Living Below the Line: Day 5...Gratitude

The last day of living off of $1.50 and despite being the hardest, I am full of gratitude. I’m thankful that I made it the whole week and had the willpower and support to stick to the task. I’m thankful that so many of you got behind me and my team with donations and kind words. I’m thankful I saved some “treats” for today’s lunch to get me through. I’m thankful for the millions of people who lend a voice to the 1.4 billion people living in extreme poverty by committing themselves to international development work, either as a career or supporter. And I’m most thankful for my team, the Solidarity Sisters, who really banded together to raise money for CARE, plan out our week and keep us on task to get the most out of the experience.

But I’m not going to lie, it was not easy. The lack of choices, the high levels of starch, the limited intake of calories and the exhausting planning and decision making made me realize a few things about myself and the families I stood in solidarity with this week.

1. I’m not a planner when it comes to grocery shopping or bringing my lunch to work. I’m the girl who goes up and down each aisle, with no list, adding things to my cart as I wish. I’m a label reader and pick and choose things that are healthy, hardly ever paying attention to price. I can be more conscientious of what I spend, sacrificing expensive splurges every now and then to donate to a cause or someone who really needs it instead.
2. I’m incredibly fortunate. I have a great family, a wonderful boyfriend and exceptional friends. I’m educated, I know how to get balance in my diet and ensure that my dietary needs are met. I have a great job and work for an organization that commits to serving the most marginalized populations.
3. Living below the line is much harder when the people surrounding you are not doing the same. In the Peace Corps, I was by no means poor, but I did live on $275 a month, which paid for all my expenses like rent and food. I did not have more material luxuries than my neighbors; for the most part, I lived like a Guatemalan. This week, while living on a $1.50, incessant reminders of things I could not have invaded my thoughts, inbox and surroundings – bold coffee, cheese, happy hour, wine, chocolate, nuts, lunches with friends, the list goes on…
4. Yes you can eat cheaply, but it’s very difficult to get all the nutrients our bodies need. I’m relatively well-versed when it comes to nutrition (as a vegetarian, you kind of have to be), by no means an expert, but I wonder… if little brains don’t get all the nutrients they need from the beginning, how much harder will it be for them developmentally to reach the starting line and have the same chances to learn as a child who is fully nourished? Not to mention, hunger is distracting.
5. Families who do this every day have incredible strength and will to live. And for those who overcome and lift themselves out of poverty, like Dionis and the women of Ekata, I bow to your hutzpah and determination. Small hand-ups, like a microbusiness loan or the opportunity to organize for collective bargaining power can mean the difference between kissing your children goodnight amidst landfill waste and having a safer, more reliable shelter with possibly a bed to tuck them into.

Living below the line is over for me (for this year) and I’ll be honest, you can do anything when you know there is an end date. I still have some food left and only spent $7.05 of my $7.50 budget. Here’s how my week broke down:

Monday - $1.31

Tuesday - $1.49

Wednesday - $1.34

Thursday - $1.42

Friday - $1.50

Total - $7.05

I consumed an average of 1,032 calories per day and only because I knew enough about nutrition to add some dairy and protein to my week. Truly if I were shopping based on price, with no knowledge of a balanced diet, there would have been more starch and simple sugars than what I felt was already too much.

Today I am reminded to be grateful for what I have, to acknowledge the people who have helped support me along the way, and to pay it all forward when I can. I leave you with one of the columns I wrote for CARE’s former I am Powerful magazine back in October 2007.

Learning to Give

“The point is not to pay back kindness but to pass it on.”

– Julia Alvarez, Poet, Novelist and Essayist

Is philanthropy a learned behavior or are we born with an innate sense of kindness? Historically people of all economic levels have demonstrated that generosity comes in many forms and is not just for the financially wealthy. They are my teachers.

Mother Theresa gave countless hours of her time. She began her missionary work with the poor in India in 1948. Her life work included caring for refugees in times of crisis, attending to starving people affected by the Ethiopian famine of 1984, and comforting the sick in the aftermath of the radiation leak at Chernobyl. In 1979, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitute a threat to peace." By the time of her death, Mother Theresa’s outreach consisted of 610 missions in 123 countries. From Mother Theresa, I have learned that time is something I can find more of to give.

Martin Luther King, Jr. gave the power of his voice to combat the shameful practices of segregation. Noted for his inspiring allocutions, such as the “I Have a Dream” speech of

1963, he spoke out to raise awareness and advocate for the equal rights of all Americans. From Martin Luther King, Jr., I have learned that my voice is something I can lend to others.

Oseola McCarty, a poor woman from Mississippi, gave an extraordinary gift to support education. Having left school at the age of 12 to care for a sick aunt, Oseola took a job washing laundry to eke out a living. She lived simply and shrewdly saved a small fortune, eventually donating $150,000 to the University of Southern Mississippi so that unlike her, others could stay in school. From Oseola McCarty I have learned that it doesn’t matter how much I have to give, but rather how much I am willing to sacrifice.

At the heart of it all is the idea that philanthropy is not about how much, how often or with whom, but about finding our own ways to exert it. It is not something we should repay; it is a gift we should pass on.