I have a confession to make.
I spent money on my marathon photos. They are not cheap, as most of you know. I can't even say it was an impulse. It took me about a day to decide to get them. And I did, and I feel hypocritical.
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| Homelessness in Schools David McNew/Getty Images (KQED) |
So what is the problem? Well, the problem is that here I am writing posts about not asking for gifts for myself but donating to charities instead. Here I am posting on Facebook about ideas of giving without spending money. And here I am, wasting money on something as trivial as this.
It did not take long for me to get whacked on the head. About an hour later, I went for a run and listened to Forum on the local NPR station. The program was about homeless children in schools. As I listened to the heart wrenching stories of kids who come to classes hungry or leave not knowing where they are going to sleep that night, I felt ashamed. It is so easy to point fingers at those filthy rich 1%; I do that all the time. But when I look in the mirror, the picture is not so pretty either. I am not saying that I should be denying myself fun things in life, but c'mon, so much money for a few photographs of me running so I can post them on Facebook and show them to my friends?
For the longest time I've been saving money for a half way decent road bike. The bike I have is a cheap mountain bike, heavy and really not that great. I've been borrowing from the bike fund to donate money here and there. After listening to one especially sad story of a single mother who needed money by noon today so she, her sick son, her niece she's been caring for would not end up on the streets, I reached out into that fund once again. Heavy, wide-tire bike means a better workout, right? A new bike can wait. Mine, and other listeners' donations mean shelter for this lady and the kids she is taking care of.
Maybe there is hope for me yet.
