Day 4!

Day 4: Make a Donation.

It's not easy to give money away without a quick pay-off.

We're living in a country where the entirety of your day is based on as instant of gratification as you can possibly get. I work=I get a paycheck. I pay for a peppermint milkshake at Chick-Fil-A=I get a peppermint milkshake from Chick-Fil-A. I tell my boyfriend I love him, I know he'll say it right back to me. But people really want me to donate money without a quick result? I enter in the credit card numbers, I click "submit," and the money goes to..you know...some research guy researching in research-land somewhere?

It was at this moment in my thought process that I realized something about myself--something I feel the need to confess. I wasn't donating because of the cause. There are 1.5 million non-profit organizations in the country, and I'm not donating to most of them. No, I was giving because I loved the instant gratification of knowing I made someone smile in that very moment. I donated to women's cancer research today because I felt the instant joy of helping a friend who has been affected by women's cancer. That I was able to help her reach her goal that she's been fighting for during the past few months. That I was an integral part of her success in a 10K this weekend. I did it because I got the instant gratification of helping a friend who needed my help. So am I being selfish here? To be honest, I'm not really sure.

But regardless of the reason, you can't lose when it comes to donating to a good cause. I hope that donating to something on Day 4 helped you to realize the importance of giving--even if it's only for the instant gratification of seeing someone smile.