Giving. Do it for yourself.
This will be the first post where I share something I consider part of my private journal. It is a stream-of-consciousness-capture of a feeling that came over me when I was washing dishes. I’m sharing it today on Giving Tuesday to give a little bit of myself in service to my purpose to inspire movement through shared meaning. This moment stirred me to reflect on my privilege. And it’s with privilege in mind that I think Giving Tuesday is an important time to share more of ourselves than we normally would. And by sharing more of ourselves, there’s so much to gain in return.
November 15, 2022
Tonight as I cleaned the dishes
in the kitchen
I heard the sound of
running water.
It brought me back in time
to I don’t know when,
somewhere early and primal.
There was nostalgia in the sound,
just like a song
that played over a first kiss.
I felt a memory of childhood
familiarity, comfort,
and reassurance—
there is water.
And then I felt my privilege.
I get to take running water
for granted. I heard it
as if it’s a stand alone sound–focusing on it
as if I hadn’t spent all day with it
on; in the shower,
filling tea kettles, coffee maker,
water bottles carted around
and dishes. Dishes. All. Day.
to the point of dried and cracked hands…
From the excess of water.
I heard water in that instant as if my day were bone dry.
I get to tune out
Water.
But that doesn’t mean I should.
I should always listen for what’s special
In the sound of running water at a kitchen sink.
I am lucky. I am lucky to be in a position where I get to do what I love and make money doing it. I started Meshin because I wanted the freedom to earn to give as I pleased and over the course of Meshin’s time in business, charitable giving has become an increasingly more important part of business goals.
When I took the pledge to give 10% of profits to the world’s most effective charities in early 2021, I didn’t anticipate how much that action would change me. I don’t consider myself an effective altruist, with a label and lapel pin as others in the movement might. I consider myself someone privileged enough to enjoy my life and give simultaneously. And the magic of that pledge is bigger than the commitment to the most effective charities. As Sam Harris from the Making Sense podcast and Waking Up app puts it, taking the pledge makes giving outside of the most effective charities somewhat of a guilty pleasure.
Beyond my committed 10% through the pledge, I’ve found so much joy in giving at a community level that it creates a bit of a giving high. Like a shopping splurge. Our local Causewave, YWCA, Foodlink, Girls on the Run chapter and Urban League are organizations that are special to me. They are my version of “most effective” at a local level. Since giving locally and globally has become an integral part of my life, I’ve felt greater joy, happiness and alignment within myself. So it’s not just a guilty pleasure, but it almost takes on a selfish connotation. I’m giving because it feels so good for me–in addition to the help it provides.
I know there is so much privilege that comes with what I’m sharing. And it might even be a little bit taboo to talk about giving so freely. Our culture usually shuns any discussion of financial means. But how can we normalize giving as a regular part of our lives if it’s considered so taboo we can’t even talk about it? And normalizing giving is certainly something I think the world would benefit from.
As our culture reels from separation, polarization and conflict, there is a simple antidote to bring us back to a feeling of connection and wellbeing. Giving. Do it for yourself.
