The Story: Celebrating the Gratitude Attitude

{There's a preface to this story, click here to read it.}

Wednesday, August 27 was my 40th birthday, the start of a new year and a new decade. Over the past few months I made a list of 40 specific random acts of kindness I wanted to do on my birthday. But let's be realistic - I couldn't do all 40 in one 24 hour period. I'm 40 now and worn out! I need to sleep! :)  --------> see? I had barely started and needed a nap! ha!
So I started my random acts the afternoon of Tuesday, August 26.  I took as many pictures as I could of each act of kindness simply because I am always inspired by visuals.  (If you click on the picture it will enlarge for you)  Perhaps you will be as well? What's just ONE random act of kindness you could do this week?


To pull off 40 acts of random kindness in a day and a half (and then some) you have to do some prep work. You can't just wake up one day and it happens.  About six months before my birthday I started making lists. Lists of acts, lists of people.  I created a timeline of sorts for how to get this all done.  I was going to be having a very busy summer so I needed to plan.  Here's a picture of some of my prep work the day before my birthday.  :)

(1)

Here's the back story.  I ride a roller coaster called "Weight Wars". Up, down, up, down.  UGH.  I have a whole bunch of great business casual clothes that are in the "down size" that I have been holding on to during these "up years". The other day it occurred to me that I need to let them go, why hold on to these great clothes for a "maybe someday" when some woman could use them NOW and is truly in need of them because she needs help finding a job. So I decided to donate them and I found, thanks to Google, an agency in my hometown that helps women find jobs, etc.  Why keep it to myself?  I invited the ladies at work to join in and I would be the delivery person.  When I can I always try to invite others into acts of kindness.

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Yep, that's my blood flowing through the tubing in the bottom left picture.
The bottom right picture is the way they wrap the arm to make sure the bleeding stops.

When I was a kid my Mama would donate blood.  We went with her, mostly because we got to drink orange juice and eat sugar cookies while we waited.  I decided to donate blood, not sure what took me so long.  It was super easy. They did a thorough medical, sexual, and travel history.  Took my blood pressure, pulse, and temperature to make sure they were all within healthy ranges.  I was good to go.  I donated a pint of blood in under 6 minutes (apparently I am a good bleeder), easy peasy.  While sitting there, before they even started the blood draw, I had already decided this wouldn't be a one time only thing.  This was going to be a continued act of kindness, but no longer random.  One pint of blood has the potential to save 3 lives! THREE!  This particular blood bank services three different hospitals so they need roughly 600 bags of blood donated a month.  This is easy, your blood replenishes itself. Why wouldn't you do this?  You can only donate blood every 8 weeks so my next donation date is October 21.  Join me?

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I picked 40 people who have loved me, inspired me, challenged me, and/or influenced me in my 40 years so far.
I sent the majority of them a handwritten note of appreciation for their presence in my life.

(4)

I have always been mindful of taking the time, a minute maybe?, to put my shopping cart in one of the cart stalls stores provide.  But many people don't share the opinion that it takes no real time at all.  So I spent some time doing shopping cart round up in parking lots.  In about 15 minutes I gathered probably 20-25 rogue shopping carts and got them in their proper places. It wasn't that big of a deal and if everyone would just take the minute or less it takes to get a cart to one of those convenient stalls then there wouldn't be cases of cars scratched from carts running into them, damaged carts, etc.  I mean really people, let's not be lazy. 

The bottom picture kills me.  

It took the person more time to put it up in those rocks than in the stall which is right next to the rocks!  

Are you serious?!  Could we BE more lazy?  Sheesh. 

And the top picture?  Oh two carts hanging out like that was a low number.  In one section there was about 9 carts.

Seriously people!  

