Thoughts on supporting others:

April 12, 2002 :  This is a great time to support worthy causes. The economy is running hot, with low unemployment, and thus many of us have the means to help, yet there are so many needs. We've recently volunteered at the Vancouver Food Bank, and also donated to Chef Jose Andres' World Central Kitchen, which is feeding refugees from Ukraine.   
Until we can figure out a better way for our governments to care for everyone and everything, using tax dollars, we all need to do what we can to help private efforts meet that need. Our friends are each, in their own way, helping others. Whether in dollars or in service, it's a great gift! Service (providing time, skill, or knowledge) is amazing: We have teachers who present their knowledge to us, so that we don't have to invent calculus, or discover sentence structure, or learn how to think, by ourselves. You might shovel snow from your elderly neighbor's sidewalk. We have doctors and nurses who can help us learn to care for ourselves. A friend gives us a great recipe. You make compost, and you recycle. You keep a bird feeder full of seeds. You donate used clothing. You show a kid how to do something. And others watch how we live our lives, and learn from that. We all teach others all the time, either consciously or unintentionally (and either by good example/useful info, or sometimes by showing others what not to do LOL). It all enriches the world! And if you think about all these ways that we're all providing useful services, even maybe without realizing it, then you can feel better about yourself. You aren't too selfish, if many times each day, you are helping someone or something in some way. I tip my hat to you all.

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