No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

For the last eight months, I've been wallowing in the online moat of the Jindo Dog Rescue world. Living so far away from home, and realizing what a state they're in, in the US, made me want to help.

I sign up to the mailing list, look around if I can bring home help, correspond with a couple of the members. They seem helpful, kind, DOG RESCUE PEOPLE. Another of the group is a bit stompy, jumps all over some members, and is pushy, but hey, I figure that's how you get when you're faced with an impossible situation. ( though, when one woman worried about her family and her dog not getting along, this person did attack her viciously and personally about being a whiny Asian woman who gives the rest of "us" a bad name. Whoa)

Her tagline is: "now is not the time for me to leave." *roll eyes*

Now, I know every time I have something big to do, I get caught up in wanting to do something for other projects. FOR FREE. This is a stupid habit of mine. I got into trouble with this in Uni, when overwhelmingly positive about the world, I took on mentorships and writing workshops. Because I felt like being a part of the WORLD and HELPING. (Hold the tomatoes. Pollyanna wises up, though quickly forgets)

So, I jump in again. Blind and grinning. Seeing that this person's low-traffic dog information site is going down, I offer free bandwidth from the uni. She says, no, she's moving to another site. And we talk about the translation of a Jindo book she's meant to do for a while, but was prohibited because of the cost of getting someone to translate.

Hey! This is something I can help with! I know the translation market! I'm GOOD at this in my sleep! I'm overqualified! My CV scares people with the shiny. People BEG me to do this. (Okay, ask nicely, and with lots of flattery)

So, excitedly, I offer to do a part of it. Because it would help the Jindo Dog community.

Nothing. Nada. Not a "no, thanks," no brush-off. Just a snub. A nothing complete drop of pleasantries ignore. Because, obviously, I am a scam.

Yes. Moral of the Day: Don't offer to help out of the blue because you think a good cause needs help. You'll get suspected as a weird scam artist (I figure), and they'll diss you. Why shouldn't they? I just liked Jindo dogs. I think they're misunderstood, and misrepresented outside the country, and I wanted to do something. Looking back, I guess I was naive.

And I have to remember, whatever good I want to do when I feel an Outburst of Generous, stuff it. Just shut up and donate.

And remember Kirk Cameron. When you think you're at the top of your field, prematurely, arrogantly, (Hello, Tiger Beat!) and look around for more "MEANINGFUL" work to fill your life, you botch your fledgling talents and end up doing weird Christian movies (Left Behind, anyone?).