Help Someone for Free

A week ago, I blogged about volunteering at CICOA. On Monday, January 28, I actually started my volunteering. The first thing I did was data entry. CICOA delivers meals to elderly folk and are asked to donate a gift in return for the meals. The recommended gift is $2 per meal. Most people write checks for the entire month. Then the finance people will deposit the checks and give a copy of the deposits to the development team. The development team will then record the gift information in a system. I am working with the volunteer team and my supervisor absolutely hates date entry. She is also quite behind on entering this information. I was able to get one packet of about ten done. By this point, I was afraid that I was going to fall asleep. At least the person sitting next to me was playing 90's music on Pandora. It's not really that bad, but most people would agree that data entry is boring. Then they had me put labels on envelopes. I had one hour to do this and it took me 15 minutes. Therefore, they had me go home early since they already logged me out of the data entry system. I go back again next Monday. I will probably do more data entry. I will probably split my time with searching for dead people, too. They also need helping going through obituaries and figuring out if those people are in their system so they don't send them anymore mail. It's kinda morbid...

Lost and Found

Have you ever been in the position where you absolutely cannot find one object you are looking for? I misplace things all the time. I usually find them when I've long forgotten that they were lost. This scenario doesn't really include anything that was lost, but more so forgotten. 

While I was working the other day, a guy came through my check out lane. He was quiet and bought about three bags worth of items. Most of these items were 'necessities': body wash, underwear, toothpaste, etc. He seemed marginally preoccupied and I could tell that he definitely had something on his mind. He paid for his items and picked up his bags. The next person came through my line and when I scanned their first item, I noticed that the man before them had forgotten a bag. At this point, I had two options. I could run after said man or I could set the bag aside and give it to guest service as 'left merchandise'. I then thought that I would be pretty angry at myself if I spent money on something and then left it sitting there. Then again, if I were to do that, maybe I didn't really need it. Therefore, I decided to run after said man. It took a couple of 'sirs' and a nice job, but I was able to return the merchandise to the person who almost lost it. Now he is probably somewhere out there feeling much more comfortable in his new boxers, instead of crunchy ones...not that I would know for sure. 

Brush It Off - Retail

Pet peeves, everybody has them. If you work in retail, you probably have a running list of things that customers do that drive you up a wall. Let me explain:
A. Failure to return a cart to the cart corral. 
B. Failure to push a cart into the row inside the store instead of parking it next to said row.
C. Failure to remove cart from check out lane.
D. Asking for a bag with anything with a handle. Ie. milk, detergent, bleach, etc. 
E. Taking forever to pay.
F. Leaving abandoned items laying around the end cap. Just hand it to the cashier, eh?
G. Telling cashier how to bag.
H. Acting like you're better than the cashier.
I. Wanting each item bagged individually.
J. Getting mad at guest service because you waited six months to return something and now it's no longer in stock.
K. Writing a check and not coming prepared with a pen.
L. Complaining that the card reader asks if you want your entire purchase on the card.
M. Placing your basket on the floor.
N. Stating something was cheaper than it rang up for, and then getting upset when I call someone to verify
O. Rushing cashier.
P. Slowing cashier down.
Q. Going to a lane with the light off, unless told to
R. Refilling the icee when it clearly states no refills
S. Asking if the cafe is closed when the lights are turned off and no machine is running
T. Sending your child to the cafe alone
U. Allowing your child to scream their head off instead of removing them from the store
V. Giving in to said child to stop them from screaming
W. Allowing your child to sit on the bagging area
X. Having your child unload the cart, while they are still sitting in it and can barely reach the belt
Y. Having your child sign their name on your credit card
And the best one,
Z. Talking on your cell phone.

I understand that this might not seem all that kind. Let me explain further. I went on a leave of absence from working retail for about three months last year. I returned in December. Within my first week back, I saw two things that changed my perspective. One: a child begged and begged and begged his mother if he could buy a $20 gift card. The mother naturally seemed apprehensive and asked who it was for. The child stated that he did not want to say because it was a surprise. He begged some more and the mother gave in. She mentioned that she hopes she didn't just waste $20 on nothing. The cashier then handed her the receipt and she looked at him and asked if he was ready. He told her to hold on and he turned around. He then handed the gift card to the woman standing behind him and said 'Merry Christmas'. This kid was maybe eight years old. Two: I was sitting in the cafe on break. Kyle, the cart attendant, was looking very confused and looked up and saw me sitting there. He then came over and asked what he should do with what he just found. I asked what it was and he showed me a $5 gift card that someone had taped to a cart with a note saying they were doing the 26 random acts of kindness in honor of Sandy Hook. He wanted to know if he should give it to lost and found or just leave it. I told him he should just leave it on the cart, and that's what he did. These two acts are basically what initially got me thinking about doing a year of good things. There isn't enough good in the world.

