We All Have 5.5 Liters

It's been a while since the last post and to be honest, I've been a bit uninspired. I've run into other things doing some of what The Returning Dignity Project strives to do and it left me feeling like the work was already being done and that the project could not come close to living it's purpose.

I don't write all that to be a downer, but I write to be honest and vulnerable. And yes, although there are things that already look a little like us here at The Returning Dignity Project, they are not us.

The mission of this project is what I lost sight of, to touch people's lives through, genuine, everyday interactions and to grow from there. If we can take 30 seconds to look away from our own needs and look at the needs of others, then 30 seconds turns into one minute and one minute turns into 5 minutes and then minutes turn into hours. And in all that time whether it is seconds or hours, we are making a difference.

I met  a woman today named Martha who is a therapist. Twice a year she hosts giving parties where people donate a $25 gift card to gain admission to a night of food and entertainment. She then takes those gift cards and gives them to different non-profits or people in need. She has been doing these parties for 23 years! Martha started these parties as a way to repay the kindness people showed her when she was a struggling single mother of 3.

Although Martha is just one person she is helping so many. And if we left it all up to Martha, not as many people would he helped.

So yes, there may be other people out there who are doing close or maybe exactly what we are doing, but it's not all on their shoulders and it's not all on the shoulders of The Returning Dignity Project. Those of us who want to and need to help, those who are in need of help, all need to share the burden.

We are from the same race, the human race. And as Narayanan Krishnan talks about in his video for CNN Heroes, we all have 5.5 liters of blood.

So pardon the absence of The Returning Dignity Project, we got a little caught up in the lie that we didn't matter. And the truth is, that we do matter and any help in changing someones life for the better matters.

I've posted the video below before, but meeting Martha today and watching this video again of Narayanan Krishnan, brought the truth back into focus.

Have a great week. Start by using someones name and you start making a difference.