• About Me
  • DEBQ
  • The Other Bottom Line
  • Why I do Friday Pick
  • About My Blog

talktodiana

~ Igniting the power and passion in others…

talktodiana

Tag Archives: good intentions

Doing the Opposite of What I Intended

23 Wednesday Mar 2016

Posted by dianasschwenk in Hump Day Chronicles, My Stories

≈ 18 Comments

Tags

Alberta, Calgary, Canada, caring, community, compassion, Diana Schwenk, good intentions, Homelessness, human behaviour, judging, kindness, life, living in the moment, Purpose

untitled

YOU EVER GET THIS IDEA in your head and you think, “I’m going to do that,” and then it comes time to do it and you don’t do it?

Grrrr I could just give myself a good kick in the butt when that happens!

One of the luxuries (if you want to call it that) of living on this good earth for half a century and a bit though, is I know I’m not the only one who sets her mind to something and then craps out at the last-minute. Rather than beat myself up about it, I am confounded by it, in a scientist-observing-and-documenting kind of way.

Most Saturdays, I meet my friend Helga for coffee at 12:30 at the Starbucks on the second floor in The Core shopping Centre. We have this little thing we do to the barista, you know when they ask you your name? Helga tells them Hell and I tell them Heaven. We usually show up at different times so it’s fun to watch the barista’s face when whichever one of us is the second one shows up and supplies their name. But I digress.

Last Saturday, as I was getting ready to walk downtown and have coffee with Helga, I put a couple of twonies (the Canadian Two Dollar coin) in my front pocket with the intention of giving them to any homeless people asking for change during my walk. In particular, I was thinking of the two homeless men who usually sit under the underpass and panhandle on 4th street SW.

I know, I know, many folks think you shouldn’t give money to people who are living on the street but I do so occasionally, or buy someone a meal or something because it feels like the right thing to do.

Anyway…

With the coins safely tucked into my pocket, I walked the block to 17th Avenue and was immediately approached and asked if I had spare change.

“No, sorry,” I said. “No worries,” he responded, “Have a great day!”

Walking away I wondered why I had said no. Was it because I had to the two men that are usually under the underpass on my mind? Was it some kind of automatic unconscious response? Amazingly, while these questions were going through my mind someone else asked me for change and again I said no.

What the heck? Didn’t I intentionally put two coins in my pocket for THIS EXACT REASON?

And so I continued to 4th Street and toward the underpass completely perplexed by my response to those who asked for what I prepared to give and yet withheld. Long story, short, when I came home later that afternoon, those two coins were still in my pocket. The two men who usually sit under the underpass were not there when I passed on the way to my coffee meeting earlier.

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

Do you ever find yourself doing the opposite of what you well-meaningly and intentionally decided to do? Do you find it as bewildering as I do?

Advertisement

How Do You Feel About It?

29 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by dianasschwenk in Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, In My Opinion

≈ 67 Comments

Tags

200 words, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, gifts, giving, good intentions, helpful, open-minded, perspective, tolerance, understanding

Cat Food Is For People – Seth Godin

photo found at www.morenormalthannot.com

photo found at http://www.morenormalthannot.com

The above quote was the title of a recent post written by Godin.

He wrote that even the gifts we give others are at least as much about how they make us feel to give them, as they are about how the recipient of the gift feels.

He concluded by saying if cat food was really for cats it would come in mouse flavor.

Truth is, most of us wouldn’t buy mouse-meat cat food because it sounds disgusting, and since kitty doesn’t buy her own food, pet foods contain ingredients that appeal to us.

Seth’s post got me thinking how this phenomenon occurs in other ways.

Like when we view other cultures and their customs for example, we interpret them according to our own beliefs.

Often, especially when a certain custom offends our own sensibility, we want to enlighten our fellow humans with our version of what is right.

If you think about it, it’s kind of arrogant.

When we position our beliefs as superior over another’s beliefs, we lessen our ability to understand and care about them.

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

Talk to Diana


"I RELATE WITH, PROMOTE AND SPEAK COMMUNITY WHEREVER I AM..."

Flag Counter

Enter your email address to follow my blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 2,935 other subscribers

Categories

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Top Posts & Pages you’ve been reading

  • Generosity or Charity?
  • What is Done in Love is Done Well

Archives

Links you've been clicking on...

  • talktodiana.files.wordpre…
  • talktodiana.files.wordpre…

Red Deer Alberta

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Blog Stats

  • 104,890 hits

My Online Community

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • talktodiana
    • Join 1,173 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • talktodiana
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...