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Its Not Robot Surgery


I had a specific blog post in mind today. Another installation in the ongoing series of momentum and training. Some complaints about how much antibiotics f--k up my body. The agony and the ecstasy of returning to the mats after a two week hiatus. And something mindless about watching reruns of 90210 yesterday. (Not even the first season of 90210 where Brenda and Kelly are fighting over who gets to keep super sideburn Dylan. No, this was one of the later seasons. The ones with Tiffany Amber Theissan as that evil bitch Valerie. The ones where everyone has graduated high school and college yet are somehow all still together. Awful.)


So I had a plan. Then this happened:  http://momastery.com/blog/2012/11/08/hoollliiiiidaaaaay-haaannddssss/.
All it is is a way to help those in need for the holidays. Kind of like a charity registry. If you need something you post it here. And if you want to help someone, you read through the posts and pick someone to help. Wonderful. And easy. This is what Glennon does. I am a bit in awe of her, really.

Here is the thing about me, I am really quite lazy. I know what you are thinking. I help run a successful karate school.  I blog. I am mommy to a very energetic five year old.  I do jiu-jitsu three days a week and karate two. Occasionally my house is even clean. And you are right,  I work real hard at the things I love. But the rest of the time, its just me and my sofa.

One of these chairs would be awesome!
Don't believe me? Here is a snapshot of me at 11:30am yesterday morning. I am in bed, under a fuzzy red electric blanket. I have showered and dressed for the day, and even braided my hair in anticipation of actual activity. In one hand is a cup of vanilla coffee. In my lap, balanced dangerously close to the eager nose of my ever-starving beagle, is a bagel. On my television, is this important message: "If you or your loved one were injured during robot surgery you may be entitled to compensation."

There's robot surgery now? Like in future times? Awesome!

No I am not gravely ill or suffering from severe depression. I mean sure it was the last day (thank god!) of a 5 day dose of an antibiotic that makes me slightly queasy and very sluggish, but I could have dragged myself out of bed, were I halfway motivated to do so. There was plenty of laundry to fold, floors to sweep, guard passes to perfect. And yet, there I was in bed. Why? Insert another post about losing momentum.

Last week we had a hurricane here in New York City. The public schools were closed for a week. Thousands were without power and heat, many unfortunate families lost their homes to flooding. Then, to add insult to injury, Wednesday night we had a minor blizzard. Here is what it looked like in Brooklyn around 7pm:

Photo: What the hell dude??

Global warming doesn't exist huh? Whatever you say.

I know people who waited in line for two hours at a gas station so they could then drive out to Staten Island or the Rockaways with a car full of donation items. Water. Food. Clothing. So they could grab a shovel and a bucket and help some unfortunate soul scoop out the remains of their basement. These are the people who see others in crisis and get up off the couch and do something.

I wish I was one of those people. I so want to be one of those people. I texted a $10 donation to the Red Cross. I brought a bag full of cans and old clothes to the donation box in the lobby of Maya's school. I purchased a Target gift card for a woman on the Momastery website who wanted to buy something nice for her daughter for Christmas. It's better than nothing but it is nothing to brag about. It is nowhere near good enough. I should be by the ocean right now, carrying wood for someone. I should! All of us should!

Which brings me to the main point of this post. I know that I am lazy. There are two bags of clothes bound for the Salvation Army which have been sitting on the floor of my laundry room for weeks. (Ok, I lie. Its been months.) Maya and I started a "helping cup", collecting change for charity. There is plenty of change in there but I have yet to send it to anyone. (I will soon, I promise!) I started a website to collect tales of good deeds but was too apathetic to update it during the entire hurricane week, despite the amazing stories being posted daily all over the internet. I give what little money I can, but in ways that require minimal effort like text messages and online donations. All talk, very little action. I know that this is unacceptable. I know it is a major character flaw. I promise to work on it this holiday season.

I am not rich enough to be this lazy. But if you have money. Lots and lots of money. Millions and millions of money. Than go ahead and be lazy. Be very lazy. But don't buy another car. Don't take another useless trip. Instead go online and click the "Donate"  button somewhere, anywhere. Put a check in an envelope and pay someone else to bring it to the mailbox. You do not have to get in your Lexus and drive to Long Beach. Just click that little button right there and send some ones and zeros from your account to someone else's. Please. Let your thousands of dollars make up for the hour I spent watching 90210.

Just click the button.
Its not robot surgery, but its something.

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