Project: One deed is a non-profit effort to bring awareness of those around us within the communities we live in the United States by performing random acts of kindness without regard to race, social stereo-types, age, or reason. 100% of public donations will be used to directly support the unique, random deeds of kindness performed by this project.
When reflecting, I always refer to memories a few fortunate summers I spent with my grandfather on his farm in Shreveport Louisiana. My grandfather worked cattle, had pigs, chickens and grew nearly every southern crop you could imagine. He even tried to teach me how to Noodle from a hollowed log he strategically placed in a pond on his farm. Let’s just say that I was never successful because I was not going no where near the murky water. I was but a young age of 7 years old.
Another opportunity that I loved to perform with my grandfather was visiting several of the local neighboring farms to help him share fruits of his crops, and extra meat that he processed from livestock, and of course it was a wonderful opportunity to play with a few other kids my age or older and try to do the things that a city boy doesn’t get to do. These summers were far and few between, but I to this day cherish the memories of every moment I spent in those summers.
It wasn’t until I was married, my first child was born, and I was visiting with my grandmother while reflecting on these memories with her that she explained to me that my grandpa was a hardworking sharecropper and worked the land for someone else. She further explained that each visit he took to “share” with his neighbors could have indeed lead to brutal punishments. It was not his crop or livestock to share, and he actually reported lower crop yields and livestock deaths to ensure his ability to provide as he did, “and he did so before you were even a thought.” She shared.
This discovery more than inspired me to research what sharecropping was and doing so shed an extremely new light as to the lifestyles, sacrifices, and roles my mom and family structure were required to live, and how they chose to play a role in ensuring that their neighboring support systems did not go without.
Life has definitely pitched it’s fair amount of curve balls during my at bat, but being in possession of this piece of my history places a unique perspective on how I view the evolution from before I was born, to growing as a young child, and finally to day. It even seems that when growing up and someone with their hands full needed help with getting in the door of their own house, not responding to help was unnatural, something that is not a common today as we tend to be a bit more self-focused and don’t pick up on the small things. We can certainly rally to build schools for girls on the other side of the world, or discover a cure within a 3rd world country, but will step over or make judgment about about someone we see everyday on our way to the local coffee shop.
In spirit of my grandfather, I’ve been inspired to focus on the efforts of a new project or awareness with a mission to inspire random acts of kindness regardless to how big or how small as long as it is in support of the members of the communities closer to home. I am definitely not against supporting those in need abroad, but I’m a firm believer that generosity towards my neighbor can inspire a spirit of paying forward that reaches globally because they’ve been empowered to do so.
