You might see them in homes, offices or public venues as a way to curb profanity or put an end to some annoying turn of phrase. Yes, it's the infamous swear jar.
Decorated jars or boxes require an offender to drop some money in a container as a penalty for uttering an inappropriate word or phrase—or something people are tired of hearing about. It's typically all in good fun and the money collected is given to charity.
Some places use it to get people to stop complaining about the weather. A friend of mine worked in an office that wouldn't allow any negative talk about the Riders. Break the rule—pay the fine.
I read about an office struggling with morale so the vice-president banned employees from making snarky comments. Every critical statement about another department or individual in the company would cost the person a dollar. They expected to collect a lot of money.
There is a viral video of jar set up by a husband in an attempt to get his wife to stop talking about Taylor Swift. She has to place a quarter in the jar any time she mentions the singer's name because her husband said, "I can't take it anymore." It's made for a lot of laughter and is in keeping with his sense of humor. For her part, she said she's used up all her quarters already, noting her husband supplied her with the coins in the first place. She intends to use the proceeds to buy tickets to future Taylor Swift concerts.
I asked my husband what sort of jar he might start for me but he was far too gracious to answer my question. I am convinced I have topics that I harp on about, but he wouldn't offer anything up. So I asked my sister. She was able to come up with responses quite quickly. Too quickly.
"Anything political," she said. "And every time you start a conversation with 'I am reading a book about...'" Message received.
I guess we all have catch phrases or things we talk about too much. Or perhaps it's an attitude that can be an irritant. Maybe having to come up with coins each time we are called on it would cause us to think twice about what we say and how we say it. But it's not all bad when you consider the amount of money that could be headed the way of a good cause.
Jars full of coins from those complaining how cold it is could go to a charity that provides coats, toques and mitts to others.
Coins collected each time somebody complains about there being 'nothing to eat' in the house when in fact the fridge and cupboards are full, could go to the food bank.
The original swear jar, designed to curb the use of profanity, could go to a literacy project. Negative behaviors can be turned into positive outcomes and that would be a great thing. Perhaps this could just be the start.
It is one month until Christmas – a time when about 30% of overall giving takes place. Maybe some of us can do just a little bit more.
If you find yourself complaining about having to come up with Christmas gift ideas, put a dollar in the jar. It likely means the people in your circle already have more than they can use.
If you hear yourself groaning about how busy you are with programs, concerts and events over the next weeks, put some money in the jar. It wasn't that long ago that none of these events could take place and we couldn't get together. Let's enjoy it all now.
If the thought of all the food preparation needed for the holidays causes you to grumble, think about those who can't conceive of a Christmas dinner to prepare for. The goal is simply trying to find something - anything - to eat on any given day. Getting enough is what would make the day a special occasion.
Many little jars could potentially yield a few more dollars for some very worthy organizations. Even more notable would be getting to the end of these next four weeks with a different perspective and discovering we have empty jars and overflowing hearts. That's my outlook.
