So easy, a chimp could do it...

I was thinking about the TV show “The Big Give” and was just googling some information and came across this article online about altruistic chimps.

I was thinking about how people that you don’t know and will probably never see again can make your day. Since I was a child there has always been a “dollar menu” at fast food restaurants. When I was ten, I went to Mcdonald’s with exactly one dollar. I ordered a Big Mac for $0.99 and then was asked for $1.06. I had no concept of taxes at this point in my life. Anyways, I was a pretty shy kid, and felt embarrassed since I didn’t have enough. Here I am looking at my puny dollar then at the $1.06 digital reading across the screen…then at the cashier…then back at my dollar. Then out of nowhere, this lady steps in front of me and pays for it. She told me to put my money away. The kind gesture really resonated with me.

Have you ever done something for someone, without expecting anything in return?

I mentored a child for eight months. I was under the impression that all I had to do was spend a couple hours each weekend doing normal things. We went to the park, the arcade, and to miniature golf. He was a kid that had nearly everything going against him. The more time I spent with him, the more I realized that we are all born with different opportunities and disadvantages, but it’s what you do with them that defines who you are as a person. It was such a fulfilling experience that I highly recommend it for the right person. The bottom line is that the experience was the opposite of what I had expected. I was trying to make a difference in his life, but he really made a difference in mine.

For me, whether I am helping someone or being blessed by another, I get a feeling of warmth and kinship with others. I feel that people are born with the desire to help others, they often just don’t know where to get started or they feel like they don’t have enough time, money or both. There are many things that you can do that takes relatively little time and no money. Locally, I would look into L.A. Works or Volunteer OC for starters. Maybe it is a coincidence, but L.A. Works has a "Monkeying Around" event on May 4th.

Wishing you wealth in all its greatest forms.