The truth is charity isn’t solely for the needy. That’s right, you really do it for your own selfish reasons.
My first big project at the stat
ion was… charities. I signed us up for Socks for Seniors, Toys for Tots, we already participate in Tides of Love, and we adopted a family in need this year. The family in need was a family of 6, a single mother with 5 girls, and they made a list of things that they needed, and things that they would like to have this Christmas. To top it off, there is a family that are friends of mine that are adopting three little boys (siblings) from Estonia. They are trying to raise money to bring them home. (PS they have a blog, check it out!) All this adds up to is… we took on A LOT!
I’ve been running around since halfway through November up until now trying to get enough donations for all of the charities. It was a huge task, and way more than I thought I would be taking on. But through some miracle, it all came together in the end and we had mounds of stuff to give to each one. I am now POSITIVE that people will have an amazing Christmas.
Then a co-worker said, “You really did a great job with this!” Followed by more “Good jobs!” and pats on the back. I went back to my desk feeling proud of myself and huge sense of accomplishment. I thought I was really able to make a difference in people lives and I felt really good about myself for the selfless giving we had done. Then it hit me.
It wasn’t selfless at all. I had done all of this, and gotten all those amazing feelings for doing something for someone else. I had the best of intentions, I really wanted them all to have an amazing Christmas, but you can’t top the feeling you get from helping. I’m addicted. I can’t help it.
So, if you feel like being selfish this year: Donate. Help someone else. It’s amazingly self indulgent.