Today while I was working, a woman came through my line on her cell phone. She had the man on speaker phone, even though the phone was up to her ear. I could tell that she had no intention of hanging up her phone. She then did not bother to sign the card reader and so I just hit the bypass button since she wasn't spending that much money. Then she walked around her cart and left it right in the middle of the check lane. What a pleasant woman. I returned her cart and just laughed it off. I have noticed lately that situations like this do not really phase me. Maybe it's from being in retail for three years, but it's just not worth it to get upset. I went back to my register after returning her cart and greeted the next person with a smile and asked them how their day was going. 

Pick and choose your battles because in the long run, the majority of them don't matter.

Updates: I put the card for my mail person in the mailbox on Thursday evening. It's still sitting in there and we have gotten mail both yesterday and today. It clearly states who it's for. I don't know if I should take it out and put an anonymous card on top of all the mailboxes, or if I should just figure that they do not appreciate my nice gesture and just throw it away. What would you do?

Thank you, part 1

I've never been the thank you card type of person. If and when I get married, don't be surprised if you don't get a thank you card for a gift you may give me. I think about doing it and then it just never gets done. It's kinda like how some people think about going to the gym and working out and then go grab a bag of potato chips and sit down to watch TV instead. I do, however, like to send out Christmas cards. Doesn't this seem contradictory? I guess the difference might be that most people don't really anticipate Christmas cards, but some people give gifts expecting something in return. 

The past two years, I have sent a card to my grandma for Christmas. We definitely are not close and she tends to think I drink a lot and am extremely promiscuous, which is quite far from the truth. I have sent her a card anyway because it's a nice thing to do. Well, the past two years she's responded with a card and a check for $100. The first year I'm fairly certain that my heart stopped beating for a nanosecond. This was my reaction due to all of the criticism that she gives my dad for him helping me out. Last year, I MEANT to send her a thank you card. Did I ever get around to it? Of course I didn't. Then again, this time last year I was in a much different place and couldn't even afford groceries, let alone a stamp. This year, I was still partially surprised by it, but I think my heart never stopped beating. Then came the dilemma of having to remember and take the time to write a thank you card. That dilemma was slightly solved while I was working today.

At work, we were kinda slow. There were five cashiers working and we never all had a guest at the same time. I think this causes the night to go extremely slow and so I always offer to do extra tasks. I had already finished one spot when I got the dreaded task of zoning dollar spot. I think I realized tonight that the reason I don't like zoning it is because it makes me face how broke I actually am. You know you're broke when you don't have an extra dollar to buy a cute trinket. As I was zoning, I came across a packet of cards. They were cute and only $1. I decided to buy them, because I would put them to use. I ended up getting three packs, just in case I needed them in the future. Let's face it, paper doesn't really have an expiration date, unless it gets wet. When I got home from work, I fed the tubbies and then went into my "office". I immediately broke open a pack of cards and wrote a thank you card to my grandma. Then I stuck it in it's envelope and addressed it. Now it just needs a stamp, which I have in my purse in the other room. Baby steps...

Forgive Someone

I can't really put coherent thoughts into this blog. Most of my other topics I've known where I want to start and eventually go with my post. This one I just have a jumble of words bumping into each other and back into the wall. I can't decide if this person I forgave was myself, or someone else. I think it's a mixture of both, but yet again, I can't decide why. I suppose it's just hard to put into words. It's more of a feeling. I feel lighter. Perhaps we should just put it at that and call it a night. If the words eventually come, I will elaborate on this later, but for right now, nighty night!

Kindness Quotes

I have started making sheets of kindness quotes. My intention was to put these on random cars tomorrow, but then I remembered that we are supposed to get about two inches of snow. That means that kindness quotes would become kindness smudges. That would basically defeat the purpose. So far, I have copied down quotes on three sheets of paper. The only reason I have stopped there is because I'm getting sleepy and I wanted to blog before I went to bed. I will share a few of these quotes with you...

