I just saw a story on ABC about a small cafe in Boomfield, NY called Connie’s Grapevine Cafe. The owners of the cafe have decided to combat the recession by offering a “Pay As You Wish” policy on select menu items. They say they realize that it is getting difficult for people to go out to eat in our current economic situation and they feel that should not happen in America. So they are choosing good over greed. They “refuse to let greed kill America” according to the owners. They would rather get $.25 for a plate of spaghetti and meatballs and put a smile on their customer’s face than charge a set price and risk people not coming at all.
The customers honestly give what they can. Sometimes it’s not much, but the next time it might be more and the owners of Connie’s say that is just fine with them. I wish I was in Boomfield right now. I order a big plate of whatever is on the PAYW menu. I’ve got a $20 bill with their name on it.
If you live anywhere near Boomfiled, NY pay them a visit. Here is a link to their website. It has directions and everything. Go on a Wednesday for Open Mic Night or on a Saturday for Live Music. Be sure to take plenty of money…or not.
Have you seen the video entitled “The Story of Stuff”? I have. If you haven’t, watch it now and then come back to this blog entry and finish reading it. I’ll wait.
Great! Now you will have a better idea where I am coming from. So…stuff…I have too much of it. I bet you have too much of it. AND we are approaching the time of year where we accumulate even more of it. Often times it it stuff we never even wanted in the first place – like the gifts you were stuck with from the the 7 White Elephant (aka Dirty Santa or my least favorite Chinese Christmas) gift exchanges in which you were forced to participate last holiday season. That is just one example. There are plenty more I can assure you.
So…this year I am going to do my part to put an end to it. I am asking everyone in my life that is planning to get me a gift this year to resist the temptation to buy me more stuff. Seriously. I don’t want any more stuff this holiday season or any other for that matter.
I also understand that it feels good to give and we call this the season of giving. I don’t want to be a Scrooge McGrinch…I love this time of year. I just feel like we have lost sight of what it is all about. So, here are a couple of options that I believe are much more in line with what the season is all about:
1. Make a donation to Responsible Men at www.responsiblemen.net. I am trying to raise money to attend the Men Can Stop Rape training this July in Washington DC. The total cost will be about $2,000 including the travel, room and board, and the cost of the workshop. I want to go so that I can make Responsible Men a better organization.
2. Make a donation in my name to their favorite charity or cause. Chances are, I like that charity as well. That makes both of us feel good.
The beauty of this is there is no stuff. There is also no plastic packaging, gift box, wrapping paper, plastic bows, tape, ribbon, cards, or any other stuff that just gets trashed anyway.
Imagine if everyone in your family decided to do this. Then imagine if everyone in your family got all of their friends to do the same with their families and so on. Imagine the tremendous amount of good that would come of that. Imagine the power in a movement like that. Imagine what could be accomplished because of that.
Now stop imagining that and start doing it. Make a commitment this holiday season to ask your loved ones to make a donation to something you care about in your name. Offer to do the same for them. Make it a tradition. You never know…you just might change the world in ways you can’t imagine.
