Observation about myself

I don’t have a cause. I also don’t have clue, really, when it comes to other causes.

I know that most people, who champion a cause, do so, because of something or some event, has affected them.

I feel very blessed and fortunate to not have had too many serious illnesses or other ailments directly affect my life. Sure, cancer has caused me some hardships on a personal level. In the past year or so I have lost a very dear friend, my father-in-law, and my father to various cancers. I have a family member or two that are undergoing treatment of other forms of cancer. And I have another very close friend who is fighting even another type of cancer.

I have a few nieces who are afflicted with rare ailments that require special medical treatment that only comes from seeing special specialists that specialize in their particular disorders.

But again I still don’t have a cause nor do I have a clue. Ignorance is bliss. I am lucky to not have a cause. I never take this luck for granted.

But sometimes I don’t realize what other people have to deal with. And sometimes I don’t realize what other people do that may seem small but really are big.

Two things happened this past week, which totally made me realize how clueless I am.

My first ignorant realization happened at the super market. I was putting groceries in my car and I looked at the back of the car next to me. I saw that it had one of those magnetic awareness ribbons on the bumper. It was not yellow. It was not pink. It was multi-colored and looked like puzzle pieces. I have seen this ribbon so many times while in my car but never up close. I did a double take as I read it. AUTISM Awareness.

I swear (and I am not really proud to admit this) I always thought that those ribbons were a “mock” ribbon and they read AUSTIN awareness. The little puzzle pieces from 20 feet back, through a dirty windshield, kind of look like flowers. Any time I ever saw one I would say in my best Mike Myers impression, “Yeah Baby!”

Ya see? I am an idiot. Ignorant to other causes.

This past weekend, my friend Tara spent most of her Saturday, with her daughter, selling Girl Scout cookies. Trying to be a good friend, I went to her location and bought some cookies to support her and her troop. I figured I could spare a couple of bucks, get some cookies and help the local scouts. It would be my good deed. Tara was very grateful and thanked me like I was doing her a favor which, in a way, I felt that I was.

Later that night as I was enjoying my purchase of the cookies I had a second realization. As insignificant as Girl Scout cookies may seem in comparison to cancer or Autism, I was totally impressed that my friend Tara gives of herself in this way. I know that she is involved because her daughter is involved. But not only is Tara committing herself to her child but she is also committing herself to other people’s children at the same time. I don’t think that many of the people that were buying the cookies that day, realize that the women volunteering with their daughters were volunteering and contributing to many other children. I was not doing them a favor by buying cookies. They were doing my community a favor by volunteering. They should be thanked.

Thanks Tara.

I am not sure of the direction I was going with this post. Mostly I think that, maybe I need to “clean my windshield” more often become more aware of the people around me.