✝Giving Out of Kindness✝

1/27/2023

⬅ Back

This is a lesson I learned years ago, when I was struggling figuring out how creative businesses work.

Things didn't exactly start out the best that day. I sold one of my products on Etsy, but because I underestimated fees and shipping costs, I ended up losing money instead of earning anything. (I lost less than a dollar, and the product was going to a friend instead of a stranger, but still.) Needless to say, it was a painful slap to the face. Especially since it was my first sale in literally months.

Then in the evening, my dad convinced me to go to our local fire station where they held a Bingo session on certain days of the week (for those who don't know, if you get a bingo, you receive prize money. Basically soft gambling. Not something I approve of now, but it did help raise money for the fire station.) I don't know why I agreed to go. Maybe I thought I could make up for the money I lost.

I expected to spend only $1-$3 in buying a few bingo sheets. But then we learned that at minimum we had to buy a whole book of bingo sheets for $10. I had no intention to giving up that much money for something I won't be guaranteed to win. So I had to sit through the entire session while my dad tried his luck.

Naturally, this made my mood even worse, and I was convinced that coming was a waste of my time. I could have been doing something else, like trying to restructure my business, or just chat with friends (I couldn't access wifi while there, and I didn't have phone data at the time).

To pass the time, I began drawing in the small drawing pad I brought with me everywhere. By the time the bingo session was mostly over, I had 3 refined sketches that were partially shaded. A few people close by started to notice, and they complimented me.

Then unexpectedly, one of the fire station volunteers asked me if those were the only kinds of things I could draw. I answered that I could draw other things. He asked me if I could draw the fire station's logo, giving me a large patch of it for reference. Since I had nothing better to do, I agreed, and I was able to finish the sketch before we left. I showed it to the man who asked me, as well as a few volunteers. They were very happy to see it, and I let them have it.

In return, I was allowed to keep the patch I was given for reference. It did cross my mind to ask for money in return for the sketch, but I saw the smiles on their faces, and realized that was payment enough. My dad didn't win anything, but I know God lead me there to remind me of something. To never be so concentrated on making money that you forget to give out of kindness.