Right now I have enough address labels to last into the next millennium. I have used them so often; I have forgotten how to write my address. In fact some days I’m not even sure what my address is. I could wallpaper an entire room in them and still have some left over. The other day I saw an advertisement for a company actually selling address labels. That’s like selling leaves in the fall or snow in the winter. I haven’t bought a Christmas card for years and most people send me Christmas letters instead of cards anyway. I put a calendar in my garden shed this year for the first time because it’s the only building that I own without one in it. My watch tells me the time, date and day of the week, if I care to gaze down at it, as does my computer when I turn it on in the morning along with my phone. My smart phone will tell me the time and date in Bangkok if I’m headed that way. Not likely. If all else fails I find a pretty girl and ask her. I get the date and a smile, what more could you asks for. The other day I asked my phone if it was going to rain today and it told me what do you care? You’re not going anywhere anyway. My smart phone is a smart-ass phone.
Now I’m not a scrooge by any means and I set aside a part of my income to give away. My favorite place for donations are those run by volunteers helping the sick and needy. Food shelves, clothing centers and churches rate high on the list with me. I do support cancer research and people volunteering to raise money for them by walking, running, crawling or swimming. I support those in my family in their time of need as long as they are trying hard to help themselves. I believe in giving with a warm hand and if I die broke that’s okay. I was broke when I came into this world, naked and crying and I’ll probably leave the same way. However, I will not support organizations run by professional fundraisers. I don’t make political contributions because it only encourages the politicians to do what they are best at doing-- nothing. It’s my feeling that if you are a good, honest politician and I hope that’s not an oxymoronic statement, that you will be elected without having to buy your votes. I know some of them and I vote for them. I do the best with what I have but I’m only one person when it comes too charitable giving. If I gave to every one of those letters or phone solicitors I would be the one standing in the soup line instead of helping buy the soup. The only good I see coming from the avalanche of letters I get each day, is it does help the post office pay their bills and they need all of the help they can get. I have lost my level of trust with some of these people. I gave to one organization and quickly received letters from many more in the same business.
To all of the people who work so hard volunteering their time to feed, cloth and care for people less fortunate--- thank you so much for your efforts. It’s a shame you have to compete for the available money with those whose efforts are suspicious.
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