Trying to be good...

I always go back and forth between feeling guilty for what I have and feeling frustrated for not having more (I know, very bad...very bad). This year I vowed to be positive, try to make a difference and help those who are less fortunate than me. 2007 was supposed to be the year of: (1) savings, (2) helping others/giving more of myself.

I think I may have failed a bit in #1 (my latest steal of the century at Barney's didn't help...ha ha ha, isn't it SO pretty?),

but I like to think I've made strides in #2. I had the fortune of meeting a lovely and smart 9 year-old girl, Teresa Wu, who I met with weekly until the end of the school year. I helped her with her reading (she was already very proficient with math) and in alot of ways I think she helped me more than I helped her (I remember her telling me about how she had to go home early and her entire family had to clean their apt b/c people were coming to inspect the apt-- my guess was these were people from the housing department making sure they could still be considered for public housing-- and I know its not right, and this is not the reason why I volunteer, but it made me even more thankful for all the good things in my life). It was a big commitment (16 weeks), but if Teresa comes back in the fall then I might just commit again. If anyone is interested, check out www.nycares.org and look up projects under "Children's Education".

Also, last month I donated 9 inches of my hair to "Beautiful lengths", an organization that gives free wigs to women who are battling cancer. During my haircut I almost cried (fearing the loss my security blanket) but in the end I felt free and knew that I was making a small difference in someone's life. I must admit though that even now I get alittle sad looking at my short hair-- I can't wait until it grows out!

Before

After

Anyways, so its been 6 weeks since I last volunteered and I am know I should be doing something...but I must say I'm a picky volunteer...I only like projects with kids!!!