As a preface, I would like to state that I particularly hate reading didactic novels. Why anyone would choose to read The Alchemist, for example, is beyond me (but, have at it, each to their own). Tuesdays with Morrie left me cold – Lauren seems to think that this means that I am dead on the inside, but it’s not that I don’t shed tears. What could be sadder than a much-loved college professor, on his deathbed, giving you lessons from almost [beyond] the grave (Tuesdays with Morrie, of course)? I must admit, I didn’t get past the front cover of The Alchemist; one of the quotes on the dust jacket was from (ahem) Madonna. ‘Nuff said.

Anyway, I digress; the point of this post is related to (again) the Bernard Shaw Car Boot Sale, that took place last Saturday, August 4th. It was a success, for me anyway – and for Simon, but all good things in time. The hipsters and scenesters were there again, and in force, but this time some recognised me, some bought from me; we chatted over Cake Cafe cupcakes and falafels in hummus-filled pittas. And, in between showers, I sold some goods: clothing, bags (so many bags, which took me by surprise), only two books (when did people stop reading? Was it about the same time Paulo Coelho started writing? Because that might make sense), some jewellery, especially brooches and a few belts. And the odd vintage dress, but the recession might just be making people cautious; for most, €25 didn’t seem like the bargain I’d thought it would.

Car boot sales are, for the most part, for profit; but for us (yes, yes, during my down-time from polishing my halo) it was for the Simon Community. I had a lot of stuff that I didn’t want, and, at the moment, quite happily, my job is paying my bills – so I didn’t need the profits of the fickleness of my own fashion tastes. So, long story short, we decided (along with a few friends who donated goods for a good cause) to donate our ill-gotten gains to what my Mother simply calls Simon – Dublin Simon Community.

In the end, we made €320; it’s amazing how much more willing people are to spend a little extra cash when you guilt them into it tell them it’s for charity. Today, I lodged the amount to the Simon Community via credit card online (a handy system, I tell you – plus, you can get extra through your PAYE, something I haven’t quite understood completely yet). And I got a lovely email immediately from Jennifer Donovan at the Simon Community, thanking me for my donation (I quickly corrected her, and told her that it was “ours”, the donation); when I told her how we raised it, she remarked “I think, as the year progresses, we will notice a downturn in people making donations – so receiving random donations like yours is very inspiring.”

And, I may have taken a while to get here, but, I think that’s just plain sad. When it’s cold, homeless people shiver in doorways; when it’s hot, they sit on the boardwalk and get sunburnt (and wouldn’t you?). I never thought I’d be writing didactic blog posts, trying to guilt people into giving to charity, but here I am.

A last point: I was in Prague recently (see below) and there were no charity muggers. As a former communist country, Prague doesn’t have a tradition of giving to charity. Do we?