"You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." - Tenzin Gyatso

"Don't wait for people to be friendly, show them how." - Author Unknown

"Don't be yourself - be someone a littler nicer." - The Second Neurotics Notebook

"A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble." - Charles H. Spurgeon

"Kindness, like a boomerang, always returns." - Author Unknown

"Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness." - Seneca

"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." - Dalai Lama

Mail Carrier

Since I am still behind on my acts of kindness, I figured that I would kill three birds with one stone. These are: write a thank you note to the mail carrier, create your own thank you card, and be kind to someone you dislike. I will start by clarifying the last part of that. I do not dislike my mail person. I have never met them or seen them, even though Mark says it's a woman. I dislike their laziness. We frequently receive mail that is not addressed to anyone in this household. I understand that they are probably on a time crunch, but it shouldn't be that difficult to see something and go 'oh, that doesn't belong there'. We've probably been given mail for at least five people that obviously no longer live here. It's annoying, or maybe it's just a first world problem.



Anyway, it's been freezy butt cold lately. I'm sure you're aware of this. Therefore, I made a card with a thank you note in it to the mail carrier thanking them for still delivering the mail even though they are getting frost bitten. I just need to take it down to the mailbox. I also am going to put a snack bar in with it. Not only will it give them energy, but it's a healthy snack bar! At least that's what it claims. So now I am only two days behind. Woo!

I Love You

Do you ever feel unloved? I'm going to guess that at some point in time, the answer is probably yes. Everyone has their ups and downs. Sometimes during the downs, you just feel alone and unloved. You may even have someone right next to you. Showing your love is great, but sometimes saying it is so much better. I did not grow up in a family that said this on a regular basis, but I do know that I was still loved.

Now I just want to write a little something about Mark. Why? Because I love him. He's one of my best friends. When I'm feeling like crap, he's there to make sure I feel better. When we are broke, he goes to work earlier to hopefully bring home a higher paycheck. He rubs my feet and my back even though he absolutely hates it. He tucks me into my bankie at night even if he arrives home after I've already fallen asleep. He worries about me. He misses me even if he saw me five minutes ago. He will call me just to hear my voice. He will snug with me until I fall asleep. If I put something on his honeydo list, it's typically done within a couple of days. He's funny. He cares about me. He cares about us. He cares about Yoda and Sherman. 

Mark, I love you. 

CICOA

CICOA Aging & In Home Solutions is a not for profit company that assists elderly and disabled folk with remaining at home instead of having to be put in a home. It provides meals for these people, transportation, and just overall support in a sometimes lonely life. 

I met with the volunteer coordinator a few days ago. We discussed what the company is all about and how I could help make a difference. We decided that it would be most beneficial to both parties if I helped out in the office. Therefore, I start volunteering next Monday. 

Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana

How many times has a person been watching TV when they see an ad/commercial about starving people in a 3rd world country? I probably see the ad at least once a week, and I don't even watch that much TV. Having these on the air doesn't really bother me, except that they are uber long. It does, however, bother me that they always mention 3rd world countries. I understand that being 3rd world means that less people there have as much as more people in places like the United States of America. What I don't understand is why, just because we are a 'powerhouse', those that aren't as fortunate are forgotten about. It seems that not many people realize that there are several people that cannot put a meal in front of them on a regular basis. I think several people think that since they have a nice life, then everyone else in America does as well. I digress.

Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana is a not for profit company that provides meals and food to those that need it. They especially help the elderly and children, but obviously it is not just limited at that. A statistic on their website states that eight out of ten Indianapolis Public Schools students require free or reduced lunch. Considering that 80% of the student population cannot afford a full priced lunch, how many do you think go home wondering if they will have a meal that night? Some might even go home knowing their next meal will be the next day at lunch. Gleaners has various programs. They offer elderly boxes and backsacks for children. Backsacks is a program which allows children to bring home a backpack of food so that their family will have meals over the weekend. They also supply a food pantry. 

I have not actually volunteered at Gleaners but I have attended the orientation. I am currently just waiting on my schedule, so I will keep you posted.

Reusable Shopping Bags

I work retail. I work at a retail location that does not have paper bags, only plastic. Maybe 10% of shoppers bring their own bags. Say the stores profit for the day is $100,000. Granted, that's not a very high profit for a large company, but that is a lot of merchandise going through the check lanes and into plastic bags. 

I went to school at Northwest Missouri State University. NWMSU provides class books for the students, as well as laptops. My freshman through junior years, these books were placed in paper bags. My senior and super senior years, they were placed in reusable shopping bags. I still have these bags, but until recently, have been either in storage or in hiding. About a month ago, I moved these bags to a location that is more recognizable. 

