Take My Money, Please: My 21-Day Giving Project

by Aruna Gobalan, Jessica Riordan (Editor)

The universe has many selfless people—people who drop everything and go out of their way to help others in need. Aruna Gobalan isn't one of them. But that changed during the year. Amidst the global pandemic of 2020, she felt a call to give back. Aruna recognized she was one of the fortunate few to have weathered the pandemic reasonably unscathed. She and her family managed to stay healthy through the crisis, and she still had a job. She found herself feeling guilty, restless, and like she could be doing more to help. So, she turned to her mediation cushion in search of inner peace. As she contemplatively fidgeted away, guilt gave way to inspiration. She had an epiphany. She decided to embark on a 21-day secret giving project to seek out and personally thank unsung heroes in the community. Not usually one to approach strangers on the street and hand them money, Aruna took herself out of her comfort zone and into many a comical situation. She found herself tracking down postal workers, teachers, and sanitation workers to press money into their hands -- but more importantly, to make sure they knew how appreciated they were. This book is a collection of twenty short essays, one for each day of giving. Woven with Aruna's personal cross-cultural experiences, memories, and observations -- some funny, some lighthearted, and all real and raw. Through these essays, Aruna hopes to entertain and inspire you to undertake similar projects of your own.

104 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 23, 2020

About the author

Aruna Gobalan is the creator of the personal growth blog, Partably.com. Aruna is an entrepreneur and runs her own software design and consulting services business. When not writing, she loves to train for and run marathons and is also an avid cook.

Aruna enjoys undertaking personal growth projects and hopes to inspire others to do the same. A well-traveled citizen of the world, she lives in California with her family.

Reviews

[Anna Bushi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book details 21 days of Aruna's giving project. She gave between $50 to $100 each day to individuals in her life, and in the process, made many self-discoveries.

Hats off to the author for embarking on this journey and helping individuals in need. The only place she lost me was when she declared cleaning was fun. I am in her husband's court on this. Cleaning is a chore.

The book covers some profound topics in a light-hearted fun way. I hope the author has created her butterfly effect and inspires others to follow in her footsteps.

[Vandana Raghunandan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet - very interesting to read this book written by my mum’s cousin! Her book is about giving thanks to 21 people in her life and how she navigates the sometimes awkwardness of that, but to me it’s about celebrating the people in your life that we’re always thankful to but whom we sometimes forget to thank. Loved this book!