Prompt 3 – Virtues: What good have you done in 2011? Where do you really shine? What have you done that makes you proud of yourself?

In May, I left my full-time job and officially became involved in You and Who, a buy-one-give-one company started by my boyfriend that sells quality artist-designed t-shirts and winter hats. For each item sold, we donate a matching item or a meal to someone in need. We work with artists and organizations in 32 cities across the U.S.

I never thought I would be working in retail. I never thought I would be giving back to someone on a daily basis. But here I am, working with a number of shelters across the country that help the homeless, battered women and children, runaway or troubled teens, and displaced or wounded veterans. It is truly humbling work, especially when you see what others may be lacking that you take for granted.

Working for You and Who has given me inspiration in my work, which I didn’t realize how much that had been lacking in my life. Not that I didn’t work towards something meaningful in the past, but this is a different kind of meaning. It’s work that can and does make a difference in people’s lives – a direct, tangible difference. To help be a part of a movement that works daily to feed and clothe people who don’t have those basic human needs in abundance like many of us is something that I will be proud of my entire life.

And I will be eternally grateful to Dan for being the inspiration that led me to this point.