#32 - Donated Candy

I donated about 2,000 candy canes and soft peppermints for the students of TSMS in Project Ssss referenced in #31 below.  Money well spent when I saw the smile on the kids' faces knowing they were ready to give them away!

#31 - Planning a big surprise!

At the beginning of the school year a wonderful teacher at Trinity Springs Middle School, Mr. Cornelius, contacted me about pairing up on an act of kindness with his PALS class.  Mr. Cornelius has a class of middle school students who work to make people happy, show leadership, demonstrate kindness, and generally make the world a better place.  This is a dream come true!  So most every Thursday this semester I have gone to the school for about 45 minutes every Thursday morning to plan an act of kindness with these awesome kids.  We analyzed what a successful act of kindness looks like, set up a metric to gauge our act of kindness, brainstormed ideas, then developed a plan.  The students did an awesome job planning and executing what we called Project Ssss, which was a week of No Stressmas for students and staff at the school.  This week the students and their fearless leader Mr. Cornelius decorated the building, greeted everyone with candy canes, played music at lunch, sang carols in the hall, set up a drink station for teachers, and even got permission to use phones at lunch one day.  It was universally held that the week made people happy, and that was the goal.  I gave some time this semester, but I definitely got more than I gave in this adventure.  These kids fueled my spirit, made me feel special, and reaffirmed to me that kids are incredible people who will change the world if we let them.  Heart is full thanks to the PALS of TSMS.  Go Titans!

#30 - Fill 'er Up!

My sister, brother-in-law, and nephew spent a day with me last week before they flew to Ohio to visit family.  I offered to drive them tot he airport and store their car in my garage while they were away.  They flew back home this evening, and I knew that the three hour car ride home after the flight from Ohio was going to make for a very long day.  Kindness came in making that trip home as easy as possible.  I stopped and filled the tank up so they wouldn't have to stop to do that on the way home.  I then stopped at Sonic and got all three of them their favorite drinks - even a lemonade for sweet Keaton!  I also had a feeling 4 year old Keaton might be a bit hungry when they landed, so I got him a corn dog.  All were thrilled with the drinks and snack and appreciative of the fuel.  I was happy to help and happier to get to spend a few precious minutes with them.  Making life easier for others is a pretty soul-filling act of kindness.

#28 and #29 - Through the Woods to Grandmother's House I Go

My 28th and 29th acts of kindness took place over the Thanksgiving holiday.  My grandmother, Wanda, lives in Roswell, NM.  Getting to Roswell by car takes about 7.5 hours of pretty boring driving (see photo below).  I generally go see her every Christmas, but it's been several years since I've seen her for Thanksgiving.  This year I made the trip to spend a couple days with her.  When we spoke about me coming she said she was just not up for cooking (she's 83 - who can blame her?!) so we'd go out to eat.  I know how much tradition means to her, so I decided to take the matter into my own hands.  My 7.5 hour trip was done with two coolers in the back seat full of Thanksgiving meal necessities from the catering department of Central Market.  We had turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, brussel sprouts, rolls, and two pies.  No pressure to cook or guilt if I cooked, because all we had to do is heat it up!  Mama was moved to tears and thanked me profusely.  Thanks aren't necessary, as I'd have done it all again to see her smile when I walked in the front door.  I was also rewarded with an incredible sunrise Friday morning when I started my drive home.  I count this as two acts because going was an act of kindness and bringing dinner was another that surprised and thrilled her.

#27 - Chic Fil A Aggression

This morning I treated myself to Chic-Fil-A for breakfast. We have two lanes at the drivethru. The pickup next to me was being weird and almost seemed to be trying hard to get in front of me. Rather than getting hacked off I decided maybe he was having a hard morning. So when I ended up in front of him I decided to buy his breakfast. Maybe it changed his trajectory!  Sometimes the people acting the least kind need kindness the most.

#26 Choosing Not to Rage

I drive from my office in Keller, TX to Texas Christian University in Fort Worth every Tuesday during afternoon rush hour. I'm amazed at how many cars are on the road and how many of those cars are driven by asshats. People cut in line, tailgate, and drive otherwise aggressively. Something about being in a car makes people lose civility. 

This last Tuesday I got in my car and decided today's commute was going to be different. I decided I would drive kindly every chance I got. I let people over, I slowed down to make space when I saw a blinker, I even waved over a gigantic 18 wheeler. Everyone else kept driving like asshats, but I chose not to. Know what?  It made an awesome difference!  By looking for ways to be kind instead of ways to be pissed off was an incredible lift in my spirits!  It was awesome to focus on something positive. That commute was an act of kindness that filled my spirit immensely!  Focusing on the right thing can make all the difference. 

#25 - "Good Day!"

I went to Starbucks with a friend at lunch today.  We were racing about town and went through the drive-thru to grab a quick caffeine boost.  The woman who greeted us through the intercom did so with a cheery "good day!" and it made me smile.  She also had the best laugh - I mean truly an awesome laugh.  After she'd delivered my PSL (I'm an addict, I know), I gave her $5.  She was confused and told me I'd payed with my card.  When I told her it was for her because she made me smile with her awesome attitude she quite literally squealed and did a kind of vibrating dance thing.  She turned around and showed her co-workers and looked like she might actually cry.  She thanked me profusely and told me how special it was.  It was $5...  Wouldn't you give $5 to someone if you knew it would mean that much to them?  Sometimes you just need to reward awesomeness when you see it.  This woman could have just slugged through the day and taken my order like everyone else, but she was doing her job in a way that made my day better.  If anyone deserves kindness it's the person who's working so hard at being awesome for others.  So lady at the Starbucks drive-thru on 1709, I salute you!  Thanks for the incredible coffee drink and the cheery disposition.