I’m stretched thin right now. This month has turned out to be really busy, although it hasn’t been really stressful, which is an okay combination actually. But means little blogging and a backlog of email and feeling guilty about leaving lots of cool comments unanswered.
But it’s Christmas very soon. I hope anyone reading this blog has been nagged by me into keeping a mindful eye on their Christmas experience, looking for ways to improve it for next time around.
I had a bit of a windfall the other week – an unexpected tax refund from the last financial year (i.e. the year that ended 20 months ago, pretty much). I’ve spent this month talking about having a conscious Christmas and now I receive some free money – believers in synchronicity, stroke your beards now. The phrase ‘put your money where your mouth is’ certainly comes to mind.
Anyway, I’ve decided to give most of it to charity. My annual Christmas donation to Amnesty International NZ just got covered, but there’s plenty left over, so I’m wondering about another charity or two. Probably something in Palestine, since that experience had such an impact on me. Suggestions of appropriate charities welcome.
(This has the added advantage of making it harder the next time I try and convince myself I don’t need to buy some roleplaying book or other. Did I say advantage? I mean, disadvantage. Honest.)
Things I don’t have time to talk about just now:
* The Jodi Jones murder case here in Scotland – this upsets me.
* Palestine and Israel post-Arafat – a rare chance for progress, likely to be squandered.
* Band Aid 20 – please, no.
* Finally started working on a page with photos from Ireland. Up soon.
Off to London for Christmas in two days. Back on the 29th.
Oh, yeah: Merry Christmas!
Peace, love and antelopes…
~`morgue
3 thoughts on “The Xmas Post”
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If bandaid is what it takes to make people give money for famine relief then yay bandaid…
I am both busy and stressed… whats new?
Not sure if this is feasible with your windfall, but alongside the well known charities (NSPCC, Cancer Research, Save the Children etc) it might be worth considering sponsoring a child/children.
Based on your questions a while back about what positive things would make a change in places like this I’d suggest sponsoring a child as well. Though if you are going to do this then it really requires commitment. You can’t just sponsor them for a year and then pack it in. No. You need to sponsor them until theya re old enough to sponsor themselves as it were.
Go ahead. Youw ill transforma life in a very real, very personal and wonderful way. Choose your charity, (I can recommend the TEAR fund – but it’s Christian so you might not agree). Check them out online.
Heck if the windfall is enough, sponsor a couple of children. One pound is worth 80 rupees here. A dollar a day is 560 rupees a week. And that is a a lot of money here. Though actually I think you money gets pooled with other money and the greater leverage that gives is used. Not only do you sponsior the child but you pay for teachers who teach all the kids in the village and pay for wells to be dug and other civic works and all sorts of things.
Help yourself to gain a truely global vision by touching the life of someone in a country and culture far removed from yours. To be honest all your rhetoric is western, for westerners and if it happens it will really only affect westerners. I know that’s a generalisation, but from what you put in here it seems ot be generally true. Maybe this is a chance to expand that vision, to give you a little bit of a “world vision”.
Anyway, that’s my too cents.
Or you could give it me. I am pretty much a charity case at the moment 😉