Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Warm Days, Membership Drives

On some days I am hungrier than other days, on some days I am thirstier than other days. I am not always as nice, as compassionate, as merciful as I feel that I should be. On some days I am both physically and mentally exhausted. Some days I am exhausted after speaking politely to people asking for money for either Planned Parenthood or Green Peace or CARE or Amnesty International or the ACLU or the Human Rights Campaign Fund. I am polite, I am nice, I avoid having conversations, avoid stopping. I am concerned about some of the issues, not concerned enough to provide mail information and a credit card number to any stranger on the street with a big grin and a clip board. I want to know why these young people are standing in front of me pretending that this meeting will only last one minute. I want to know if these young people actually believe in these causes that I am being asked to support. I want to know why different color tee shirts are used on different days. I want to know why they are often there blocking my path as I rush to other destinations. I sometimes think that I should create my own heart tugging cause and get a clip board and stand near a coffee shop. I could stop strangers, be a persistent, insistent stranger with a cause. But would I be lost within the din, lost within the silliness? Everybody is always asking for something. Everybody is always wanting something. Canvasing, panhandling there are times when it all looks like the same thing. There are days when I do the exact same thing to everybody. I simply walk on by. Sometimes there is a sense of guilt, sometimes there is a sense of relief. Some of the causes I am sympathetic toward, I do pray for some.

On some days I am hungrier than other days, on some days I am thirstier than other days, on some days I am more anxious than other days. On some days I look for an all you can eat buffet in the suburbs.

“Begin with prayer, work your way down.” Uncle Will used to explain his strategy for dealing with unfamiliar folks soliciting money. He was a good man, he prayed all the time. He never spared a dime.

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