The Gift of Knowledge

It was Thanksgiving morning when I awoke much earlier than I wanted to. A cruel joke one's body plays on you on around the holidays when all you really want to do is sleep vs. take the dogs for their morning walk! I balked at the weak light of dawn creeping around the drawn blinds. TV - yes, I'll buy time and watch some morning TV and see what's developed in Mumbai overnight.

Amidst the horrible news in India, an uplifting commercial came on about children in Africa using portable, laptop computers that don't require electricity - just "clean" electrons. The technology was familiar to me as I had read about but it was the little girl's energy, joy and thankfulness that woke me up that morning.

I had just finished Tom Friedman's book, "Hot, Flat and Crowded," where he described the need for "clean electron" technology for those who have no electrons to plug into. Putting the world wide web into young hands and minds would help with their education and in turn, add to the number of people in the "pool" that can provide global solutions to our world's problems.

The XO computer is a step in the right direction for children whose world looks different than our own. And since I had just hooked up my new Mac Pro, I knew any child would love the world that a computer opens up for you.

I bolted out of bed, walked the dogs, went online and ordered an XO computer for a child I'll most likely never know. For $199, a child, a school, a family will begin to expand their education and pushing some buttons on my keyboard was a way that I could say "Thank You" for the many gifts I've received in my life. You can do the same by heading to: www.amazon.com/xo

Do it now - it feels so good to give!