(5)
My oldest goes to a high school that is located on an Air Force Base so every morning and afternoon we have to pass through the guarded gates to get her. Side note:  It's not so bad to be greeted every day by a man in uniform! Just sayin'. *grin* They have to put up with not just the morning traffic of employees getting on base but then a bunch of high schoolers. It's way past time for me to thank them.  So I handed a bag of waters and Brown Sugar Muffins (homemade) to the guard who checked my ID today.  When I asked if they were allowed to accept gifts he grinned and said, "We are ma'am."  :)

(6)

I took Wednesday, August 27 off of work but I wanted to bless my co-workers in some way. Food is never a bad idea so I stopped by a local restaurant and ordered up a tray of their delicious homemade breads/muffins and delivered them to work.  1) Support your local establishments! 2) I actually had a co-worker meet me in the garage and do the actual delivering of so I wouldn't actually go into work today.  I'm hearing reports that they were very appreciative!  Who wouldn't be?  Oliver's makes delicious breads!  

(7)

Just the other day I talked about hard grace. And in it I mentioned a woman who lives out hard grace. Wednesday, August 27 this sweet woman had surgery to have her port put back in for an aggressive chemo plan.  I dropped off a TLC bag for her, full of things I hope bring her comfort during her chemo treatments.Please pray for this family.


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Because so many Dominicans start the day brewing strong coffee grown in the country’s mountain regions, stocking this popular item is a must.  10 bags of coffee purchased.  

Grigore and Nadejda’s hard work to build a successful farm in Moldova now benefits 47 individuals with disabilities.  Estimates suggest that more than 90 percent of Moldova’s livestock is owned and managed by small-scale farmers. Even one goat can make a significant difference.

1 goat purchased.

Brightly patterned fabrics take the spotlight in the colorful dresses Francoise loves to sew. In Burundi, $20 buys enough fabric and thread to make a traditional dress for a special occasion.  

2 packages of fabrics and thread purchased.

Mills provide an important service in rural India, where women bring sacks of grain to be ground into flour, a key ingredient in traditional breads like roti and naan.

10 sacks of wheat purchased.

I believe in empowering and equipping people to learn a trade and earn an income.  To that end I donated through Hope International's microenterprise program. They feature four women from different countries of the world and invite us to invest in their futures.  

(9)

You've probably heard of "Drive Thru Difference" or whatever name you know it as. It's when you are in a drive thru and you pay for the person behind you anonymously.  I definitely wanted to do that.  What a fun surprise for the person behind you when they pull up expecting to pay!  I did it three times. Starbucks in the morning, Chick-Fil-A for lunch, and Sonic Happy Hour.  For lunch and happy hour I had the cashier had them a little card that said, "May your day be full of happy surprises!"  I hope it was a happy surprise for them to get their food/beverage for free.  What I love about doing the drive thru difference is that I don't see or know the person's response.  The cashier's are always pleasantly surprised, even excited.  That's enough for me.  Part of doing random acts of kindness is that you do it without the motivation of being noticed for it, thanked, or rewarded in some way.  

(10)

Back in June my co-workers and I had a service weekend. We spent our Friday at the Springs Village Care Center and painting women's fingernails made an impression on me. So I took some flowers there and asked that they be given to the resident who was the loneliest, who hasn't had a family or friend visitor ever or in a really long time.  Then I asked if I could come back, with my daughters and/or friends, once a month to give manicures to the women.  The answer was a resounding and enthusiastic yes.  YAY!  So this random act of kindness was sparked in June, followed up in August, and will continue on.  

(11)

His name is Nathan.  He has a beard, he's dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, and he's pretty clean.  He's holding a sign that says, "Lost my fingers. Anything helps. God Bless."  I pulled up next to him, handed him a bottle of water which he grabbed by palming it.  It's true.  Nathan has no fingers on either hand.  But he's got a big smile on his face and he's upbeat. The person in front of me had handed Nathan some money.  I handed him a Visa Gift Card, explained to him how it worked, and how much money was on it.  We exchanged names and he mentioned how invigorating it was to be outside because the weather was so beautiful.  I agreed.  He was genuinely appreciative of the help.  With no fingers on either hand what work can Nathan do?  I'm still puzzling over that one.  

(12)

It only seemed right to congratulate my parents for surviving 40 years of parenting!  So I surprised them by sending them a gorgeous bouquet of flowers.  Surprise accomplished, they were thrilled with it!  Love my parents.  

