Kind Deeds - effecting my choices!

So I got this little nastygram from my local mail person:

I have to admit, I was taken aback by the stern wording, all-caps and highlighter used.  I even checked in with my even-tempered spouse and he thought it a bit much.  This seems more appropriate for a third or fourth notice.  But this was the first time I was being made aware of the concern.

I will admit, I have been ruthlessly clearing out my house of things we do not need.  And anything that is big and bulky is difficult for me to fit in my car to bring to Goodwill so have been putting it at the end of my driveway with a "free" sign.  So the concerns are valid.   But really?!  I think this was an over reaction.  My first wave of emotion was annoyance which mutated into embarrassment.  Both of these emotions made me want to respond in inappropriate, somewhat passive aggressive ways.  I talked myself down from these responses, and naturally figured I would just do nothing and comply.  However, a really neat thing transpired. "One kind deed" came to mind.  So I decided, somewhat artificially, that I needed to do more.  So I wrote this brief note and attached a little bar of wonderful dark chocolate (which I always have on hand, thanks to the amazing, affordable 5 pack at Aldi's...) to put in the mail box.

    Here's the exciting part.  As I was doing this kind deed, even though I didn't really want to, I started thinking about the mail person.  I realized that USPS is going through a lot of struggles, there are many post offices closing and perhaps this person is under more stress as a result of concern over being laid off or increased workload because of a smaller workforce.  And the nastygram they wrote was just an over reaction to an admittedly annoying obstacle. I had an internal shift and I WAS NO LONGER ANNOYED! ( I typically never use all-caps, but this is how exciting this internal shift was for me. picture me saying this with wide eyes, raised eyebrows and a breathy excited voice).  I just can't believe how wonderful for me this "one kind deed" perspective is.

 

St. Baldrick's: shaving my head to raise money!

Just over a month ago, my Love and I shaved our heads after more than doubling our original fundraising goal for St Baldrick's.  This is a national fundraiser that contributes the most money (other than government funding) towards research to cure childhood cancers.  I put a few jars up in local businesses (tip from experience: go with the locally owned businesses, anything that is a "chain" will need to go through corporate) but I mostly begged through Facebook and it was a huge success!

Here is me holding my first pigtail. I do typically donate my hair to organizations that make wigs for folk who cannot grow hair.  Since I just did a donation last spring, I needed to donate to Pantene Beautiful Lengths because they only require 8 inches instead of 10 as some of the other donation programs. 

Shaving in Progress

 Finished product.  Note that all of the people shaving heads and the bartenders were volunteering their time.  So even if one does not want to drop the locks, there are still ways to contribute.  I even met someone this weekend who was giving chair massages in exchange for donations to St. Baldrick's

And the husband of the year award goes to my Love, when I mentioned last fall that I planned on doing this, not only did he support me, but he said he would join me! (that's him next to me!)

And here we are right after the event!  I think we look pretty good!  And all levity aside, I did not find it to be a difficult decision to shave my head, in fact, it was kind of a good excuse for me to do it.  I think donating blood is much more stressful, unlike my blogging buddy.  But during the process of fundraising, I often found myself distraught.  I simply cannot imagine taking my babies to chemotherapy.  I am so very blessed and hope that our efforts make a difference somewhere...

35 (Am I really that old?) Acts of Kindness

Okay, so it's here again...my birthday, and I have once again attempted to spread some kindness.  I tried to come up with all new ones, but whew is that tough (maybe if I had an unlimited time frame and budget), so some you will see are repeats of last year, but I promise they were all newly executed this year.  In case you missed it, here's last year's.

I had a little wrinkle in my plans, when I (thankfully) remembered that I had to go to the DMV to renew my license.  So, I spent most of my actual birthday at the DMV and had to spread out my 35 acts over several days.  But, hey, kindness is kindness, right?  So, without further ado, here they are (in no particular order)...

 

1.) We made a donation to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

2.)  We donated all of our change to this meter, which promised responsible distribution of funds to those in need.

3.)  I made my homemade mac & cheese and brought it next door to our neighbors (it's their favorite, and they always go on and on about it). 

