On any given weekend, I try hard to cram in the essentials that fall through cracks of weary weekdays. This Saturday was memorable. We (mother-daughter duo) discovered a inconspicuous gift of community service. Here is our story.
Every hour holds a new promise
Something's always gives away to let something inevitable take place. Last Friday, I received a mail from my friend Ashima - a mother of two sons and a committed pillar of Toybank in our Delhi/NCR chapter. ToyBank is a NGO dedicated to collecting, restoring, and distributing toys for under privileged children. Ashima's enthusiasm is addictive and spreads like fire in our camp activities. Though I was initially conflicted on splitting weekends among household, family and leisure (I guess), I wanted to turn around all that slackdom and excuses. And I gave her a thumbs up. Finding ToyBank was a beautiful accident that made all the difference to my purpose in life.
Go with all your heart
Before we started for the art class on Saturday morning, I casually asked my daughter, Sharannya, if she would like to accompany me to where we were sorting and packing toys. Her "yes" was bold and prompt as the activity primarily involved toys or so I thought. Sharannya proudly displayed a Toybank pin and was more ready to set the stage for action. I had nearly forgotten about it with the passage of time. But for the first time I could associate the significance of this pin. There it was - smiling sunny bright on Sharannya's blue dungarees. Off we drove to the designated location after a couple of dying-to-get-it-over hours spent in art class. My Google maps took me almost near to the venue but we had to go around in circles for about 10 minutes. Sharannya was fidgety and not happy with the lateness of the whole situation. I was just plain happy to see her so mindful about the clock.
Together we can do so much
On reaching the venue we were greeted with enthusiastic Yays. My 8-year old was the youngest volunteer in the group. Though I anticipated hesitation and unfamiliarity in her, I was stunned to see Sharannya naturally fitting in the group. She set the wheels in motion almost instantly without much guidance and I realized how prepared she was for the occasion. Power tools (scissors, scotch tapes, marker, newspapers) from her back pack had a more meaningful purpose now. It was fun collaborating with her as we sorted, packed, marked, and segregated toys as per age groups. In between, I teased her a little checking if she would like to play with toys. She shook her head vehemently doubting my real intent on that question.
The next couple of hours went by quickly. By now, Sharannya had started helping others to pack the toys in big carton boxes. I could see a natural surge of leadership in her to tie all the efforts into a neat finish. Ashima complimented on her wisdom and the motivation trebled for her to clean the space. I could see her eyes twinkling as boxes got stacked one after the other. In all that hustle she remained a strong force for us to reckon speed with perfection. She wanted to know by when these boxes would reach the kids who need to play. And I explained that they would all be now stored in toy libraries, ready for distribution, whenever the next event is organized. I was happy to see her tying the ends together to realize a bigger purpose that was waiting to happen. Knowing the destination of those boxes, Sharannya whispered in my ears, "Mama can we join them when they distribute toys to kids?" My answer was a emphatic Yes. I couldn't be more proud of what I was seeing in her. Isn't this what we are meant to do as humans? Spread joy and build a better place for others?
Small acts transform the world around us
We are creatures of a busy world; too busy to realize or recognize a significant value we can multiply through simple acts of spontaneity. All it took me was a simple detour from the normal route of the day that led us both to a path of rare finds. While reflecting on the happy hours of the day, Sharannya shared, "Now I understand Mama why I need to take care of my toys." I was not looking for answers but the fact that the activity got her thinking was a inevitable part of my learning. She wanted to know more from me on the lives of those kids who do not have access to toys. She considered her participation essential to build hope for a better future. A future where we can echo back many such wonderful acts of joy.
We are excited to participate in the next ToyBank activity. If you are interested to join, give us a high five here and I will connect you to the event coordinators.
Every hour holds a new promise
Something's always gives away to let something inevitable take place. Last Friday, I received a mail from my friend Ashima - a mother of two sons and a committed pillar of Toybank in our Delhi/NCR chapter. ToyBank is a NGO dedicated to collecting, restoring, and distributing toys for under privileged children. Ashima's enthusiasm is addictive and spreads like fire in our camp activities. Though I was initially conflicted on splitting weekends among household, family and leisure (I guess), I wanted to turn around all that slackdom and excuses. And I gave her a thumbs up. Finding ToyBank was a beautiful accident that made all the difference to my purpose in life. Go with all your heart
Before we started for the art class on Saturday morning, I casually asked my daughter, Sharannya, if she would like to accompany me to where we were sorting and packing toys. Her "yes" was bold and prompt as the activity primarily involved toys or so I thought. Sharannya proudly displayed a Toybank pin and was more ready to set the stage for action. I had nearly forgotten about it with the passage of time. But for the first time I could associate the significance of this pin. There it was - smiling sunny bright on Sharannya's blue dungarees. Off we drove to the designated location after a couple of dying-to-get-it-over hours spent in art class. My Google maps took me almost near to the venue but we had to go around in circles for about 10 minutes. Sharannya was fidgety and not happy with the lateness of the whole situation. I was just plain happy to see her so mindful about the clock.
Together we can do so much
On reaching the venue we were greeted with enthusiastic Yays. My 8-year old was the youngest volunteer in the group. Though I anticipated hesitation and unfamiliarity in her, I was stunned to see Sharannya naturally fitting in the group. She set the wheels in motion almost instantly without much guidance and I realized how prepared she was for the occasion. Power tools (scissors, scotch tapes, marker, newspapers) from her back pack had a more meaningful purpose now. It was fun collaborating with her as we sorted, packed, marked, and segregated toys as per age groups. In between, I teased her a little checking if she would like to play with toys. She shook her head vehemently doubting my real intent on that question. 
The next couple of hours went by quickly. By now, Sharannya had started helping others to pack the toys in big carton boxes. I could see a natural surge of leadership in her to tie all the efforts into a neat finish. Ashima complimented on her wisdom and the motivation trebled for her to clean the space. I could see her eyes twinkling as boxes got stacked one after the other. In all that hustle she remained a strong force for us to reckon speed with perfection. She wanted to know by when these boxes would reach the kids who need to play. And I explained that they would all be now stored in toy libraries, ready for distribution, whenever the next event is organized. I was happy to see her tying the ends together to realize a bigger purpose that was waiting to happen. Knowing the destination of those boxes, Sharannya whispered in my ears, "Mama can we join them when they distribute toys to kids?" My answer was a emphatic Yes. I couldn't be more proud of what I was seeing in her. Isn't this what we are meant to do as humans? Spread joy and build a better place for others? Small acts transform the world around us
We are creatures of a busy world; too busy to realize or recognize a significant value we can multiply through simple acts of spontaneity. All it took me was a simple detour from the normal route of the day that led us both to a path of rare finds. While reflecting on the happy hours of the day, Sharannya shared, "Now I understand Mama why I need to take care of my toys." I was not looking for answers but the fact that the activity got her thinking was a inevitable part of my learning. She wanted to know more from me on the lives of those kids who do not have access to toys. She considered her participation essential to build hope for a better future. A future where we can echo back many such wonderful acts of joy.
We are excited to participate in the next ToyBank activity. If you are interested to join, give us a high five here and I will connect you to the event coordinators.
