The Gift of the Magi

As I get ready to head home for the holidays, I have been thinking about giving lately. Selflessness, generosity, philanthropy, call it what you will: this season (for social, religious, and tax-related reasons that I need not spell out on these pages) is all about digging deep and giving something to someone else, no strings attached, with nothing to gain but satisfaction.

Giving is, of course, about sacrifice. We’re supposed to give until it hurts, our gifts gain relevance not only from the happiness they bring the recipient, but from the hardship they impose upon ourselves. Many people engage in this strange self-flagellation cheerfully, relishing the sacrifice. The financial hardship gift giving imposes on us makes our gift feel real, gives us a kind of touchstone for the value of our love.

Obviously the first subject on my mind as I think about this are the beloved people in my life: my family, my friends, my loved ones. I have been blessed with an incredible family and a cast of fierce friends, any one of whom have, do, and will continue to make sacrifices in my name. Making myself worthy of their gifts, tangible and otherwise, is the great challenge of my life.

However, due to more than a few bits of good fortune and lucky breaks, I have had the opportunity to witness this kind of sacrifice in my professional life as well. As you know, I work in the non-profit sector for an organization dedicated to environmental quality and protection. With the economy struggling, the non-profit sector has taken a blow. People are too legitimately concerned about their own financial survival to donate money to philanthropic causes.

This financial tightening has contributed to the worried faces around conference tables nationwide, ours included. Revenues are down, and budgets are being slashed. And yet, at the same time, we see before us a great opportunity. The new administration and Congressional leadership is dedicated to a massive investment in public works, an economic stimulus in the form of environmentally-friendly infrastructure our country needs. This stimulus, which could be counted in the hundreds of billions of dollars, is the single biggest opportunity for green investment our country has ever seen.

As the holidays approach, and amidst talk of budget shortfalls, I have seen this opportunity light a fire in the eyes of the professionals I work with. My colleagues have worked long hours for little pay, despite the uncertainty of the future in our field. They have doubled down their efforts to advocate for dollars and investments that they will never profit a cent from. They are working tirelessly to create jobs for people they will never meet, preserving landscapes they will never see for future generations they will never know.

With selfishness and corruption crowding the headlines, I take great pride in working with people who are willing to give until it hurts, to make the sacrifices that make their gift to the world all the greater. As O. Henry said, they are the magi.