Reality Check

Life sucks.
But for some it sucks more.
I just flew back in from the Philippines, It was more or less a yearly pilgrimage I make. My mom is there. She is living with the scourge Alzheimer's. I have family and friends who I treasure. But if I was to be selfish, I would rather go somewhere else. Don't get me wrong, the Philippines is a beautiful country. I would argue that it has the best beaches in the world. There is just so much poverty.
So when the Alexis Louise Quiza Foundation (ALQ), of which I am honored to be a director in their Board, came up with a project to feed street children, my yearly trip took on a nobler purpose.



A study said that there are 1.5 million street children in the Philippines. I thought, if we even are able to provide an hour of relief, from hunger and the heat, this trip would have been successful.

So, on November 25, the ALQ Foundation bought food from Jollibee,  partnered with Childhope Asia and fed street children at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Nuestra Senora De Guia.



We got to the site early. Prior to the feeding, my family and I elected to stop by and have a late lunch. Yellow Cab! It is my favorite pizza joint in the Philippines. Ironically, it fashions itself after everything New York, even though it's origin is purely Filipino. Anyway... We had our fill and started to make our way back to the Ermita Church...

By now, a group of kids where beginning to come. They were mostly pre-teens. I noticed some of them did not even have footwear. In my head, I wondered how they got around the grimy, blistering Manila streets barefoot.

Soon the hall was full of children. There was order in the chaos. They have obviously done this before. They set up the old rickety tables and plastic chairs that have seen better days. It was HOT. There were 2 small ceiling fans. One was broken. I was drenched in sweat. And it was the end of November! I imagine it was hot as hell in summer. (This is why as a side project, we bought 5 fans to use in the hall.) This same hall is used by volunteers to give the children a semblance of school.

 The Church, through benefactors feed this young ones one meal a day from Tuesdays to Saturdays. Our little Jollibee donation is definitely a treat. A break from the usual grub the church provides.

We were told that their usual meal for 50 children cost 1,500 pesos. That is less than $32! Definitely less than most meals I pay for a regular meal for 2 here in the States. I can imagine the meal for the children wasn't a feast.

Before the meal, I was asked to speak. I tried to wiggle out of it because, I had lost my voice a day before, but agreed because I wanted them to know that no matter how life seems bleak at certain times, there are people in the world who sincerely care for their welfare, and that they should not give up on what is good. The talk was more for me than them.

After that they prayed and thanked God for the food they are about to partake in.

What broke my heart was, we saw kids, try to hide away food on their plate...to take home for a family member...

That was the greatest lesson I learned. No matter how little you have, there is always somebody who always could need your help. I was touched that these kids would put aside the little they have for someone else. How can we not do the same? Message me for details on how to help feed street children through the Alexis Louise Quiza Foundation.

LIVING THE COUNTERFEIT LIFE

Alex would print up fake 5 and 10 dollar bills on his copy machine and spend them in local delis.

"They check hundred dollar bills for counterfeit but not ten dollar bills," he told me.

Alex had a high end printing business. He'd make posters, brochures, ads. He had the best copy machines in the world.

10 employees worked for him. This was over 20 years ago. I set up his servers so I read everyone's emails.

One time one of his designers wrote an email to the secretary and said, "I can't wait to taste your strawberry buttercup tonight."

I was disappointed when I read that because I had a crush on the girl but I was intimidated by everyone I knew and ashamed to even say hello to anyone. 

At the local delis, whenever someone tried to hand me a five dollar bill back in change I'd hand it back and say, "can I have it in ones". 

Alex didn't need to print counterfeit bills. His business was successful.

I'll tell you why he did it.

Because nobody wants to work.

Nobody really wants to print posters. Or operate on your prostate. Nobody wants to sit in a conference room at a meeting about marketing insurance policies. 

This is why books like "The 4 Hour Work Week" are successful. Not because people want to work only four hours. But if Tim had written the Zero Hour Workweek nobody would've believed it. 

People want the 4 Hour Work Week because they want to be explorers and not prisoners for the other 36 hours. 

Doing their passion? Their life's purpose? Stopping global warming or malaria?

I don't know.

I doubt it.

Many people ask, "How can I find my true passion in life?"

People think, "without finding my purpose in life I won't make money or be happy."

So I will set you straight. Nobody has a purpose in life to buy and sell stocks. Or create an ad agency. Or build a big pretzel company. Or work in a cubicle. Those are tiny side effects of being alive. 

The only purpose is to do the things you enjoy, with the people you enjoy and who inspire you, as much as possible. 

Today, engage less with someone who you don't like, and engage more with someone you do. 

Today, throw something out. Maybe even throw out a bad idea you once had. Phew! It's gone. 

Write one email today to someone who helped you expand your frontier. Write "thank you" and let that feeling of gratitude marinate.

Today, let go of all of your dreams for just one moment. Don't be afraid that some of them might not come back. 

That's all. You can change the world another day. 

The only way to clean your dark room is to open the window and let the sun shine in. Right now. Then sweep the dust out. That's the best way to help the world. 

Today my passion was to lie in the middle of the road at 4:30 in the morning until the sun rose. It was fun. No cars came. Birds whistled at me flirtatiously. The sounds of the trains from the other side of the river rippled over me. 

Purpose is a man-made fiction. Nobody on their deathbed gets a plaque that says "he focused on only one thing for his entire life!" 

Those are counterfeit thoughts in a counterfeit society. 

And when you make your money, don't spend your five dollar bills all in one place or the rest of the world will try to enslave you. - Stolen on Facebook