Motivation Catalyst

On May 18th, I found a purse, ironically in the same location where Mahera Khanshab recently lost hers, and since hers was gracefully returned, I was eager to pay it forward. After a quick search on Google, I had a brief conversation with the owner and arranged to meet. When I first greeted her, she had a grateful smile, one that stretches across the cheeks, and in her hand was an envelope. I immediately resisted the envelope, insisting that whatever was inside was unnecessary. As if she expected my reaction, she had a clever response stating, "It's not for you." That caught my interest and I accepted the token of appreciation. Inside the envelope was a beautiful sentiment, which made my day and unexpectedly someone else's too. She had honored me with the task of giving a Burger King gift card to someone who could use it. I chose to give it to Timothy, a homeless man in his early 20's. I've never initiated a discussion with a homeless person before, ...

Since the dawn of time, humans have formed communities so that they can feel a sense of belonging. Afterall, you are the sum of the people around you.  We want to surround ourselves with value-driven people who make a positive impact on society. We rely on this group through good and bad times . During this pandemic , social distancing can easily weaken our community and conversely, staying connected to our community will enhance our ability to be resilient. Throughout these ‘cloudy’ weeks, one of my best friends, Alissa Plungis and her family, have been leading an effort to ‘brighten’ their community in thoughtful ways.  Each week, they have a different way to give back.  “Take a Toy, Spread Some Joy” (Can you tell Alissa works in Marketing?) – keeping a bucket-full of toys including bubbles and kites, for other neighborhood kids. The neighborhood even set up a table of community resources to share. It’s empowering when everyone feels like they have a place to mak...

For those of us who have volunteered at a soup kitchen, we can identify with the humbling experience of serving a hot meal for the homeless. It's an opportunity to view life from the perspective of others and for some, nutrition is more challenging to sustain.  The pandemic has left the homeless more vulnerable than ever. The nightly shelter population has risen to peak levels increasing risk of transmission of the deadly virus. With fewer pedestrians roaming the streets, panhandling wages are likely at their  lowest. Lastly, most soup kitchens have closed due to lack of food and volunteers.  Mahera and I were approached to collaborate with a group of friends on a good deed of preparing homemade pre-packaged meals for  C.H.I.P.S. , a Soup Kitchen that is temporarily closed, but still feeding the homeless. We jumped on the opportunity and put our kids on the PB&J assembly line hoping to make someone’s day better.  It is fascinati...