Who would've thought that walking the dogs one frigid morning would bring me twenty dollars? There it was in the snow. Bentley almost peed on it. I looked around instinctively to see if anyone was in the immediate vicinity who may have dropped it. Nope. I thought of leaving it there for whoever dropped it to find when they went looking for it. That was silly. No one was around. The wind would blow it away. Snow would fall and cover it and then a plow could come rip it up. The decision was made. I picked it up and brought it home. Then the question became, what do I DO with the money? I placed it on my desk and contemplated the possibilities.
As the bill stared back at me over the next couple of days, I made a mental list of all the things I could do with the extra money. The church bulletin I picked up on Ash Wednesday contained some opportunities for donation. They were even giving out coin boxes to use for collecting money to benefit children in India. I thought of many different excellent organizations to give to. The bulletin also contained "Service Opportunities" and I remembered the priest speaking about donating time. He also spoke of self sacrifice (for Lent) and reminded us that we could spend a little less time online and call a relative instead. To use our time in service of others is a great sacrifice for Lent, as opposed to giving up chocolate, he said. I wondered where the money would really make an impact. The trouble was that in the grand scheme of things, twenty dollars didn't really seem like it could change the world. Then I thought about THAT. I asked myself what would I want to change.
I realized something. I was actually making a mental list of various ways I could make a difference, or effect positive change if I could. Then it hit me. I could do all of those things anyway - I didn't actually need the money to do any of them!
A few big things occurred to me. One is that we can easily use money (or lack thereof) as an excuse. I mean, if I wanted to make a difference in young people's lives, I could volunteer somewhere or help someone with their homework. I could babysit and help a child learn their alphabet. Did I really need to find twenty bucks on the street to remind me of that? And what about that Easter candy drive that the church is having to make Easter baskets for children in local hospitals? Did I really need to find money before I donated a bag of candy for a basket? And what about ourselves? Why not invest in ourselves? Why not buy a book and learn something? Then pass it on? And in what creative way could this money grow? Is there some way to make it multiply?
The possibilities were endless. I continued contemplating as I drove to Bridgeport, CT on Saturday to see a show that friends of mine were hosting at the Bijou Theater there. It was called "Your Time to Shine."
 |
| BiJou Theater stage, pre-show |
 |
| Band member, Apollo Joe, Matt |
 |
| Show Flyer - with Joe Gray, Capone and Matt |
 |
| From the show flyer |
There they were - Apollo Joe, Capone and Matt along with a band, a panel of judges, a dedicated theater manager and a bunch of bright eyed kids and adults sharing their time and talents. It was simply beautiful. It was a living example of all the things I had been thinking about! Nervous contestants went up and performed while a house full of supporters showed their love and appreciation with applause, admiration and the purchase of their twenty (or twenty-five) dollar ticket. I had a great time and met some very nice and interesting people (how about that lovely woman next to me who was both a body builder and an opera singer?). Being there warmed my heart as I remembered being a nervous contestant myself at the Apollo Theater, where I met first Joe (with whom I went on to perform countless shows and who first introduced my husband Russ to Mr. Ray Chew). I was called up on the Bijou stage as a guest performer and was happy to sing a duet with Joe. Then there was the popcorn bucket...
Toward the end of the show, someone from the theater presented Joe with an empty popcorn bucket in which to collect donations to help maintain the theater. Here was a perfect example of people working together to make a difference in a community, in the performing arts, and in children. He placed it at the front of the stage and people filed forward to cast their bills inside it. A broad smile spread across my face as I realized where my extra twenty was destined.
Before I had left the house that evening, I wrote a draft of this blog. Part of it said, "I will find a way to pay this forward in hopes that someone else will be inspired to pay it forward too."
Twenty bucks. In the grand scheme of life, it's not that much. It won't make anyone rich or poor by itself, but think of all WE can DO! What if I matched the twenty I found? What if I left it somewhere with a note saying:
Dear whoever finds this:
Please use this to help someone in need.
Thank you to everyone who inspired me this week. Much love...
Namaste,