The other day, Mark and I needed to pick up a few groceries. As we were walking out the door, I actually remembered my bags. The great thing about them, other than being reusable, is that they are so durable! Think about it: a plastic bag can maybe hold six cans of food. If you buy a lot of canned items, that's a lot of bags to carry...especially if you are going upstairs. A reusable bag can probably hold three to four times that many canned items. Having two reusable shopping bags is perfect because you can fit the majority of your items and you have one hand to carry each bag. $50 worth of groceries can easily fit in these two bags, and that's about two weeks supply of food. I will say that if you have a dog, every once in a while I wouldn't blame you if you skipped the reusable and got plastic. In essence, that is reusable, too, because no one likes to step in dog doodoo that wasn't picked up. Then again, it does act as fertilizer. o.O

Return a Shopping Cart

You would think that returning a shopping cart would be a very easy task. You can even make it easier and park next to the corral. Maybe that's why there are always stray carts in the parking lot. I'm going to say there are three types that do not return carts: those that are in way too big of a hurry, those that are just plain lazy, and those that think they are better than doing a simple task. When I arrived at work today, there were several carts strewn all about the parking lot. I parked in a parking space right next to one. I didn't even think twice about walking past it and not returning it. Now, I could have returned it to the corral that was directly across the lane, but that would have been pointless. And when I say directly across, I mean within ten feet. I could have also returned it to where spare carts where parked on the outside of the building. Instead, I decided to just return it to the inside of the building. 

I don't know about you, but I don't understand why people think they are too busy to return a cart. First, it probably takes 30 seconds at most. Second, you get exercise. Also, if you leave a cart out in the middle of nowhere, it could roll. They do have wheels, after all. With this being said, I was happy to do my part for that person in a hurry and return their cart. It gave the cart attendant one less cart to push and it gave the shopper one more cart to put stuff in. Now you can do your part and return your shopping cart on your next trip to the store.

Spread the Word

There are times where you physically cannot do anything. In those times, you can only hope that word of mouth will help get something accomplished. This is one of those times. 

Earlier today while I was checking Facebook, I came across a post by Alpha Delta Pi. It was a request to sign a petition to get the government to beef up their search for Bob Levinson. How this relates to Alpha Delta Pi is because he has three daughters in ADPi. Mr. Levinson is a retired FBI agent. He was in Kish Island, Iran researching cigarette smuggling when he went missing in 2007. I do not personally know this man or his family. I do know, though, that if it were some member of my family, I would do everything in my power to bring them home. Perhaps I would even call up Liam Neeson. All I ask of you is to sign the petition. It takes about 30 seconds of your time and hopefully we can bring peace to this family.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/make-rescuing-us-citizen-robert-levinson-being-held-hostage-middle-east-2007-top-priority/GyK0KhgS

http://www.helpboblevinson.com/

Stay Home

This act of kindness is solely thanks to Jessie. I was telling her that I was a few days behind on my acts due to being sick. I also mentioned how I'd missed a lot of work because I don't want to spread my germs, and I have no energy. For example, yesterday I took two naps and still went to bed fairly early. Right now, I'm drained but I want to catch up on some things to be not as far behind. During this discussion, she mentioned that calling off work IS an act of kindness because I'm being kind to my coworkers and others I would encounter. 

I have been sick, on different levels, since December 28. First it was a cold, then I got the flu, then it became bronchitis, and currently a sinus infection. In this time, I have called off from one job twice and the other six times. Does this seem extreme? On paper, it seems like it. I have gone to the doctor twice. The last time I went for feeling ill was in high school. Eight years ago! Between the start of my senior year in 2004 and the start of my second year in college, I had strep throat 13 times. Eventually that got solved with getting my tonsils removed, but it still sucked goose eggs. But now I have an antibiotic and so hopefully this will finally kick the crud out of my system. I don't want to be a host any longer!

You Can Go Ahead

First things first, I must apologize for not keeping up with my blog. This illness is really kicking my behind and I have zero energy outside of the pool saved for work. I am currently three days behind on my actual acts. I thought it was four but Jessie made a valid point. That will be my next blog. 

