Give it away, give it away, give it away now

Libra, November 25, 2009 (Globe and Mail):

For best results you should adopt an easy come, easy go attitude, especially toward money. Chances are you will be too busy having fun to worry about where your next dollar is coming from. You know it will all come good in the end.

This is MY KIND of horoscope. An easy come, easy go attitude comes easily for me (heh heh).

It’s the giving it away part that I trip over. I am generous (some say to a fault…you know who you are). I say that I have much farther to go. Here’s what I’m learning.

The secret to generosity…the real, altruistic kind that actually counts for your karma kredit is…(lean in)…NON-ATTACHMENT.

We’re so focused on “what goes around, comes around” (and this we like to apply alternately to good AND  evil). What if we just focused on giving it away (and here I mean the good…please) with no attachment to what we receive in return. What happens then? Flood? Locusts? Frogs falling from the sky? (Sorry…listening to Aimee Mann conjured up a Magnolia Moment).

Or something else?

Let’s try it on for size. (Hint: don’t worry about what will come back to you…that’s the real trick. TRUST and then let it go).

What you seek is PRECISELY that which will do you good to give away. Want money? Sponsor a jitney driver in the Philippines through Kiva. Want time? Give away an hour to the soup kitchen that needs you the most. Want peace? Bake some cookies and send some to the neighbour you’ve been feuding with over the mutual driveway. Want opportunities? Create some for others. Want praise? Find someone doing a damned fine job and tell them (I think I’m paraphrasing Jack Welch here).

There. I just gave you the key to money, time, peace, opportunities and praise.

In return, I want nothing...absolutely nothing.