiving and buying just over $27.00 of food items to donate to the Open Door Mission. It wasn’t much, but it was what I could afford. I remember feeling really good about what I had set out to do and that was enough for me to be happy. Now, if this next part isn’t God, Karma, What Goes Around Comes Around, or whatever else you would like to call it, I don’t know what is. Shortly after my good deed I received a letter from my employer in the mail saying that at some point I had been paid a bonus check and it had never been cashed so included with the the letter was a check. Any guess on how much the check was for? Well, if you said $27.00 you are incorrect. It was actually $30.00. Haha. I’m not very religious, but this was definitely a moment where I had to take a step back and say, “Hmm?”
As amazing as that sounds I don’t give money or time expecting to get something of monetary value in return. I do however expect to get a wonderful feeling that energizes me and helps me smile. This feeling allows me to be grateful and realize all that I have to be thankful for. It pushes me to help others smile and pay it forward when I am able to. So you see, I am selfish. I crave that feeling and need that feeling in my life to be complete. It’s my own drug that I chase and no other high compares. A few years ago I volunteered through my current employer for an organization called AllPlay Miracle Baseball League. This organization believes that “Everyone deserves the chance to play baseball.” The opportunity was coordinated by my coworker and friend, Sheena Wheeler, and she invited me to participate. It was such a great experience being on the field and playing ball with those kids. When I walked away from the field that day I remember being so overtaken by this wave of pure happiness and joy. I thought to myself, “everyone should have this feeling; everyone should volunteer at least once.” Because of the time I took to volunteer the outcome of the rest of my day was set. It was going to be a glorious day! As a father with 2 young children I want them to know this emotion; it is my obligation to pass this on to them.
About 5 years ago when my daughter was only 6 years old I got very upset with her. I was upset with her because we had hustled to sell chocolate bars for her school fundraiser and as a prize reward she got to enter a money machine. She had just grabbed $108 in the machine and we had gone to the Shadow Lake Hyvee to deposit the money into the bank. When we came out there were a couple of bell ringers outside of the store and my wife and I thought it would be a good idea for her to drop a dollar in the kettle, but she wanted no parts of that. We could not get her to put anything in the bucket and I was furious. So furious that when we got home she had to go to bed right away. The next day I was telling a coworker about what happened and he asked me if she knew the reason for the bucket? I as a wise adult of course assumed that she did. She had to know, right? WRONG! Later that day I asked her if she knew why people were collecting money in the kettles and she had no clue. This was indeed a parent fail! I felt so horrible that I had gotten upset with her and she didn’t even know the reason behind the bell ringing. Once I enlightened her on the cause she was more than willing to put a dollar in the kettle from that point forward.
She learned something new and I learned a huge lesson – Kids do not automatically know something just because the parent knows something, I should have practiced patience and asked the question before I jumped to the conclusion. This was a great lesson to learn and because of it we had a conversation about how fortunate our family is and how not every family is as fortunate as us. The result was her and I taking some time to volunteer for our first time as bell ringers and we also signed up to help in the kitchen of the Open Door Mission for 6 months. The 6 months actually turned into about a year of volunteering after we decided to continue after the initial period. We had a lot of fun doing that and we got the bonus of enjoying some productive Father/Daughter time. That time is priceless and I look forward to doing something similar with my youngest.
(See video of the Small Guy Family Ringing)
I want to see people smile, I want to see people happy, I want to get that rush when I know that I did for someone else with no strings attached (free giving), I want my kids to feel the joy of doing for others, I want to make the world a better place with one small act at a time, I want you to see me do it so that you want to do it and I want all of this and so much more. I WANT, I WANT, I WANT, I WANT! I know what I am and I know that I am a Selfish Giver!
Volunteering at Kool-Aid Days in Hastings, NE
I know that the Holiday Season is quickly approaching and that is often the time that people go the extra mile in doing for others, but I would like to issue a challenge to anyone reading this article. I challenge you to do something for others even after the season has passed. If you do something for someone else let me know about it and how it made you feel. I’m curious to see if you feel the same.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you enjoyed it, please share it.
Sincerely,
Small Guy Promotions
