When I was a kid,
I LOVED school book fairs.
I loved seeing
the brand new, never been read
books.
They were pristine
and new
and beautiful.
I could never buy
any of those books.
My family barely had enough money
for food and shelter and electricity.
We definitely didn’t have
money for new books.
Today, I have a healthy book budget
and
I indulge myself,
buying the adult books I like.
But I also indulge
my inner kid.
I peruse the hot new books
for primary school kids
and
I buy the books
past me would have been interested in.
I put these books in Ziploc bags,
ensuring they remain in pristine condition,
and I donate them
to the Little Free Library
in our neighborhood.
My inner kid is happy.
And this act hopefully makes
some other kid happy also
My Awesome Mom loves buying toys.
When my siblings and I were younger,
she didn’t have the money
to buy us many new toys.
We got our toys
second hand
from charity shops.
Today, my Mom buys all sorts of toys
for the toy drives.
She derives hours, days, weeks of fun
from picking them out,
from choosing the toys
she would have liked to give us
or to have received herself.
She then donates them
to charities,
ensuring some needy kids
get new toys for the holidays.
If you can,
consider indulging your inner kid.
Buy the things
you would have liked
to have
as a child.
Then give them away.
Make another child’s dreams
come true.