pondering projects

A few days ago, I told Alan that I needed a project.

"Well, you can come over to my place after work each night and cook delicious meals for me," he suggested. Um, no ... not quite what I had in mind.

I need a real project; something that I can pour myself into. Something that will make me feel like I'm giving back. Something that will serve as a constant reminder of what is truly important in life. I've done quite a bit of volunteer work in my life and last year I even served as an intern for a Christian ministry on campus, but I have to admit that the last few months of my life have been pretty dry as far as volunteering and charity work goes. I've been itching to get back into the wonderful world of philanthropy.

There's this one idea I've been toying with lately, but I'm hesitant to pursue it. It's a project that makes my heart happy & gets me excited, but when I try to explain it to people or put it down on paper it seems to fall flat. I guess the problem I'm having with it is that it just doesn't seem like enough. It won't feed the hungry. It won't clothe the naked. It won't end poverty, corruption, violence, pain, suffering, sadness. It doesn't address global warming or disease. It well bring joy and excitement to a handful of people for a few hours, but I have no way of knowing if it will actually impact their lives or make any kind of societal change.

There are hundreds (thousands?) of legitimate causes to champion for, and when I compare my project idea to things other people are doing - building schools, housing orphans, fighting diseases - my project seems silly and trivial. And yet, it makes me feel something deep in my soul that I haven't felt for awhile.

Are any of you involved in charity work or philanthropy? If so, do you follow your heart & do what truly interests and inspires you, or do you focus on the greater good and choose the cause that's most urgent?

xo