A few days ago, I went to the post office to mail off a couple of books that people had requested from me via www.bookmooch.com. I love this website. You post your 'unwanted' books on your inventory and accumulate points from them. Granted, no books are ever really unwanted. Anyway, with your points you can request books from other people and they can request your books, which also adds more points. Yay for cheap books! Anyway, back to the point. When I arrived at the post office, a woman was getting out of her car with two very large boxes. Not only that, but she looked worn out. She was a few steps ahead of me so I increased my speed to beat her to the door so that I could help her out. I opened the door and she went in the other side after pushing the handicap button. No big deal. I made it in the building before her and went to get in line. Where I would have been standing was at the end of a table with a bunch of forms for mailing. The woman then walked up behind me and I stepped aside and told her she could go in front of me. She seemed relieved that she didn't have to hold the boxes longer than she already had. There were maybe three or four people in front of her at this point. As we gradually made our way down the table and closer to the window, she tripped on the rug that had seen it's better days. She knew I saw her and so she laughed and just shook her head like she couldn't believe her luck. I then made a comment about how hopefully that was the worst thing that happened to her that day. She then told me that her day started by spilling a 32 oz. soda all down the front of her. That was basically the end of our conversation.

I'd like to believe that most people would also have let this woman go in front of her. I can't remember a time when I was carrying something heavy and someone didn't give me an opportunity to set it down, even if it meant going in front of them. I do have a feeling that this woman did not expect it. Obviously she was not having a great day. It was only about 10AM when this happened, but some people would let the soda and tripping on the rug completely ruin the rest of their day. She still had a smile on her face, even if it were a faint one and more on the sarcastic side. I would also like to think that my small talk and letting her go in front of me, and even offering to hold the door for her, turned her day around and that those really were the only bad things that happened her that day.

Rewind: I found my free frosty tag!

Donate

Raise your hand if you've ever been somewhere and an employee asked you if you would like to donate $x to y cause. Most of these scenarios probably revolve around food. Short story even shorter, I found myself in one of these scenarios today. 

I got off of work around 2:30 and was trying to decide where I wanted to stop and grab lunch at. I really wanted Mexican food, but not taco bell or anything like that. I would have preferred to actually go to a sit down restaurant. Mark had already left for work and so I decided to go to the next best place, Wendy's. Do not ask me how they are related in any way, shape, or form, because they aren't. I realize this. What I also realize is that A. I was hungry, 2. I didn't want to take the time or energy to make anything, and D. I wanted food now. Period. *If you tell me the reference to the sentence above, I will include you somewhere along in my venture.* When I go to Wendy's, it's very, very rare that I ever get anything different than last time. Sometimes I will mix it up but not today. After I placed my order, the lady gave her scripted, "Would you like to get free frostys for a year by donating $1 to St. Jude Research?" My brain: 'FREE FROSTY!!!!!!!!!!'. Now, normally when places ask me to donate, I will because it's just a flipping dollar. Did you know that it's quite difficult to even by a pack of gum for less than $1? So even if the benefit of the free frosty weren't there, I probably would have donated. Also, St. Jude is a great organization. Now I need you to log off of your computer, get in your car (or put on your shoes to walk) and go to your nearest Wendy's to donate your $1 to St. Jude Children's Research. Come to think of it, I may have lost my little tag that gives me free frostys. *Goes off to search*

Renew a Friendship

I am not quite sure how I feel about this act of kindness. Renewing a friendship to me means that I've lost a friendship that would be of value to renew. I would say that there are people in my life that I'm not as close to as I would like to be, but I wouldn't say that I wish any of my 'past' friends were still in my life. I have a strong belief that everything happens for a reason. Mistakes are made to learn from them. Good and bad things are just a part of life. Some people are brought into your life to be a forever part of it. Others are meant to only be temporary. I realize that this may seem cold or rude, but in essence, it's true. 

I was speaking to one of my best friends the other day about friendships. She had recently gone through a bout of depression and part of it was centered around those friendships. I suppose we could call them relationships, too. Anyway, she had been talking to someone to kick the depression and that person told her that not all people that were once friends may stay at that level in your life. Like I previously stated, some are meant to be there always. Some are meant to be there when you just want someone to hang out with. They may not be your first option, nor you theirs, but you would still call each other friends. Lastly, there are people that are more so on an acquaintance level. You were brought into each other's lives to learn something from each other, but you never really got close. You can take this all however you'd like. For my friend, it helped her overcome the depressing point she was at. 

All my point is, is that just because you don't call or text someone every day, doesn't mean you don't value that person in your life. Now, if I felt a void in my life, I would try to figure out that if it were do to a lost relationship. I believe, though, that I have a quite fulfilling life. I have what I need: family, friends, health (even if slightly hampered), shelter, food, water, etc. I really hope that this blog is taken with a grain of salt, because I realize that it can seem marginally unkind. If you are reading it, though, you definitely have value in my life and I am quite thankful that you are there. 

