LI E #4:
“God I s A n U n-stuffed T eddy Bear.” A Lesson From My Cluelessness
I spoke recently at a charity event in Columbus, Ohio. It went pretty well. At least until we were done. That’s when I did something really stupid. See, my job wasn’t just to speak. Afterwards, I was supposed to stand at a table, answer questions and accept donations if people wanted to give to the charity. So that’s what I did. I was chatting with some people when this guy came up to shake my hand. He was a short, normal-looking guy wearing jeans and a brown coat. He said, “I really appreciate all that you do. I will send you a donation in the mail.” Now, I’ve done this a while. I’m no dummy. So, even though I heard his words clearly, what it sounded like to me was this: “Right now I feel like making a donation because I’m looking you in the face, but when I go home, I will definitely forget because it’s really not that important to me.” Yep, sounds mean, doesn’t it? But that’s what I thought. Why? Because that’s what happens...a lot. And because a lot of people do that, I keep a stack of stamped, already-addressed envelopes right there on the table. But this guy didn’t grab one. So as he was heading out the door, I rudely shouted, “Well, at least take an envelope!” (Mean, again...I know.) 93