Beggars

Kindness they say is free and you should give it out in abundance, but what of generosity?  This usually comes at a cost and therefore is not practiced as often.

Beggars roam the streets in Shanghai, they are usually elderly and they usually hit you when you are stationery.  The first night we were crossing the lights and an elderly woman came and kept touching her tummy saying how hungry she was, I had no Chinese money as yet and it affected me deeply to walk away.

I watched this woman walk amongst the many waiting to cross the busy street and all the ‘white’ people said no, it was the Chinese who gave her spare change.  This didn’t sit well with me that we visit their country and even though this is not our issue as such we still fail to see the kindness required in being generous.

I vowed that if I saw her again I would give her money.  So the very next time at the very same crossing she came and I did in fact give her money, and yes the inevitable happened, from no where they came more begging at you, because you’re a foreigner I believe as this was not what happened the previous night.  I couldn’t continue to give out money, or else I would also be one of those beggars on the street but I did feel a little better within my soul that I had helped a little.  I felt I did something, if I had more I would give more, but I gave what I could.

But as I walked to find my Jimmy Choo handbag the irony struck me, as I am sure those who feel the internal pull of right and wrong will have gotten from this story.

Stuff is stuff, it’s a beautiful handbag and it brings me joy.  I work extremely hard for my money and the little we have after all our huge expenses each month we do use to buy things we like.  But it’s usually just things and stuff.  I like, well lets be honest I love things and stuff, I like nice things and stuff.  But when you break it all down, when you strip it all back it is only things and stuff. 

You cannot feed the world, or solve the issue of poverty and hunger alone but each of us doing what we can does help.

Kindness is free give it out in abundance.

Generosity costs but it does build your soul.

Xo