*I have renewed a friendship within the past six months that was lost due to outside forces. I did feel a void in that aspect and now that the friendship is renewed, I no longer have a void. 

We Live for Each Other - Theta Alpha

2013 has not been off to a good start medically for me. On New Years Eve, I had a cold, and a little bit of the flu, too. It went a way until Monday of this week. I progressively felt worse and so caved and went to the doctor yesterday. They told me I had bronchitis and throughout the day, it increased intensity and morphed with the flu again. Therefore, I didn't do an act of kindness yesterday, but hopefully I make up for it after this one. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa <- Yoda's input for this blog.

The purpose of this blog is to write a letter to someone who made a difference. There are a few people that came to my mind, but I realized that the majority of them all had a common denominator. This majority's commonality is that I can call them my sister. That is, my Alpha Delta Pi sister from Theta Alpha chapter at Northwest Missouri State University. I have written about the chapter as a whole in a blog on my other page, so on this one, I'm just going to write little snippets to those that I think should have an extra shout out. These are not in any particular order, and all may not actually be a sister, although they will all be related to it. *Only first names mentioned*

Meghan - My chance to join TA would never have happened if you didn't con me into going to COR events. Even though both events I attended were for maybe 5 minutes max, they still counted. Without your persistence, I would never have met a lot of the wonderful people I have, nor would I probably even be writing this blog. Thank you, Meghan.

Ro - You actually offered my bid to me. I remember being extremely confused and not even realizing what I was getting myself into. Little did I know it would be one of my best choices ever. Thank you, Ro.

Mallory - You are one of the people that first welcomed me into the sorority. To be honest, I don't even remember how we met. Boy am I glad we did, though. With your help, I met other people outside of the sorority that made an impact on my life also. I know we aren't as close now as we used to be, but I still consider you to be one of my best friends. Thank you, Mally.

Chris - This one tangents off of Mallory's. You were always there for a laugh or a piece of advice. You helped me realize I was on the wrong path and so I decided to change that path. You made me challenge myself to become better. Best of all, you were always a great friend. Thank you, Chris.

Jo - I am extremely glad that you were my Diamond Sister. I still remember coming into your room while you were making my origami pin box. Funny times. You are a great listener and a great friend. Anyone who gets to encounter you in their life is much richer. Thank you, Jo.

Crystal - You are the epitome of 'great things come in little packages'. You never took on the easiest tasks and I'm fairly certain that if you didn't have stress in your life, you wouldn't survive. You have always been a hard worker and many people look up to you. You also make people's lives richer. Thank you, Crystal.

Frenchy - We were never as close as we could have been, but you've still made a great impact on where I am now. Through your advice and your actions, I became an advisor for Beta Alpha. It is a greatly rewarding position and I appreciate all that you have done for both Theta Alpha and Delta Phi. Thank you, Frenchy.

Jen - You are the twin that I never biologically had. I am extremely happy that you have a job in the education field because you are great with kids and are a great influence. You are a very determined person and I know great things are in store for you. Thank you, Jen.

Webby - Without your help, I don't know if I would ever have finished the planning for the kickball tournament. You were there every step of the way and definitely helped in keeping my sanity in check. You are a very creative mind and without you, it would have all been quite boring. Thank you, Webby.

Jessie - I am amazed that we never killed each other. You were a great roomie, nonetheless. I don't really know what to say to show my appreciation for you. But, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have Sherman, nor would I have Yoda. They are now my sanity release for being around Mark all the time. Since I've known you, we've only grown closer. I am greatly looking forward to the next chapter in your life. Thank you, Jessie.

Sarah - You have quite frequently been my voice of reason. Side note - you also aided in me having Yoda. I believe you are one of those people that no matter how far away we are, we will always be close. Just like with Jessie, I don't know what to say to show how much I appreciate you. Thank you, Sarah.

If I've forgotten anyone, I apologize. Right now, my brain is succumbing to drugs. I wish you all a good day.

Charity Miles

This was not originally what I was going to post about today. I was going to post about small things. When making my list, I decided not to include "holding doors", "waving another driver in", and the likes of those. I didn't include these because I view them as common courtesy. Then again, I feel as though that it a foreign concept to many people nowadays. It is always funny when I hold a door for someone and they respond in shock. 

