What is...Rich?

I was playing Apples to Apples at an end-of-summer family barbecue last night. That’s the party-game-in-a-box that involves matching descriptive words such as “cuddly” with a random choice of nouns such as “frogs” or “a dark alley” or “my bathroom.”

One person serves as the judge of what is the most appropriate – or the worst but most humorous – match. (The judge position rotates with each turn.)

Well about an hour and a couple of glasses of wine into the game, on my turn as a judge I drew the word “rich.” Hmm – not something, with a lifelong career in the nonprofit sector, that I have a lot of familiarity with.

But lo and behold, there was a life-lesson there.

Along with cards for “Cleopatra” and “Las Vegas” – there was a dead ringer.

My 16-year-old son, who knows me best, thought to himself: “This is the worst card, but I know my mom is going to pick it.”

And sure enough, as soon as it went down, the woman next to me, who works in the nonprofit sector, winced.

So what was the horrific card he threw down?

“Fundraising.”
….

Well did I pick it?

With gusto (although I have to admit that “Las Vegas” did give me pause)…and with affection.

For the way that fundraising makes the world a richer, brighter, better place.