UPDATE:
The drawing was held on 12/13/20 and we raised $3100 of which 100% went to Good Cheer Food Bank!!
One especially depressing morning, drinking my coffee watching the rain fall as the fog was lifting on a typical Whidbey Island morning, I was feeling a bit sorry for myself. I sat quietly, journaling, which I do regularly to clear the crap from my head, and like the other solutions in the past year that instantaneously altered my mood, an idea popped into my head.
"Get off your ass and do something for someone else and stop thinking about yourself."
In the middle of a pandemic, sales have slowed to a crawl and I had time to do whatever I wanted - opportunity! I could do what I'd done in the past - PAINT! Find a need and fill it. I've got a ton of canvas and lots of paint and plenty of energy still left in me. Now I just need a cause. Within 30 seconds the idea of the local food bank came to mind. I had an exhibit going at thee local Golf and Country club and thought that would be an amazing opportunity to raffle off one of my paintings - those guys were loaded.
Once I get a idea, my OCD kicks in and I'm off and running. I basically just line up behind whatever that force is and follow along until I collapse. That's what you call BiPolar. Anyway, I called Jason, the manager of the club and discussed the idea - he was all in! Then I called the gal in charge of our local food bank, Carol - she was thrilled. All I needed to do was - well, everything!
Anyway, the rest is just promotional crap - hitting my poor 20k friends over the head repeatedly for $ for raffle tickets, hounding the press for free media, Facebook and pretty much trying to get attention anywhere I could. The drawing will be on 12/13/20. I'll do the best I can and that's, well, the best I can.
Bottom line, and this always amazes me ... what can start with a single solitary thought, usually as a result of some discontent, can result in creating a lot of good. I'm the only one holding myself back. It's always true. This past year and a half, as a result of my depression and then getting off my ass and saying, "Fuck yeah, I can do something, why not me, I'm as good as anybody else." And then go out and do it. And then ... shit happens. Money gets raised and handed over for breast cancer research and food is bought and ignorant people are educated about children with AIDS and I will never know to what extent any of that effort has ever helped anyone. But one thing I do know for sure - if I did nothing, no one would have been helped and this world would not have been any better off than if I would not have tried!
So, here's to giving a shit.
Facebook link about the Fundraiser.