“I’m not going to die because I failed as someone else. I’m going to succeed as myself.” –Margaret Cho
Is it another Monday already? My, how time flies when you’re trying to do some good in the world! Lately I’ve had less time to do overtly good things like volunteering or fundraising, so it’s given me time to reflect on things I’m doing in my every day routine to make the world a better place. Some of those things have become so much a part of my day-to-day living that I forget to give myself credit for them. Is it the same for you?
Here are your Monday Ripples which I send out to you in hopes that they’ll inspire you to do some good. Maybe one of them will be part of a conversation you have today that your co-worker won’t be able to get out of their head. You never know how far the ripples will reach…
Fitting the Bill
Cover Preview: Inside Bill Clinton’s New Plan to Fix Haiti
I love when US Presidents are active in public service when they leave office. To me, that is the true measure of the person. Jimmy Carter’s humanitarian efforts have been downright heroic. You can take a look at just how busy Bill Clinton has been by nosing around the site for the William J. Clinton Foundation. Clinton was working in Haiti before the disastrous earthquake and he is still working there, while the crisis has dropped off most radars. But Clinton is only a part of this Esquire magazine story on Haiti, a feature in the magazine’s “Impossible” issue. Pick up the issue to read the full story, but the link above provides you with supplemental stories to Tom Chiarella’s revealing article.
One Less Car on the Road
Undriving
I recently got a new bike and I try to ride it as much as possible as an alternative means of transportation. Part of it is for the planet, but a big part of it is for me both mentally and spiritually. One of the fun parts of biking is how people react. I met some friends out recently and arrived by bike, when I told one friend why I was sweaty, she reacted with a sad, sympathetic face as if I had told her my dog was sick. This link goes to unique site through which you can take a pledge to drive less and receive an Undriving License. You can also find stories of people who are undrivers like yourself, resources, and information on having an undriving event.
It Could Be You
Autism is Closer to Home: Ad Council, Autism Speaks Launch New Awareness Ads
This particular Ripple speaks to me. I’ve had friends who have had autistic children and my goddaughter is living with autism. Autism has certainly gotten closer to me than I ever thought it would; for a long time it was an almost abstract idea for me. As you’ll learn in this blog post from Autism Speaks, recent studies show that 1 in 110 children are on the autism spectrum. The post is about a chilling, artistically executed new commercial that will hopefully hammer that reality home to many people.
