At Tony’s introduction, I was acquainted with Heifer.org. Unbelievable website. I totally bought it and as a result bought my first gift of a flock of chicks for $20. Leon came to pick me up for lunch. I told him I bought a flock of chicks. Dear Leon, no longer a stranger to my daily purchases, took a good 45 seconds to digest what I just told him. To make sure there was no mistake, I clarified. “Chicks, honey, as in baby chickens.” Poor guy was, of course, horrified. But after the explanation, he understood. We had a good laugh. I still think about my purchase now. Funny how of the thousands of purchases that I have made this year, none had filled me with a sense of humility and gratitude like this one. When I clicked “pay” on my Paypal screen, I was flooded with a sense of happiness, contentment and gratitude that I am in a position to give and am giving. Usually, by now (about 6 hours after a purchase), I would either be filled with buyer’s remorse or the purchase would have quickly faded in its novelty. Yet, the flock of chicks continued to fill me with a sense of quiet joy. I imagine somewhere in a third world country, a family of poor farmer would be presented with a flock of chicks to add to their meager portfolio of assets. I envision the flock of chicks growing and becoming hens that would lay eggs. A good hen can lay over 200 eggs a year. Some of these eggs would hatch to more chicks to continue and grow the farm, others would be brought to the market to sustain the family short term. I feel a sense of joy at the thought that I’ve made an unknown farmer’s life a little easier. Of course, in real life these chicks could catch the bird flu and died for all I know but I’ve dropped the pebble in the pond and could only hope that the ripple would go as far as it could. I think, in my Buddhist uncle’s terms, I’ve made a purchase for my soul.
http://www.heifer.org
