For a time after the bar exam I didn’t have a job and was quickly running out of money. Thanks to a friend of mine, I worked as a book seller at Borders for about six weeks making not very much money but working pretty hard at it. Yet the paychecks were barely enough to make ends meet, and it’s not like I had a family to sustain. Thankfully, shortly after passing the bar I was able to secure a full-time gig as an associate attorney and I’m in a much better situation now.

I bring this up because jobs are scarce out there and times are tough. This article in today’s Washington Post puts into context how difficult this season can be for so many:

This holiday season, those two worlds have been thrown into stark relief: At Tiffany’s, executives report that sales of their most expensive merchandise have grown by double digits. At Wal-Mart, executives point to shoppers flooding the stores at midnight every two weeks to buy baby formula the minute their unemployment checks hit their accounts. Neiman Marcus brought back $1.5 million fantasy gifts in its annual Christmas Wish Book. Family Dollar is making more room on its shelves for staples like groceries, the one category its customers reliably shop.

If you’re working, if you have the means to buy gifts this season, then please don’t forget about these people. And remember that we’re all connected and that kindness matters. As Vonnegut once said:

Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you’ve got about a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies—God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.

Please, remember those less fortunate than yourselves and give something back:

Toys For Tots

So Others May Eat

DC Central Kitchen

The last two focus on DC—where I’m from. But please give to a local charity in your area. Be kind, people.