Dear neighbor who just
delivered a bag of coats for Project Warmth –
Thank you.
Because of you,
someone will be warmer tonight.
No, not because of the actual
coats that you donated.
But because you donated.
You see, at Kindness
Activist, we believe that everyone deserves to be warm. Only, sometimes that mission is hard to get
across to people. And when you walked up
with your donations, I was struggling to get through to a guest.
From my perspective, this
guest needed some warm clothing. Sure,
they had on a fleece, and it looked like another layer underneath. But they were wearing shorts. And no mittens. And it is not warm out.
This is a person I have
interacted with several times. They are
super sweet, quiet, reserved. Every time
I ask them if there is any food I can get for them inside – are they hungry for
anything specific, do they need any toiletries, I always get a gentle smile and
a, “Oh, no, no no… I am fine,” in
response. I try to explain that it is no
trouble – I can just run inside and fetch what they would like. I tell them I do it for lots of people – it is
no bother. But no. They will choose from what is in the pantry,
no matter how bare it is when they arrive (after walking 2 miles to get here I think).
So today, today was the first
time I have seen them since we started Project Warmth 4 days ago. I rushed out to greet them – then paused and
recalibrated myself to be calmer and not overwhelm them. “Hey, we have something new happening! We have winter coats to give away – loads of
them. Neighbors donated them. Want a coat??” I offered.
And the response was the
usual, “Oh, no, no, no… I am fine”.
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| Donation bin chock full of amazing warm clothing |
“Are you sure?? We have lots to choose from. Look!” I said as I rushed up to the porch
where donations waiting for me to process them were in a big bin. “This one looks warm,” I said as I held up a like
new looking jacket.
“Oh, umm, no thank
you. That is too fashionable for me…”.
Ahhh yes, why hadn’t I thought
of that? This is a fly under the radar
type person… I quickly dug through the
bin – I had their attention for a only brief time. I knew if they wanted a coat it had to be now…
“Hey – this one looks good! And warm!” I said as I held up another
choice.
They smiled at that one,
so I brought it down for a try on. We examined
it together – the pockets, the special “thumb holes”, the colors… But they weren’t convinced. And I don’t think it is that they didn’t want
it. It wasn’t that they didn’t need
it. It was that they felt they didn’t deserve
it…
“What if someone else
needs it more than me?? I would feel bad
taking it…” they tried to explain.
I told them the coats are
for EVERYONE. Uber drivers pull over to
get a coat. Kids. People walking by. Everyone.
Still, they hemmed and
hawed.
But then YOU walked up.
I saw you rounding the
corner with a bag. I wondered if you
would stop here. I wasn’t sure if it was
food for the pantry or something warm that you carried, but I suspected you
were coming to drop off.
And you didn’t bat an eye.
You didn’t turn around when
you saw the backpack on the sidewalk at the guest’s feet, heavy blanket neatly
rolled and tucked on top for carrying.
You didn’t stare at the person in shorts on a winter day. You didn’t pause. You didn’t judge.
You just walked up.
“Hi! Is that a donation?” I asked.
“Yup!” you said as you
handed me the bag of coats. “Thanks!”.
And you left.
Just like that.
You normalized it.
People give. People take.
We SHARE.
Because we all deserve to
be warm.
I smiled at the guest. “See??
She probably brought the things her family doesn’t wear anymore. Like I told you, lots of people have
brought things over,”.
And just like that – it
was ok to take a coat.
It was ok to accept the
gift.
It was normal. It was life.
They were deserving and they were worthy.
So, thank you neighbor. You didn’t know it at the time, but your donation
made a difference in a life today. Because
of YOU, someone will be warmer tonight. And
because of you, someone feels worthy.
P.S. – they also accepted a pair of warm gloves.
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| This great hat was donated and will find a new home soon |
