Emptying the Ocean with a Spoon

I have a reputation for enjoying the Grand Gesture. And truth to tell, there are two magistrates who are on record as telling me if I made those gestures in their jurisdiction, the next time I wouldn't get off with just a caution, so I consider myself chastened.

Looking out the window on to the world that near-universal connectivity affords those of us who can pay for it (remember when computers were turned on like it was a special occasion and not like an appliance? Nope, neither do I), I came across this short report from The Beeb (I like typing posh).

It reminded me a little bit of a rounding up campaign the JC Penney folks were involved in last holiday season where your change on a purchase, let's say it came to $19.28, would be rounded to the next dollar and the difference, in this case 72 cents would be donated to a charity.

I like the idea very much and I hope it hops the Atlantic and goes global because someone, everywhere or everyone, some place, is in need of help. I like to think we each would help more, and more often, if we weren't so frequently daunted by the scale and scope of the perceived need.

We all know the expression "a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step" (after, of course, you have the perfect pair of socks, comfortable shoes and those orthotic inserts from Dr. Scholl's) and if that step is caffeinated or more a decaf moment, just getting started may prove to be the hardest part and the sweetest victory.

Perhaps today is the day when each of us starts to empty an ocean of misery, one spoonful at a time.
-bill kenny