Adding some good karma points
"Serve others. The unfailing recipe for happiness and success is to want the good of others."
--Desmond Tutu
Have been struggling with deep melancholy all week -- brought on by the holidays, I'm sure. I would've stayed in my pajamas all day today if it weren't for the fact that I'd promised some friends I'd help cook dinner at a homeless shelter in Hollywood. About ten of us pooled some money together, bought ingredients and made a simple meal -- spaghetti with meatballs, garlic bread, salad, veggies and chocolate chip cookies -- for 70 people. I am so glad I got to do that. I got to work with old and new friends in the service of others and meet some lovely, appreciative folks at the shelter. It felt damn good, and I'm feeling pretty humbled and grateful right now.
The shelter was clean and quiet. It might have been a little shabby, but it still seemed like a haven. There was a motley assembly of residents...elderly, young, of all colors, shapes and sizes, though there were definitely more men than women. Some were garrulous and friendly, others quiet and shy, but all seemed to enjoy the food and appreciate our presence. Several residents asked where we were from -- I'm guessing because church groups and other organizations come through.
"We're just a bunch of friends from around town," I told one young man who'd asked, smartly dressed in a fedora and black hipster glasses. I started to list parts of LA. "Near Pasadena, from Silverlake, some of us live in Echo Park..."
"Oh!" he said, smiling. "I used to live in Echo Park!" Truth be told, there were people in the shelter who could've passed for one of us volunteers. In this economy, in this world, there but for the grace of God go I.
I happened upon the above Desmond Tutu quote today, appropriately enough, right before I headed out to the shelter. It was in a book of excerpts from interviews with famous older people -- part of the Wisdom project by Andrew Zuckerman. I have to say, I felt the truth of it, down to my core, and am filled with gratitude to have experienced that. It's a good way to wind down the year, and something to keep in mind as we head into the next.
--Desmond Tutu
Have been struggling with deep melancholy all week -- brought on by the holidays, I'm sure. I would've stayed in my pajamas all day today if it weren't for the fact that I'd promised some friends I'd help cook dinner at a homeless shelter in Hollywood. About ten of us pooled some money together, bought ingredients and made a simple meal -- spaghetti with meatballs, garlic bread, salad, veggies and chocolate chip cookies -- for 70 people. I am so glad I got to do that. I got to work with old and new friends in the service of others and meet some lovely, appreciative folks at the shelter. It felt damn good, and I'm feeling pretty humbled and grateful right now.
The shelter was clean and quiet. It might have been a little shabby, but it still seemed like a haven. There was a motley assembly of residents...elderly, young, of all colors, shapes and sizes, though there were definitely more men than women. Some were garrulous and friendly, others quiet and shy, but all seemed to enjoy the food and appreciate our presence. Several residents asked where we were from -- I'm guessing because church groups and other organizations come through.
"We're just a bunch of friends from around town," I told one young man who'd asked, smartly dressed in a fedora and black hipster glasses. I started to list parts of LA. "Near Pasadena, from Silverlake, some of us live in Echo Park..."
"Oh!" he said, smiling. "I used to live in Echo Park!" Truth be told, there were people in the shelter who could've passed for one of us volunteers. In this economy, in this world, there but for the grace of God go I.
I happened upon the above Desmond Tutu quote today, appropriately enough, right before I headed out to the shelter. It was in a book of excerpts from interviews with famous older people -- part of the Wisdom project by Andrew Zuckerman. I have to say, I felt the truth of it, down to my core, and am filled with gratitude to have experienced that. It's a good way to wind down the year, and something to keep in mind as we head into the next.