Small Things Count

You had a full-FILLING Thanksgiving and may even have some leftovers in your freezer.  Now it’s time to think about about Christmas dinner in only a few days.  Maybe you can invite that relative who has been on the outs with much of the family.  Your invitation may lead to reconciliation and rediscovery of a “new” person.  (You or he may have changed.)   Think about someone outside your family who will otherwise be alone because she has no one locally.  Or someone you know who is having a hard time of it financially or emotionally.  Even that neighbor couple whose health prevents them from doing much celebrating.  This year, let’s open our arms and celebrate with more of our brothers and sisters.

Put an eco-friendly gift under the tree for your dog.  Buy an all-organic toy (e.g., natural plush or bamboo ropes), or make a chew toy from an old cotton tee shirt cut into strips and tied into a rope.

[For more easy, money-saving, Eco-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. For a description of the book go to My Free Books).

The word “hero” is used in a multitude of situations. You might say it’s overused. Even so, for today’s Thursday Thought quote, I’d like to add one from Maya Angelou.

We tend to stuff our wallets and purses with all sorts of things that we need only occasionally and should not fall into the wrong hands via loss or theft. Below is a list of things AARP suggests we do NOT carry with us, although most of us carry at least a few. For details, go to their article 10 Worst Things to Carry in Your Wallet.

• Social Security card.
• COVID-19 vaccination record card, which carries your date of birth and hints at where you live.
  
• Multiple credit cards and credit-card receipts.
  
• Checkbook, or even one blank check.
• Work ID card.
• Passport or passport card.
• List of your passwords.
• Gift card not fully redeemed.
•  Birth certificate.
• Library card. It sounds benign, but a crook can always check out lots of books and sell them for a buck or two apiece.

We’re in the midst of Christmas shopping and want to choose presents that are different, thoughtful, appreciated, and useful. Maybe even something with a personal touch, something you put together yourself. Have you thought about a utensil kit? Or reusable makeup removal pads? Check out DIY CHRISTMAS GIFTS THAT HELP REDUCE EVERYDAY WASTE to put your imagination to work.

Yesterday’s Thursday Thought was preparation for today’s annual U.N. Human Rights Day. The Day’s 2021 focus is this: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” The aim is for us to think about and act on improving the human rights of all people worldwide. That’s a tall order. But we can start with the people around us. Those attacked for their ethnicity or religious beliefs. Adults and children living with abuse. The homeless. The addicted. Prisoners. We begin by adjusting our attitude toward them, by leaving behind the feeling that they are somehow to blame, abandoning the “us/them” stance that places them at a lower level, with less dignity and fewer rights that we have. In short, remembering that they are actual human beings. Maybe, after we take thoughtful stock of ourselves, we don’t need this attitude adjustment — although most of us do to some extent — we know someone who does. Then it’s our responsibility to act, to speak up when we’re in the presence of the destruction of human dignity. It’s up to each of us, individually and together, to stand up for the rights even of strangers.

Every day should be Human Rights Day!

Yes, we should help our fellow human beings, because it’s the moral thing to do. But there’s another, more selfish, reason to do so, as Horace Mann points out in today’s Thursday Thought quote.

When you talk to your older friend, look and listen.  Do you see bruises or weight-loss, although she’s normally pretty healthy?  Does a lady who used to be a Chatty Cathy now cut conversations short?  Does she tell you about the bundle of money she’s getting from an unexpected source, and she just has to send a check to cover taxes?  Or about a long-lost grandson whose story of financial woe broke her heart so she’s helping out?  Are she and her caregiver having arguments? These are a few signs that your friend or relative may be the victim of elder abuse.  You owe it to her to report the situation.  You may be the only one who does.  If it’s a life-threatening situation, call 911.  Otherwise, call Adult Protective Service.  Call even if you aren’t sure there’s abuse.  They’ll get details from you, then, if they (the experts) feel there’s possible abuse, they’ll send someone to do a welfare check.  You may be wrong; however, if you’re right you may save a life.

With Covid and divisive politics and Me-ism surrounding me for several years, this believer-in-my-fellow-human (me) was getting weary and wary of even friends and relatives, let alone strangers. It’s been hard not to feel that humanity is at its worst ever. I had a change of heart, though, when I saw this video. I remember 1969, and I keep coming across people like those described in this video. I hope your spirits are uplifted once you watch it.

‘Tis the season for giving–and scamming! Those thieves have a multitude of ways to trick us into giving them our money. Especially so during Christmas season.

The Better Business Bureau is watching out for us. And they’ve given us ways to watch out for ourselves. Starting with their The Naughty List: BBB’s 12 Scams of Christmas. Before you do any more Christmas shopping, especially online or on an app, read that article. You’ll be glad you did.