Giving Back

Kindness costs nothing, but it means everything.

For the last month, we’ve been stuck in the most ridiculous timeline. Our days are riddled with uncertainty, anxiety, and for those of us like me, it also includes working from home and expelling our kids from home school daily. Yet, no matter where any of us are, we all feel stuck.

Our sense of normalcy is gone. We’re missing out on things. Our kids are missing school and being with their friends. High school and college graduates are not going to attend commencement exercises. I was scheduled to be hooded for my Ph.D. in May, but that has been postponed indefinitely. I get it. It’s unfair that our lives have been interrupted in such a harsh way.

In March, I was scheduled to be one of the featured authors at the inaugural New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University. I invested money in new marketing materials and ordered two boxes of books because I was so excited to share my book’s story with parents, their kids, and other avid readers. But when the festival was canceled, I had a stack of 50 signed books and a box of personalized bookmarks with nowhere to go.

So, I made a decision… while I’d attempt to sell copies of my book on my website, I wanted to do something different.

I decided to give away copies of my book. It first started with delivering copies to 10 random Little Free Library locations throughout the New Orleans area. Then, I wanted to do something more. We all need a little pick-me-up. While I’d love for people to pay $15 to buy my book, that $15 could be used for a necessity.

Between my free #DadTextNotes service and giving away free copies of my book (and paying for the shipping), I’m losing money in my financial bank account, but I’m making kindness deposits in other people’s accounts. What I’m doing won’t get me on the news, put me on the bestsellers’ list or make me go viral, but that’s not what this is about. I simply want to make others feel a little better during a time when we’re all struggling.

My box of 50 signed copies has slowly dwindled to 25. As crazy as it sounds, I want to see the box empty.

All with the desire of making someone’s day.