Mandy was one of our amazing participants who gave so much of herself in so many different ways. She joined Fair Shares after she had undergone a triple bypass operation and wanted some help with her garden. We then talked to her about what else she might want to get involved with. We found out she used to be a bus driver for the city, and so she started driving our minibus on outings for us as well as other groups. She also had a talent for baking and would make cakes and pies. Over the years through small touch points she connected with lots of different people in lots of different ways and really just became part of the fabric that was our timebank.
When she passed away, the two people who were at her side at the end were her daughter Kerry and Belinda, another one of our participants. To me this was a powerful reminder of the true impact timebanking can have to the lives of those we work with. We talk about connections and building community links and relationships all the time, and it’s really easy to describe that superficially or even think of it quite frivolously, but it cuts so much more fundamentally and so much deeper than we often acknowledge. When we talk about the giving and receiving of hours or exchanges, we must remember that what people are really giving is themselves, their attention and their care. People are receiving acknowledgement that they exist and that they are valued and that they have a place, and as cheesy as it may sound to some, it is absolutely about sharing love. You don’t give up precious time away from your own family to sit with someone in their last moments unless you have true love for them.
This is what we see in our timebanks on a daily basis and over the years we see those tiny acts of generosity ripple and forge deep lifelong relationships. So when people talk about sustainability, this is our true sustainability, the changes we see in ourselves and our participants. Our lives are better for being involved in the timebank and we are better people for it.