a morning ride. Sure I am lowering my carbon footprint and increasing my heart rate when I am cruising, but there are times when I feel less than super.
Most mornings, when I am riding, will find me at the local Starbucks both before and after a ride. I will reveal a Starbucks secret to you. Starbucks has a desire to be the "3rd place" in your life. The idea is to be the place you go to when you are not at work or at home. That is a nifty goal and I have to admit they got me a long time ago when my fiance and I registered our cards.
When we get there in the mornings, there is often a few men and women who ask, very nicely for change to get a cup of coffee. I fall in that spectrum of people who do not give money to people on the street directly though I do try to give. If they say they want a cup of coffee, I buy them a cup of coffee. The card is very convenient so I don't have to carry actual money when I am riding. In fact, I almost always just have my I.D., my credit card, and my Starbucks card.This morning I found though, I only had I.D. I was unable to ride this morning, but I needed my caffeine fix. So, I grabbed my keys and my license and dashed out the door. Of course I got to Starbucks and ordered my coffee. When I went to pay, I had no money. It is an odd feeling and people have told me that they have done it before, but never me.
The lady behind me offered to pay for me. She was a fellow cyclist who I would see on the weekends and I could feel my face glowing red with embarrassment. The young man behind the counter told me not to worry about it and waved out the entire transaction. I sheepishly shrugged and grabbed my drink, hot with shame as I added cream and sugar and pondered how for about 90 seconds the world stopped and was purely focused on me with money in the bank and in the cushions of my car, but not a penny to buy my coffee.
I called my fiance and I told him the story. He asked me why I didn't just use my phone. Tech savvy as I claim to be, in my embarrassment I had forgotten how to use my smart phone. to his credit, there was not the least bit of condescension in his voice but it did lead to a discussion about who we are as people. How we are willing to help some and not help others and as well whether or not those who ask me for change are actually wanting it for coffee.
He and I had long talked about how to change the world and things we could do, but never really anything concrete aside from what he and I do for a living. We thought, though about what if we killed two birds with one stone. I went back and got a card (another little know thing that happens is that if someone pays with a gift card and there is change still left on it, they will often throw it away.) I went back in and asked for one of the cards they were about to throw away. I registered it and here it sits next to me. Why?
The number is 6089 2134 5872 3428
go to www.starbucks.com
go to reload card
enter your change or whatever you would like to give to that card number.
spread the word.
I want to see how giving we are as a community. Can an entire community come together, not to give a man or woman on the street a pile of change, not cash that may go to booze or drugs, but simply a cup of coffee.
Please add to it. Pennies, dimes, it will only take a second and all we will do with it is buy little somethings for people on the street who ask.
Give, spread the word. I am curious as to how giving we are. We even started its own Twitter (@thegivingcycle) handle to follow the progress. I will post how many people have seen this post, versus how much has been contributed. Consider it a challenge. Watch the amount rise.
Carol tweets at @9t9knives and can be reached via e-mail at 9of9productions@gmail.com
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