Anyway, my new post is about the app Charity Miles. This is a free app that you can download on any iOS or Android smartphone. It keeps track of your biking, running, and walking miles and for every mile you achieve, you earn money for a charity of your choice. Granted, the choice of charities is slightly limited, but their is a good variety. I was hoping for the Ronald McDonald House, naturally. It wasn't an option. I am still trying to decide between Habitat for Humanity and the ASPCA. I think I am leaning toward the latter. Now that I have downloaded the app, maybe it will give me motivation to do more walking/running/biking. Helping a charity and making me healthier at the same time. Today's a two-fer, ladies and gentlemen. Now go download your app and get moving!

I've Got Your Back!

Today's task was fairly simple. It was just to rub a loved one's back. However, I am really not a fan of giving back rubs. Reasoning: I feel like my hands are very small and it takes a lot of energy to rub a man's back. Also, Mark's back/neck creep me out. He has a cyst on his neck that when I touch it just grosses me out. So even though his back grosses me out, I sucked it up and gave him a back rub. He rubs my back all the time, mainly because I make him, but I have never rubbed his back. I think he almost went into shock when I asked him if I could rub his back. Granted, I only gave him about a five minute massage before my hands started to cramp, but I think he appreciated it. 

On another note, I got the information for my soldier. I tried to email him but it shot back saying failed delivery. I hope that I will be able to write to him in snail mail form. I'm TERRIBLE at remembering to write letters. I will try to set aside a specific time each week so that way I won't have an excuse not to do it!

Lastly, I am going to try to start doing more exciting things on my list. I have a lot of volunteer opportunities written down. I think I am going to go do more research on them and call it a night. 

Snaps for Sarah

Encourage someone. Sounds easy enough, right? What is 'encouragement' anyway? Is it just 'you can do it!'? Maybe for the most attention hungry person, it could be, but when you know people in your life like my friend Sarah, sometimes it's not that easy. Usually if someone tells her she can do something she will respond with 'thanks, I think I can, too' or something along those lines. She possibly could be know as defiant. It's more so tell her she can't do something and she will do everything possible to prove you wrong, and this is just one of the many reasons why I love her. Sarah has been someone I've looked up to for a long time because partly of her defiance. She will do anything for those she loves and she doesn't care (on the outside) how much she has to suffer for it. In college, she worked three jobs and slept way too little to make sure things got done. She took on a high workload and was able to graduate early. Then she went on to graduate school and got her masters degree. Now she's in the 'real world'.

She has a job that is in her field and not many people can say that within a year after getting that degree. Her field is not for the faint of heart considering in the social work area. I remember when she first got the job, she was very excited and was ready to make a difference in the lives of her consumers. I think she has, and it's partially the reason that she's still holding on to the position. You see, Sarah can also bottle everything up and become a shell of existence. She's not really a different Sarah, just one that you need to dig a little deeper to get real involvement with. The shell does affect relationships around her, but she also knows that (at least with the inner circle) we will still be there, even if it's after we need to say wake up. So, like I said, part of the reason is to help the consumers, and part of the reason is to say 'yes, I can!'. Where this relates to my task is that I called her yesterday and allowed her talk for about an hour and a half on the stresses of her job and just life in general. I know she appreciates it because sometimes you can only talk to yourself for so long before voicing the concern needs doing. I could tell by the tone of her voice that she's just drained of Sarah. How I encouraged her is by reminding her that sometimes you do need to be more selfish. Just take a step back and say 'I'm just one person. I can't save the planet by myself''. I also encouraged her to not set too many expectations. When you wake up and say 'today will be a good day', in a way, you are setting too high of an expectation. There are too many variables in one day. Therefore, if you say something like 'I will make on person happy today' then your goal is much more focused and if you make one person happy then you can say that you had a good day. 

In a nut shell, my friend Sarah is awesome! That is one thing that sometimes she just tends to forget, but it's quite true. Now, I encourage you to be more selfish, which probably isn't the best wording. Be more aware of what makes YOU happy. Who cares if it makes someone else happy. Don't sweat the small stuff. Live life not worrying of everything. If a fellow driver cuts you off and makes you swerve to miss then, take a deep breath and think that maybe they are going to the hospital, or that they are having a bad day. Lastly, a wise woman once told me 'We may be poor but it doesn't cost anything to show politeness or kindness'.  Everyone has their own stresses, just smile and tell them that you hope they have a great day!