(13)

If you know me a little or a lot or in between then you know I am a bookworm.  I love reading. My Mama raised me to read.  So it's obvious that I was going to incorporate books in a few different ways because I am so grateful for reading.  I went to Barnes & Noble and I wandered the aisles.  I found some of my favorite reads and put some gift cards with a note in some, bookmarks with a note in others, and a specific bookmark in some of my favorite versions of the Bible (best book ever, just sayin').  It was a stealth mission. Very fun, this is perhaps the only one I did where I wish I could see responses!  This is the one that also took the longest but I'm not complaining about spending a couple of hours in a bookstore on my birthday.  :) 

(14)

I've been getting more involved with our local rescue mission, Springs Rescue Mission.  I really like the work they do in our community and the hand up they are offering to those in need.  As I was getting rid of my business casual clothes I also came across quite a stockpile of clothes I've been hanging on to during this ride on the "Weight Wars."  So I gathered those with the intention of dropping them by the rescue mission. Another one of my acts of kindness was to take some diapers and wipes by the pregnancy center.  But it didn't sit quite right with me and the more I thought about it the more I felt like I needed to take the diapers and wipes to the rescue mission also.  So along with the women's clothes I purchased diapers and wipes. Walking through the aisles I spotted feminine hygiene products.  Now listen.  When a woman is low to no income and homeless her body still continues to function as it should (usually).  Meaning she still gets her monthly cycle and it needs to be taken care of.  So I grabbed three big boxes of tampons to add to the donation.  When I handed over the diapers, wipes, and tampons the young man helping me was so excited to see all three of those items.  He exclaimed that he knew all of those were needed that very day.  YAY!  I immediately knew why I was feeling so compelled to take the diapers, wipes, and tampons there.

(15)

I have been blessed with some awesome bosses.  It was about time after a string of icky ones. :)  My current boss is great.  Seriously.  But he doesn't think so.  In one way I appreciate his humility, in another way it makes me want to kick him in the shins because he's denying the redemption of Christ.  And yes, I have actually told him that!  Anyway.  I decided I wanted to do something random for him as appreciation for how awesome he is to work with/for.  He and his fam love going to the movies so I gave him a movie gift card.  Perfect!  He was grateful.  

(16)

I have two specific people in my life that help me with upkeep.  :)  One is my hair stylist, who keeps my curls trimmed and bouncy. The other is my medical massage therapist, I don't go to her for relaxation but for fixing and a good beating every now and then.  I've had bruises from time to time after a session with her. They are so busy helping everyone else unwind a bit (a bad hair day can wind me up, how about you?) that I wanted to let them know I appreciated them and I wanted them to unwind as well. So I dropped off a little gift to each of them.  I hope they like the Unwind candle, I find it to be wonderful!

(17)

A few months ago I emptied our bookshelves and boxed up quite a few books that I decided we didn't need to keep any longer.  I gave some away to friends and family but I still have quite a few boxes left.  Our library system has a fundraising effort called "Friends of the Library" and it is a small bookstore that is in each branch.  They accept donations, yay!  So I took a couple of boxes to the library and donated them.  I have more so I may take another donation in soon.  

(18)

My early childhood was spent in Westland, Michigan.  The house in Westland is the one my Mama taught us kids to read in, I'm certain we went to the Westland Library. To honor my beginner reader years I found an Amazon Wish List for Westland Library.  Fun!  I bought a book off their wish list and had it shipped to them.  

(19)

I went to high school at Colorado Springs Christian Schools. 4 of my teachers still teach there!  So I dropped off an Edible Arrangement for the 4 of them with a thank you note.  I love that I'm still in touch with teachers and people who were such a big and important part of my high school years.  

(20)

Sometimes an act of kindness looks very different than anyone would think.  One of my acts was to initiate a conversation with some people I am currently in conflict with.  I hadn't heard from them in a month and I knew it couldn't drag out much longer so I began a conversation.  "Be brave enough to start a conversation that matters. "(Margaret Wheatley)  Dang it. That was all the motivation I needed to complete this act of kindness. :)

(21)

I started off the intentional, yet random, acts of kindness without 40 ideas on the list.  I wasn't super anxious, I knew things would present themselves or I would just think of something to do.  This one was a "in a split second" idea.  I stopped by a store and bought some frozen treats and delivered them to my hub's department at his workplace.  I hear from the hub that his co-workers were very happy.  :)


(22)
My oldest redhead loves Panda Express Orange Chicken.  And when I say loves it, I mean LOVES it.  So I picked up an order of Orange Chicken and delivered it to her at school during her lunch break.  She says to me as I am leaving, "Mom, I don't understand why you are getting other people things for your birthday."  I just smiled, shrugged, and drove away.  

