Blog 1 – I Believe in Giving – by Jake Klein

It was during my 3rd grade winter break. My parents decided to take my two sisters and I down to Aruba for a nice, relaxing beach vacation. After a couple days of playing on the beach we decided to see what else our resort had to offer in terms of entertainment. They were having a couple big Bingo games around lunchtime so as a family we decided to join. As the games went by my prospects of winning seemed slimmer and slimmer. Then we got to the final game. First one to fill the four corners of the game card wins the largest jackpot of $50. The Big Kahuna. As the game progressed, I saw three of my corners fill within the first five balls drawn. Needing only a B7, my heart dropped with every ball called. Finally, I heard it. Bingo. Unfortunately, another person got Bingo at the exact same time as me, so my winnings were only $25. Nevertheless I was extremely happy with how it turned out. My sisters and parents were asking me what I was planning on spending it on when I told them to give me five minutes and sped off.

 

To their surprise I came back with wooden flutes for both of my sisters and wooden parrots for all of them. Gifts just for the sake of giving. It left me penniless but the smiles on their faces were more than enough for me.

 

Having only been around eight years old at the time I had never really had too much money in my possession with the exception of gift cards I would get for my birthday. Winning Bingo might have been the first time I ever actually bought my parents and sisters gifts. Giving them these small souvenirs and seeing their reactions gave me so much joy. I truly believe that giving is much better than receiving because of that.

 

What I did on a random whim after winning some money in a Bingo game really impacted a part of my life in a big way. Every birthday or holiday I am always the one in my family getting others the most meaningful, the funniest, and the best gifts because I truly believe that giving is the best feeling one can have. Whether it’s Donald Trump toilet paper for my little sister, tickets to see Neil DeGrasse Tyson for my dad, or a day in New York and a musical for my older sister, the looks on their faces are all the same. Some might think I’m trying to buy love or to bribe them for something, but that is simply not true. I give for the sake of giving. I don’t think my family minds either.

 

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