Adopt a Soldier

Today is my first adventure into more of an ongoing act of kindness. I adopted a United States soldier. It's possible that it could take a couple of days before I get any more information, but I am excited. I think that I have a fairly worry free life. I don't spend my day wondering who is trying to track me down or if I might get shot, and I know I have loved ones whenever I need them.  For a soldier, life isn't so easy. They do wonder who might be trying to find them and hoping they don't get shot. They can also be very alone. Due to them living a harder life, I get to live my easier life. Therefore, I decided the least I could do was adopt a soldier. Now I will offer them words of encouragement and support and also send them care packages. I also suggest that you look into adopting a soldier of your own. I've included the link in case you're interested.  http://www.adoptaussoldier.org/ I will post more about this in the future, but as for now, this is basically all that I know. :) 

Catching Up

I may be a few days behind on posting, but that doesn't mean that I'm a few days behind on my task! I think this in itself is an accomplishment considering by this time last year, I hadn't even started on my resolution. Anyway, enough mumbo jumbo.

Day 3 - Help someone write a book.
This one was not originally on my list, but when the opportunity presented itself, I thought it was a great idea. For those of you who don't know, my mom wrote her first book that was released last year. It's called Cowgirl is a State of Mind by Laurie Hartman. You should look into reading it. I liked it (which my mom says surprised her). Well, now she's writing another book about one of the characters in the first book. In this book, there is a part that she was having difficulties with because she says she isn't 'hip' enough. So she sent me a snippet of her book and asked me to make it more 'hip'. I still don't quite understand why she asked me, other than I'm young. Apparently I'm not as young as she thinks because I even found it slightly challenging to come up with how 'punks' speak. Word, yo. I managed to put in my two cents and sent it back to her. Later the next day, she said she was finished writing that portion of the book. Now I will just sit back and wait for my royalties to roll in...just kidding.

Day 4 - Straighten things up a little.
Doesn't this seem a little counterproductive? Basically, all I did was clean my house. So it seems that that's not really 'helping' anyone. There are times, though, that you need to step back and help yourself. This was part of the goal but also it was to help Mark. I really don't mind cleaning, and I know that he hates it. Well, he might hate everything but that's neither here nor there. I also don't like cleaning when someone else is there. Do you ever have that feeling someone is watching you? Well, that just may be Yoda or Sherman, but you get my point. Anyway, yesterday I cleaned the entire apartment, complete with all laundry and dishes. The latter gave me a speed bump, though. I put the dishes in the machine and set them to wash. I came back later, opened the door, and they were all still dirty with a pool of water at the bottom of my dishwasher. Joyous day! I guess this opens up the opportunity to make cookies for the handyman, or something along those lines. Positives, people! I could sit there and moan about how I had to hand wash all the dishes, and believe me, there were a lot. Mark loves doing dishes about as much as I love putting gas in my car. Possibly LEAST favorite chore, EVER! Alas, we had both sides of the sink full. Gross, I know. But it wasn't that bad because the sound of running water is relaxing and Sherman was sitting right next to me. Then again, he was right next to me all day. Maybe I wasn't giving him enough attention. *Rolls eyes* So now the apartment looks nice, smells nice, and when I woke up this morning, I jumped back in shock because I forgot I did it all. Either that, or I was amazed that Mark didn't already make another mess. Now I have to decide what I'm going to accomplish today. Maybe, since I have to go work in hell, then I can kill someone with kindness. *Tangent - Wal-mart is the devil and Target is hell. Why? Because the devil reigns over hell.

Welcome!

Welcome to my kindness blog! In this blog, I will write about my experiences with doing an act of kindness everyday throughout 2013. Some of these will be very simple acts, while others will take more planning, time, and money. On day 1, I made my list of things that I plan to accomplish throughout the year. Today, I am starting my blog. These may not necessarily be acts of kindness, but they will allow me to stay organized and keep me on track for the year. 

When it came to titling my blog, it took a lot of thought. I wanted to do something that was slightly a play on words, while using something with charity, philanthropy, volunteer, kindness, etc. I asked a few people for some opinions but either it didn't sound right to me, or I just got impatient waiting for a response. I was originally going to use philanthropy but couldn't think of anything that would go with it. Then I sat on the couch for about 30 minutes trying to brainstorm. This still got me nowhere. Then I shifted my focus more on charity. Then I thought of a chariot. A chariot is obviously a mode of transportation. In certain areas, it is seen as bringing war but in several others, it is seen as bringing peace. I don't know about you, but I think there needs to be more of the latter in this world. Therefore, this year I am going to use my chariot to bring more peace to the world and to do 365 acts of kindness. 

*If you would like to join me on my journey, just let me know!