Morgan Bellthe value of being part of things . . .
May 28th 2008 17:05
earlier this week one of my friends hosted a Biggest Morning Tea to raise funds for the Cancer Council
i packed my mum in the car and drove from our tiny dot of a own to an even smaller tiny dot of a town, im talking remote rural with no town water or sewer and no garbage collection . . . well out there in the country is a little cosy cottage with a wood fire radiating warmth into the loungeroom and about fifteen sturdy country women having a cuppa and collecting for charity . . . its about an hours drive but it was a great experience
we always used to do the Biggest Morning Tea when i worked in an office but it seemed like a hollow gesture, i would half-heartedly roll my chair over to the snack table and put some money in an envelope that never got mentioned again . . . we would stand around awkwardly just wanting to grab some food and go back to our desks . . . and it didnt seem special because we frequently had morning teas for birthdays and farewells so i was always putting money in an envelope
but a country Biggest Morning Tea at a friends house actually felt of value, the women appreciated a chance to socialise with each other and the host really appreciated each and every donation
my friend is my age and we went to school together in NSW, she has been with her partner since we were 15 and they now have two kids and a mortgage . . . both of our parents randomly relocated to Tasmania at different stages once they retired . . . i had lost contact with my friend years ago as we started moving in vastly different circles, i was doing the career and education thing while she opted for a more traditional love and marriage deal . . . when i came down here i changed my myspace details to reflect my new location and she stumbled upon my profile, recognised my pic and contacted me even though all those years had passed . . . what a fluke!
being older and wiser i can now appreciate qualities about my friend that has taken me a long time to value . . . her generousity and community involvement truly humbles me . . . and she didnt learn that at university . . . despite her meager position she is involved with the disabled, networks with the locals with an informal barter system of favours, helps the poorer neighbours with babysitting and transport etc . . . i wonder about all the people i ever met in the corporate world in their high-flying careers looking down from their ivory towers who will never be able to appreciate how much the small self-less things contribute to society . . . life is not about having things, it is about being part of things
so heres to appreciating people who have their heart in the right place and learning to place big value on little things (from tiny towns haha) *cheers*
we raised $215 . . . from little things big things grow!
CLICKHERE for the official website of Australia's Biggest Morning Tea
Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea is one of The Cancer Council’s foremost fundraising events and the largest, most successful event of its kind in Australia. Over $40 million has been raised since it first began in 1994.
Thursday 22 May is the official date of Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea 2008, but you can host a morning tea anytime in May in your office, home, school or community centre to raise money for cancer research, education and support services.
i packed my mum in the car and drove from our tiny dot of a own to an even smaller tiny dot of a town, im talking remote rural with no town water or sewer and no garbage collection . . . well out there in the country is a little cosy cottage with a wood fire radiating warmth into the loungeroom and about fifteen sturdy country women having a cuppa and collecting for charity . . . its about an hours drive but it was a great experience
we always used to do the Biggest Morning Tea when i worked in an office but it seemed like a hollow gesture, i would half-heartedly roll my chair over to the snack table and put some money in an envelope that never got mentioned again . . . we would stand around awkwardly just wanting to grab some food and go back to our desks . . . and it didnt seem special because we frequently had morning teas for birthdays and farewells so i was always putting money in an envelope
but a country Biggest Morning Tea at a friends house actually felt of value, the women appreciated a chance to socialise with each other and the host really appreciated each and every donation
my friend is my age and we went to school together in NSW, she has been with her partner since we were 15 and they now have two kids and a mortgage . . . both of our parents randomly relocated to Tasmania at different stages once they retired . . . i had lost contact with my friend years ago as we started moving in vastly different circles, i was doing the career and education thing while she opted for a more traditional love and marriage deal . . . when i came down here i changed my myspace details to reflect my new location and she stumbled upon my profile, recognised my pic and contacted me even though all those years had passed . . . what a fluke!
being older and wiser i can now appreciate qualities about my friend that has taken me a long time to value . . . her generousity and community involvement truly humbles me . . . and she didnt learn that at university . . . despite her meager position she is involved with the disabled, networks with the locals with an informal barter system of favours, helps the poorer neighbours with babysitting and transport etc . . . i wonder about all the people i ever met in the corporate world in their high-flying careers looking down from their ivory towers who will never be able to appreciate how much the small self-less things contribute to society . . . life is not about having things, it is about being part of things
so heres to appreciating people who have their heart in the right place and learning to place big value on little things (from tiny towns haha) *cheers*
we raised $215 . . . from little things big things grow!
CLICKHERE for the official website of Australia's Biggest Morning Tea
Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea is one of The Cancer Council’s foremost fundraising events and the largest, most successful event of its kind in Australia. Over $40 million has been raised since it first began in 1994.
Thursday 22 May is the official date of Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea 2008, but you can host a morning tea anytime in May in your office, home, school or community centre to raise money for cancer research, education and support services.
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Comment by S.L. Bradish
Comment by Morgan Bell
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yeah its a really good cause, and i think in small towns it gets people together who are otherwise a bit isolated . . . my family never placed a huge value on community but i just love it, whether its the queer community or the country womens association, i quite admire people who help each other even if its just lending an ear and being some company or a comfort
Comment by RubySoho
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I've heard that when you cut them they "bleed" and this gross red stuff oozes out of them. Is this true?
Oops. My batteries are getting low...time to recharge.
Comment by Morgan Bell
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haha i feel like a cyborg out here in the country actually . . . my appearance and behaviour must seem very odd outside the city lights!
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It's amazing finding your friend like that by the way...
Comment by Morgan Bell
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yeah i know, it was a really weird coincidence . . . small world!
im so tall, i need to be surrounded by drag queens to create to illusion of me being a regular height! haha
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