Spark-Sparkle-Spectacle: A Singular Act of Goodness
A singular act of goodness comes alive...
Welcome to Spark-Sparkle-Spectacle, today’s metaphorical exploration of facets of our human experience.
In case you’ve forgotten, this newsletter is about the:
Spark – Sparks are little catalysts, beautiful ideas, inspiring posts, flashes of truth that can ignite the imagination. The metaphor: this is the start, where someone lights the first fuse. You’re alive with anticipation and excitement.
Sparkle – Sparkles are ways the Sparks multiply in a still-relatively-small context. Think: beautiful ideas, inspiring posts or sparks of truth revealed in individual hearts, families, and communities. The metaphor: this is the buildup, where each individual formation of light and colour delights you and leaves you longing for more.
And Spectacle – Spectacles are saturated with grandeur and largesse. They are Sparkles transforming into wholesale change in the world. Think: ideas that bloom in individual hearts, families, and communities inspiring global movements. The metaphor: this is the finale, where the show blows your mind and exceeds your wildest expectations. Your heart could hardly handle more and your brain is still processing what you feel.
Onto the spark for today!
The Spark: “If each of us does just One Good Thing, we can create a world of good” from Benevity’s #DoOneGoodThing campaign.
Full disclosure, I LOVE Benevity. I love what they stand for. I love that they wrote this list of 50 good things that people can do. I love that they promote the same message across every platform in every message. They are all about doing good things and I love that.
Spark ignited.
The Sparkle: Doing a good thing within your sphere is a very good thing!
There are lots and lots of local causes in your community to receive your good thing. Beyond using Benevity’s list of 50 Good Things You Can Do this Giving Season, these are a few examples of Alberta charities that you might consider:
Donating, adopting, or fostering to help a furry sweetheart find love in their forever home through the Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society
Giving cash or food items to the Calgary Food Bank to supply groceries to a struggling person or family feed someone who is hungry (or volunteering your time to serve it to them yourself - I just signed up if you’d like someone to go with!)
Helping someone fight addiction with the Fresh Start Recovery Centre
Sharing hope with families to address the obstacles of homelessness with Inn from the Cold (they are a person favourite of the Walker family…an amazing organization with a powerful mission and vision and truly wonderful humans)
Be a snow angel and shovel your neighbour’s sidewalks after a snowfall
The four organizations noted above are on the Top 100 Canadian Charities list as identified by Charity Intelligence. Have a look at their website if you’re curious about how they are measured.
Let’s do a quick evaluation:
Is giving love and cuddles to a lonely animal good? Yes.
Is a meal in someone’s hungry stomach good? Yes.
Is the opportunity for a healthy future good? Yes.
Is a safe, warm place to stay good? Yes.
Are clean sidewalks, courtesy of a kind neighbour good? Yes.
Sparkle revealed.
The Spectacle: A world of good.
Imagine all the people, sharing all the world. (Thanks, John Lennon.)
I’m sure that most everyone knows who Bill Gates is. World’s Richest Man for a time. Microsoft Guru. A giver.
As 2022 came to a close, he wrote a letter talking about the year ahead and his perspective. In it, he made this statement:
Although I don’t care where I rank on the list of the world’s richest people, I do know that as I succeed in giving, I will drop down and eventually off the list altogether.
Bill Gates
Bill Gates knows that he will drop off the World’s Richest ranking list because he plans to give away the bulk of his wealth (his foundation’s mission in his words is “We help people in poor countries who shouldn’t die, not die. Especially children.”). Bill Gates knows that a world of good will involve him spreading out his resources. He’s not alone; The Giving Pledge has a huge list of famous names and wealthy families who want their money to be used for good.
So I invite you again to imagine…with the good that we can all do, and the vast financial wealth of those who are willing to share, imagine what a world of good could look like.
Spectacle inspiring.
A spark can become a sparkle. A sparkle can become a spectacle. Let’s create a spectacle together.
