Sometimes I feel as though I’m
sitting on the edge of impersonating the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. The
Grinch, that grumpy, snarly and conniving fiend who tries to put a damper on
things. Then something happens, just like all the Who’s down in Whoville who
begin to sing, that shifts my perspective toward a place of realizing that there
is good in the world.
My journey along this years fundraising
path has proven that point repeatedly. During this past week, with the flood of
nasty and divisive political ads; the news of Malala Yousufzai, the 14-year old
Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban for seeking an education; and
disagreement with my personal bank, I began to feel as though life was looking a
bit dire and overly challenging. At times I found myself feeling overwhelmed
that I want to help create a positive shift in our planet’s consciousness but
there are moments that it just seems too hard.
Then something happened
that renewed my belief that good can happen in this world.
This past
Wednesday my 13th fundraising event was held. This came about not through
anything that I did, but through something I said. Over the summer, I was
speaking with Shannon Sinsheimer, a local naturopathic doctor at the Optimal
Health Center. We ran into each other at the health food store and were
catching up with what we’d been up to over our summer. I mentioned the Global
Seva Challenge and raising awareness around the prickly issue of sex trafficking
in India. Whatever I said, lit a spark within Shannon who immediately replied,
“I want to do something to support you. This issue is so important and needs to
be given attention.”
And when I arrived at the Optimal Health Center for
the event which was a night of services, everything was already buzzing. All of
the staff volunteered their time and skills to the night. The massage
therapists were booked solid for almost 2 1/2 hours. The chiropractor was doing
assessments, the nutritionist offering advice and Shannon was giving B 12
injections. Delicious vegan fare was being sold by Pea Shoots Cafe who donated
100% of the proceeds to the evening and I had a table set up selling wristbands,
tees and tanks.
People kept arriving for the two hours of the event,
asking questions and taking an interest in a good cause. This all happened
through emails being sent out to patients and posts on Facebook. Not only did
we raise close to $1200 that night, but what it did was much more.
It
helped me to remember all the good that is within peoples hearts. It helped me
to remember that even in the dark times, light is always present. It helped to
remember that just helping ONE girl out of the sex trade and into a better life
is worth it. In fact, my husband found the following quote which pretty well
sums it up:
littered with thousands of starfish, beached and dying after a storm. A young
man was picking them up and flinging them back into the ocean. “Why do you
bother?” the old man scoffed. “You’re not saving enough to make a difference.”
The young man picked up another starfish and sent it spinning back to the
water. “Made a difference to that one,” he said.
day.
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