The Ripple Effect. Even though I share my daily posts on Facebook and Twitter, it feels like I’m writing in a vacuum most of the time. I look at the page views my blog has garnered already and I don’t know where they’re coming from (but am very grateful for them).  What I’m  realizing even this early into the project is that there’s a ripple effect caused just by people hearing about it.

Friends and friends of friends have been extremely kind in sending notes of encouragement and thanking me for the inspiration. While inspiring others is an incredible by-product, it is just that... a byproduct. I’ll get more into the weeds on why I started “Causes & Effects” as the journey continues, but it was really for selfish reasons. Even though I donate to charity  (as I’ve discussed, not nearly as much as I thought) and am on the board of a philanthropic organization, I find myself way too obsessed with my little world that I like to think revolves around me.

So for at least a few minutes every day, in addition to addressing my fears about money that I already wrote about, C&E forces me to think about someone/something else. My friends who have kids do this naturally (although not always willingly) since they’re responsible for little creatures who are dependent upon them. This is my way of looking outside myself, even if it’s just for a little while. 

But there’s already a greater force at play. Only nine days in, I’ve had friends tell me that they’ve shared my idea with their minister to discuss if there’s something to be learned from my adventure. Or someone else has brought up trying to incorporate some version of this into their family’s routine. That was, again, not my intent, but what a glorious reminder that we are all connected and that absolutely no kindness operates in a void. 

I know that my $10 alone isn’t going to cure cancer or save an animal or build a playground, but I do believe —in a totally grounded, non-hippie way —that thoughts and intentions matter and that putting something positive out into the universe just has to be a good thing, doesn’t it? 

Today’s charity is The World Wildlife Fund since we are all trying to live in harmony with each other. 

Jan. 9, 2013:  The World Wildlife Fund http://worldwildlife.org/

Read how this whole thing started here