Hey, Good Friends ---
HUGE windstorms and God knows what are pelting the US Midwest on 26 October, and are headed east toward my neighborhood by 27 October. Tons of damage in their wake as residents try and prepare for winter.
Winter is coming. Countless people we will never meet or know will die of exposure, starvation, and curable diseases. Many, if not most, of these people will be Indians scattered throughout the US and Canada without access to decent medical care.
I'm wondering if we can take some of our "reward money" and throw it towards reputable orgnizations who fight the often unwinnable fight against hunger, disease, poverty, and hopelessness in our Indigenous Populations? The ones who first welcomed us to these shores?
I know it's way inappropriate to name agencies, and I wouldn't dream of doing that, but I also know I CAN suggest that we maybe poke around local agencies and see who filters money, people, and good wishes in the right way. Maybe trade in that Burberry scarf we've been eyeing to celebrate our 100-day quit for the same amount of cash that would warm, feed, and clothe and family of 6 for maybe a week?
I'm the first to acknowledge that SSC is all about encouragement and success; I'm also the first to admit that without SSC, this time, the last time, the time before that, and the time before THAT, I'd be dead in the water. I'm ALL ABOUT the success stories.
But I'm also all about the reality of the shame of our addiction. When we are ready, we admit that it is nothing short of shameful, and the things we did to support it were shameful.
So in conjunction with our rewards for bringing an end to our shameful behavior, I'm hoping we'll consider something positive to contribute to our communties as a sign our of moving forward. Find someone who really needs the money you used to spend on cigarettes and throw it their way. With all due respect, it's the least we can do for having polluted the environment for as long as we have.
Shame on us, but we're fixing it, one fix at a time.
Or even "Won" fix at a time?? Let's win it back. It's not always about us.
peteg