4.) I donated blood (a repeat of last year, but oh so important).

5.) I left laundry detergent and coins in a laundromat with a note about passing on kindness.

6.)  This might be my favorite one from this year.  We invited some friends over for dinner and asked them to make a donation to charity, based on the amount of money they would have spent on dinner anyway.  It was an all around win-win.  My friends were especially generous and gave way more than they needed to, so we were able to send donations to both St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Safe Nest.  

7.)  This next one was pretty gross, but I saw some gum on the ground, as I was walking into my daughter's preschool.  I kept going and got my daughter, but as we were walking out, I had to keep my daughter from stepping in it, and I realized that if I didn't pick it up, someone would certainly end up with it on the floor of their car.  So, I went back inside and asked for a napkin.

8.) We brought toys and games to the pediatrics ward of the hospital.  Another repeat from last year, but still a special gift, I think.

9.)  Okay, I almost feel guilty counting this one, because we started this last year, and it has been an ongoing thing since.  We always keep these bags in our car, and when we see someone standing on the street, asking for money, we pull over and give them one of these.  For my birthday, though, we didn't just give them out to people we saw soliciting, we actively sought out the homeless to give them these.

10.)  Here is another repeat from last year - we left Girl Scout cookies for the mailman with a note of appreciation.  Last year, we put them in the mailbox and left.  This year, we got to see the mailman's reaction when he saw it.  He pulled it out, read it, smiled.  Then, he turned it over and gave a fist pump "yesss!"  and then turned and waved to the house.  It was nice.

11.)  I made two baby blankets for Project Linus, who provides homemade blankets to children in crisis.

12.)  We donated diapers to a shelter for women and children.

13.)  I created these little kindness kits for some of the kids in my daughter's preschool.  I gave them to the kids and encouraged them to figure out a way that they could pass on some kindness with each of the items inside.

14.)  I wrote a letter to my grandparents.  They are 87 years old, and I am so grateful to have them, but I do not write to them nearly as often as I should.

15.)  We went out to lunch, and we bought a gift card for another family in the restaurant. 

16.)  We left a 40% tip for our waitress.

17.)  We left a gift card inside one of the children's chapter books at Barnes & Noble.

18.)  I baked cupcakes for my husband to bring to work (he works in a casino, which is why they have "dice" on them).

19.)  We saved all of our can tabs for the last year and gave them to the Ronald McDonald House to help support their efforts.

20.)  We made a $100 loan to Kiva, which lends money to help those in poverty.

21.)  Everyday, when I take my daughter to preschool, I pass by the same two crossing guards.  They're an older couple, and no matter how many times I smile at them, they do not smile back, so I thought they might be feeling a little unappreciated.  We gave them some Girl Scout cookies and told them that we appreciated them keeping the kids safe.  They seemed genuinely excited and surprised (they still didn't smile when I left the preschool, but I think it was deep inside).

22.)  We gave a gift card to a family waiting in line at the movies.

23.)  I made breakfast in bed for my wonderful husband.

24.)  I taped popcorn to a Red Box (sorry for the bad picture, I forgot my camera and had to use my phone).

25.)  We made bags for cancer patients that included antibacterial wipes, lotion, Chapstick and a note of encouragement.

26.)  We saved all of our Box Tops for Education over the last year, and we gave them to a family with school age children.

27.)  We donated clothes to Goodwill.

28.)  We gave a gift card to a random person in Target.  This was my favorite activity last year, so I had to do it again this year.

29.)  We bought something from a baby registry, for people we didn't know.

30.)  Last year, I switched my daughter from disposable diapers to gDiapers, which have a flushable/compostable/biodegradable liner.  This year, I took the plunge and switched her to cloth training pants.

31.)  We brought coloring books and crayons to the E.R.

32.)  We bought a gift card for a friend who really needed a night out.

33.)  We made a donation to Autism Speaks.

34.)  We participated in a walk-a-thon for Operation Smile, which helps children with cleft lips/palates around the world.

35.)  We went to Valley of Fire State Park and cleaned up garbage, both near the picnic area and on the trails.

Another successful birthday!!