By John Jarvis

Creative Hughes Marino Mini Goalers,

I trust that you all had fun with the creative freedom we were all provided in June to perform a Random Act of Kindness. Such a simple notion, to do something nice for no particular reason. I think this would make a great daily habit, what do you think?

Hope Fox went to donate blood during her lunch break. Elizabeth Carvalho made a donation to her church and Briana Waris brightened her neighbor’s day by surprising him with a beautiful plant.

For my part, I did something I usually don’t do, I gave money to a guy standing at an intersection holding a sign. I have always resisted giving money like this, because I think it is dangerous to stand in the street, and because I don’t want to encourage more people to stand in traffic as a way to ask for help. But sometimes it is healthy to simply consider the possibility that our convictions could be wrong, or at least misguided. So I gave the guy twenty bucks. His reaction was subtle, raised eyebrows, a simple smile, a nod of thanks, and a slow walk back to his backpack. I don’t know what he did with the money. It doesn’t matter. He had wherewithal for a meal if he was hungry, and I can just skip a couple Starbucks runs. We were both uplifted for a moment, a real win-win.

It is an unfortunate reality that some people don’t have enough money just to buy food when they are hungry. Brutal. OK, let’s stay on that theme and do something about it.

The July Mini Goal is:

Feed the Hungry

Meals on Wheels, Feeding America, The Hunger Project—there are some remarkable organizations dedicated to feeding those who lack the means to feed themselves. Pick one. Get involved. Spend some time, maybe a little money. Then bring your stories back to us with an email to minigoals@hughesmarino.com. Let’s all get uplifted, for a moment.

I can’t wait to hear your stories.

Thanks for playing along. And thanks for holding me accountable to do what I said I would do. This is how we grow.