November 1st marks the end of “Movember” and my fund-raising efforts have come to an end. Movember was a bit difficult this year, as the team I participated with last year was less motivated this year. This might have resulted from the fact that last year, the team approached me to set it up. This year, I kind of just assumed we were doing it again and threw it at everyone. Not the best way to approach fund-raising but most of them were good enough to donate, although not everyone participated.
Charitable fund-raising is one of those odd creatures that hold a strange place within modern society. Although the motivation and reasons behind fund-raising are usually noble and altruistic, people will be hesitant to participate and/or donate, especially in light of rising costs on just about everything. It can be difficult for some, as they tend to take it personally when someone they’ve approached doesn’t donate. I was somewhat guilty of this, myself. Although a good number of friends, associates and coworkers provided donations throughout the month, I felt that unnecessary little pang of frustration when some would decline. I needed to learn to let that shit go, which led to a learning lesson as a positive.
Ultimately, we managed to scrape across the finish line and achieved our $500 goal, thanks to some last-minute donations from an associate of mine as well as well as my loving wife. Although last year saw me raise more money, it was no easy task so I should have recognized that it would be a bit more difficult this year, given the current state of the world. But we made it.
I like to do my part. Even when i was younger, I would find a way to donate a couple of hundred dollars to charities or foundations that focused on Diabetes. Given that members of my family have suffered from prostate cancer, Movember landed on my radar doing my time with the Force and I’ve been doing it ever since. It’s good to contribute and help out where we can. But I think that in the years to come, I may make my donation as an individual and leave the team-building to others… ☯️
The Blogging Buddhist 