Reply #111: Yeah...share your wealth...with strangers on a message board!

[Atman]

Oh, btw everybody -- I need a few bucks, too. Really! Just send me money, trust me...I'll buy fresh veggies with it! Honest!

Kip, many people (most people I know, anyway) have money because they don't just give it away to the Cause du jour. Donating to charity, volunteering, buying supplies for the kids' school, or dropping off a box of stuff to the Community Kitchen -- these are the types of giving that you'll find many of us do readily. But let me offer this little case in point, about our kid's friends in elementary school. They lived on the other side of the neighborhood; dad was a mechanic, mom worked for her uncle's carpet store a few days a week, cash under the table. They drove ancient, rusty cars, lived in a tiny, messy Cape-style house with three boys...and they ate CRAP. Because that is a) what mom knew how to make, and b) it was all they could afford on a mechanic's salary. At the time, I was making a six figure income from my creative consulting business. We'd shop at the wholesale club and come home and break open the bulk packs and bring them "extras" every couple of weeks. We did this after seeing their kids come to our house and ravage every piece of fresh fruit in our fridge. They never got any fresh fruit at home, they told us. Mom was one of those daily menu people...Wednesday was ALWAYS spaghetti. Friday was ALWAYS frozen pizza. Anything CHEAP. It never altered, and it was pretty clear the kids weren't likin' it. So we tried to have them over for dinner as often as possible, or offer to bring a covered dish over, and hang out with them. But you have to imagine, while the kids loved it, while it made us feel like we were helping, it really undermined dad, who felt our generousity was an indictment of his crappy job. He may not have had a lot, but dammit, he bought his family a house and kept them fed! We backed off, and fortunately remained friends. But let it be lesson. People don't necessarily want such a blatant hand-out, and some can be quite offended by it.

Oh...I recently ran into one of the folks from the old neighborhood -- despite their relative poverty, all three boys managed to go at least to Community College and mom had long since been kicked out of the house. Seems her under-the-table money was going to Vodka, not helping out the kids.

It's always something!