My youngest redhead has been craving egg rolls lately so while I was at Panda Express I picked up a few chicken egg rolls for her and delivered those to her at her school for her lunch break. She said they were delicious! 

Between Tuesday, August 26 and Wednesday, August 27 the above are the acts of random kindness I was able to do.  But it wasn't my 40 so on a whim (impressive for a Type A to do much of anything on a whim) I decided it was going to have to be birthday week so I can continue to do the things on my list.  I was having so much fun that I didn't want to stop but my body and mind were so tired that I recognized I would be no good if I didn't rest a bit.   

I picked back up the random acts of kindness on Friday, August 29 and ended Monday, September 1. It's a lot harder to do them when you have to work all day. :)  

(23)

There are several food pantries in our town.  I drive by this one twice a day.  So I gave them a call, found out donation times, found out what they needed the most of, and went shopping.  I dropped off the food and at this particular food pantry they weigh it.  It came to 45 lbs of food!  

(24)

Out here in Falcon we had to wait a few years to get a paid staffed fire department with paramedic services. For years we had a volunteer group, which was awesome, but as the area grew so did the need to have something permanent and that could be counted on.  A few years ago we had to call upon the paramedic services.  Lanny needed help, more help than I could give him. They were here in no time flat, very calm, professional, quick in their response and what they felt needed to be done. Basically they rock!  I dropped by during my 40th celebration week to thank them for being so amazing.




(25)

In Falcon we also had a Bookmobile come out this way for years.  And as with the Fire Department, as the area grew so did the need for something consistent and more permanent.  So our library system built a library out here, awesome!  It is a cute little building, kind of like a bookmobile on steroids! Ha! I am super thankful for a library being out here so I dropped by some treats to the librarians there.  I had heard somewhere that librarians rarely get thanked so I felt it was important to do that.  And they WERE super surprised, thankful, and excited to be acknowledged.  It was fun to thank them.



(26)

So the good news is that people in Colorado Springs must be fairly pro-active about litter and clean up.  It's such a good news that it was hard to find some land to clean up!  But my hub and I (he joined me for this one) found a few pockets and spent about 1 hour picking up trash.  You know what?  This doesn't take that much or that long. If once a month we would all get out there and spend a half hour or less picking up trash we could keep our landscape fairly trash free.






(27)
You never know when someone needs a word of encouragement or just a "pick me up", you never know what someone might be struggling with.  I have these little cards with "pick me up" phrases so I took them and stuck them on the drivers side door of random vehicles. Who knows if it provided a little smile, a lift for their spirit, perhaps it annoyed them, or maybe the little card they got was exactly what they were looking to hear.  I really hope it didn't annoy anyone as that would be the opposite of my intention!  :)




(28)
I wanted to do something with or for kids.  My plans for that changed several times before I landed on dropping off these fun activity packs I found at the Dollar Store to our local Children's Hospital.  The employee who met me and took care of getting to them where they need to be was super excited and said the donations of things like this are always appreciated.

(29)
It just so happens that one of our good family friends ended up super sick during this time.  She ended up with pneumonia and a double ear infection! Poor girl. I couldn't stop thinking about her and how miserable she must be feeling so I decided to drop off a little "get well" package at her house.  She LOVES doing crafts so that was a must as far as I was concerned for her "get well" gift.





(30)
I had asked my hub for input on ideas.  This one is his.  And it's for him...I guess it's actually for us.  He requested that we pray together as a couple every single day for 40 days.  So this "act of kindness" is ongoing for 40 days. As of publication we are on day 6.  :)

(31)
I bought a case of water and had it at the ready to hand out to people.  I didn't see as many people as I thought I would but I did get some handed out.  I have them in my car and I plan on continuing to hand out water bottles as I see people who could use some hydration.

