Allocation

Our garage sale is over -- sort of.

Today was excruciatingly slow and much remains unsold. Either we'd tapped our potential clientele Friday and Saturday or the iffy (and ultimately wet) weather interfered. Maybe both.

Our last customers were a husband and wife from Oklahoma, living here temporarily for his contract job. They lingered long and we talked about the difficulties of leaving home for the first time in their lives. They'd left a new grandbaby behind, along with their younger son's starting spot on the basketball team.

My family and I know hardship ourselves, but we also know that others endure far more than we'll ever confront. That's why we decided -- before our sale began -- that we'd turn ten percent of our receipts back into our community.

This evening, five percent went to a local substance-abuse program. A like amount will go to our village's food pantry tomorrow morning.

Yeah, it feels good, but for us it's not a feel-good thing. Simply put, this is our home and we're taking care of it.

What, I wonder, could happen if all private sales funneled this small amount to public good?