My name is Mattie. I am Mommy’s newest kitty kat, and I am still, almost, a kitten. I turned one in September. I’m beautiful. I love to play with toys. I torment my sister Sassy Pants whenever I get a chance, but I love up Mr. Bean at least once a day.
This is by way of introduction. You haven’t met me in a book yet, but if Mommy ever gets off her butt and finishes Volume 14, you will.
Make A Difference Day
Mommy said that the fourth Saturday in October is always Make A Difference Day. That will be the 24th, or this Saturday. You still have time to plan what you want to do to make a difference in your world.
But let’s get back to me. I’m a kitty kat. What can I do to make a difference?
Glad you asked.
First, I like it when Mommy brushes my hair. I have very long, very pretty, very easy to mat hair. I love to be brushed. I’m a wiggle worm, but I let her hold me in lots of different ways to get to just about all of the places. (And, to be honest, every now and then she has to ask a professional to come in and shave my butt.) To make a difference for my Mommy, I can continue to be helpful and let her hold me upside down, or against her chest with my stummy exposed, or up by the tail. If I were going to be really helpful, I could use this day to let her trim my butt without having to hire it done. Fat chance.
Another way I could be helpful – if I really wanted to be – would be to stop eating all of the other kitty kats’ food. Mommy sometimes has to put Mr. Bean in the bathroom with his food so I don’t get it. He likes to take his time. I’m like a vacuum cleaner. And when I finish mine, I head for his. I could try it for just this one day, but, huh, see above. Fat chance.
I could use this one day to stop chasing Sassy Pants. But… fat chance. That’s just too fun.
If You’re A Human
Most of the people reading this are human people, not kitty kats. Most kitty kats haven’t learned how to read. So let’s concentrate on you.
If you haven’t planned anything, get busy! You might need supplies, and you sure need to plan it. Let’s face it, in times like this, if you are going to work in a group, or if you are going to go to a place, like a park or organization, to volunteer, people have to know you’re coming. You might need masks and gloves and such. Or you might have to alter your plans.
Let’s say you want to take persons with disabilities for a walk in the park. That could be a great fall day, but they may not be able to get together with them now because they are medically fragile. Things like that.
So let’s talk about what you might be able to do without being hampered by such things as a pandemic.
Mommy said that’s what we’re in right now. It’s a bad thing.
Some Ideas
Some of these ideas are good for other years, but not necessarily this year. I’ll help you figure it out.
- Organize a food drive. You can still do this. You can send out messages this week and invite people to gather food for persons who need it. Right now, lots of people need it. On Make A Difference Day, you can drive around (if you’re young, ask an adult) and pick up the food. People who have gathered may have to leave it on the porch for you to pick up. Make a plan with a local food bank so you can take the food – either on Saturday or early next week – and safely drop it off.
- Volunteer at an animal shelter. This could be problematic these days, because it requires you getting together with people to be trained. If for some reason your local shelters are not allowing new volunteers, you can do what I mentioned above. Organize a “food and supplies drive” to get litter, food, toys, and other supplies that could be needed at the shelter. You can even collect money to help them with the medical expenses that always come up.
- Clean up a local park. This is a good one. You can organize lots of people, it’s outside, and you can easily socially distance, as long as you all bring your own supplies. Trash bags, rakes, gloves, other tools. Be sure to work with your local county and town officials before you go off to “do good.”
- Organize a blood drive. Well, not so much. Your community probably has blood drives already. But you could do them a great service if you take that Saturday to go all over your community, posting signs about the next drive, where it is, who to contact, and that kind of thing.
- Treat your local first responders. Do it safely. Safely means that you probably don’t make and take homemade goodies right now. Again, gather some friends to help and each of you take an assignment to do some shopping. Fresh donuts; packaged cookies; snack items; drinks. Make arrangements with your local police and fire departments, the hospital, other places, to drop these snack items off. Make sure to include thank you notes, either several individual or one large one, to say THANK YOU for being our first line of defense.
- Gather a number of friends and have them make – on their own in the safety of their homes – optimistic signs. Things like “We Are In This Together.” “Today Is A Great Day To Be You.” “A Smile Can Take You A Mile.” You know. Things like that. Oh, a good one would be “Cats Are People, Too.” Anyway, decide what your signs are going to say, and on Saturday, each of you take an intersection in your community. Stand and wave those signs for all you’re worth!!
- Think about the people you know from school, work, church, your family. Who could benefit from a random act of kindness? Be thoughtful. It’s not like you can snuggle up close to people these days, but maybe someone could use help shopping for groceries. Maybe someone has to use a laundromat, and it’s tough for them to get out. Maybe someone could use a surprise car wash. Be creative. Wear a mask.
- Write cards to nursing home residents and/or veterans. This is easy. You don’t need to gather to do this. Work with your local nursing homes to see who needs a card or letter. Call your local veterans service center. This is something cats can’t do. We can’t hold crayons or pens or such stuff in our paws.
In Closing
You can do big things or little things. It doesn’t make a difference. But every little thing does, really….