(32)
There are so many diverse needs.  I always feel such a conundrum about how to meet the needs of so many people/organizations.  However, since I was already focused in on Children's Hospital (#28) I decided to donate to an important organization that exists for the families of children in the hospital, The Ronald McDonald House. They had a wish list of items online and based off of that wish list I donated some things to them.



(33)
I "earned" a Target $5 gift card so I turned around and gave it away!  I found a toy that was $4.99 and I taped the gift card to it.  Some kid, and the parent/grandparent, is going to be super excited to get a cool toy for basically free!







(34)
I have a bunch of personal sized foot lotions from Arbonne.  I thought about the people who are on their feet all day for their job.  Waiters/Waitresses, Cashiers, Cleaning People, etc.  So I gathered all of my personal sized foot lotions and prepared to hand them out!  At time of publication I have handed one out to a cleaning woman at Chapel Hills Mall, a cashier at JC Penney's that was frazzled, and the waitress that served us for dinner the other night.  I have my eyes peeled and they are in my purse so I can hand out the rest as I see a need or am compelled.




(35)
I don't know about *you* but trying on clothes is a miserable experience for me.  No matter where I'm at on the ride "Weight Wars" I'm looking in that mirror and just feeling...defeated, unsure, insecure, well you get the idea.  Here's the deal.  I am not the only woman who feels this way in the dressing rooms.  And I'm guessing there are some men who feel the same but since I'm a woman that's what I can speak and act from. So I decided to leave notes in women's dressing rooms on the mirrors!  I included a few dressing rooms that are specifically set aside for teen girls as I am well aware of the battles they have with looks, etc.  It was fun to sneak into dressing rooms and tape these affirmations up.  I hope, oh how I hope, that whoever reads them can believe what it says.






(36)
I sent these iTunes gift cards to a cancer care center here in town.  I'd love to see them go to someone who is just starting their treatments and needs to fill their iPod with music that will encourage them or make them mad enough to fight the cancer in their body or inspire them.  Music is so powerful especially when you are in a fight for your life.





(37)
I want to commit to raising money for a cause for a whole year and then on my 41st birthday donate all the money I raise/save to that cause.  I'm wavering back and forth on how to raise/save the money - I think I'll probably donate to the jar every time I eat/drink a certain thing or wear a certain item of clothing or something like that.  I haven't completely finalized the how and picking the who was also tough.  There are so many good org's out there that I wholeheartedly love and support!  How to pick one?!  But I did finally land on one.  Funds I save/raise during my 40th year will go to...drum roll please...The Exodus Road!  An organization committed to helping end child slavery.  They perform covert investigations and rescues all over the world to help free the millions of people enslaved in human trafficking.

(38)
Mail Carriers rarely get acknowledged or thanked. I put a bottle of water with a thank you note and Sonic gift card in our box for our carrier to find.  No matter what the weather our mail carriers still deliver, have you thanked yours recently?  (This was my first time to ever do so.)

(39)
Hoping that people love to get fun mail or "pick me up" mail I mailed out 8 notes of inspiration to 8 random people that I picked out of the phone book (we actually had one if you can believe that!). I hope they are lifted by the anonymous note and not freaked out!  :)



(40)
Not only do I love reading for the fun and pleasure of it but I love reading because it paves the way for educational success, for opportunity, for a future.  Books For Kids Foundation exists to "promote literacy among all children with a special emphasis on low-income and at-risk preschool-aged children. Books for Kids creates libraries, donates books, and implements literacy programs to develop the critical early foundation and skills which young children need to be successful in life.

Studies show that emergent literacy in preschoolers must be supported by a print-rich environment. Books for Kids ensures that Department of Education-recommended books are available wherever children spend their day, by donating books and establishing libraries in those facilities. We also ensure that each child in our program receives at least one brand new book to take home and share with his or her family."
Because I desire to see every child have a fighting chance I donated to this foundation for my 40th.


So there it is, 40 random acts of kindness for my 40th birthday week!  It was a lot of fun, a little bit of work and a whole lot of fun!

There's the story, check back soon for the epilogue.  :)