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Take What You Want…Leave What You Want

I recall a neat little encounter back in 1991 on the North Shore in Hawaii.  I had rented a motorcycle for the day and was trying to click off every possible mile I could.  As we were rolling down the road right next to the beach, I noticed a 1967 Chevy parked under a tree on the left hand side of the road.  As we inched closer, I saw a rickety card table and a guy leaning back in a lawn chair.  Curiosity won out so we stopped.  I looked down at the table to see baggies of macadamia nuts and to the left sat the guy smoking a large blunt.  I asked him how much, and he said, “Take what you want…leave what you want.”

That nice little memory was triggered this morning after reading the article about Jon Bon Jovi opening a new eatery in New Jersey called Soul Kitchen.  Celebs opening restaurants is nothing new or really news worthy in most cases, but this one is a little different.  There are no prices on the menu, and that’s not because the prices are out of this world.  Soul Kitchen is a community restaurant where the meals are donation based.  You pay what you can, or you can donate hours by volunteering. 

Times are tight for a lot of people right now.  Taking the family out to dinner is sometimes not an option, as it would mean not being to pay the rent for the month; however, if you could take the family out then pay by volunteering your time, you may have hit the trifecta.  You went out for dinner, had some good family time, and were able to give back, as a family, by donating time to help someone else.  I see it as a little spin on the words from my guy in Hawaii: “Take what you want…leave what you can.”

If you don’t think you can make a difference, volunteer at a shelter and watch how your investment of time can change lives.  Charity and helping is not always about money.  It is sometimes just a hand up rather than a hand out.