My idea for this project has been influenced by multiple people and needs.
First, in the AP English Language class that I teach, we've read a few books where writers take on projects for a year, a month, etc. I've enjoyed them all, and I'm just arrogant enough to feel like I could do the same. In Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich lives on minimum wage, or close to it, in three different cities in the U.S. In The Year of Living Biblically, A.J. Jacobs decides to follow the bible as literally as possible for one year. This is Jacobs' follow up to Know-It-All, the book where he chronicles the excitement of spending a year reading the encyclopedia A-Z. And of course, there is Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. While I love the idea of hiking the Appalachian Trail, it's truly only the idea that I love. I prefer sidewalks and journeys of an hour at a time. My idea is much more basic, and I'm not sure if I could ever really make a book out of it, but what I've found so far (on day 57) is that I'm thinking a lot about the ideas that surround giving and donating. I'm thinking about the people I know who always give (not necessarily monetarily) and the people who never do. I'm thinking about why we choose to give and why we choose to take. I'm learning about myself as well, but that sounds like a really cheesy writer thing to say. One thing I would like to be very careful about as I continue this project is to keep the cheesy stuff out, also the self-congratulatory crap, also anything bordering on didactic or schmaltzy or sentimental. I'll have to avoid over-using phrases like "my journey" or "heart-felt."
I think another factor influencing my project is the idea of micro-philanthropy. I remember in 2006 when the Nobel Peace prize was awarded to two men who promoted the idea of micro-loans. I loved the idea at the time, and when I see it furthered in organizations like Kiva (which I still need to donate to), I start believing really believing that small donations do make a difference.
There are also two very selfish reasons for my project. The first is that I like to write, but I need a push. I've never been able to sit down each day and write part of a novel or short story. Work gets in the way. Having this goal on the side gives me that extra reason to write. Granted, on many days I have only enough energy and time to record my donation for the day sans commentary. But when I do have the time, I can actually put in the effort and feel it.
I also hope to de-clutter my life by ridding myself of extra and unnecessary possessions. Hopefully, these are possessions that others need or find worthwhile. I will not be giving away the cream sweater that I washed with something black and is now a mottled mess, but I will give away clothes, appliances, and items in decent shape. It's like writing: get rid of the extra, simplify and what you have becomes more valuable. (Sounding a bit like an aphorism there--better be careful).
I could end this purpose statement with a sentece that begins "In today's world . . ." but generalizing bores me, and it might be wiser to wait until the end of the project to see what my real point was.
