Week 52: Kindness is Free

This is it, the last post of the year of kind acts. Today I am 50. 

Throughout this past year, I've paid extra attention on going the extra mile for those around me (not that I've been particularly rude and selfish and unkind the other 49 years of my life 😄). 

I have stopped myself when stressed in traffic and let others merge in front of me even when they didn't seem to be driving particularly nice. 

I have held even more doors open than usual. 

When I thought "that shirt is nice" or "her haircut is so flattering" or "he is such a good friend" and such I've given them a voice. 

I've offered to give people drinks and food when they needed it. 

When I've seen people work hard, I've told them, and others, of their efforts.

I haven't hesitated to pick up items others have dropped near me. 

When people have had a tough time loading a wheelchair into their van or box into their car, I've walked right up and offered to help.

When I've heard friends speak about personal issues I've lent an ear, and thoughts when asked for them. 

I have worked extra hard on patience, something that doesn't come particularly naturally to me. 

All of this and more I've done outside of the past 52 weeks of activities in an effort to simply be the best version of myself so my community can be the best it can be. 

All of this didn't cost a thing. It's open to each and every one of us. 

The goal for writing the summaries each week this past year was to illustrate the opportunities to help others that surround all of us, volunteering, showing up for people in your life, putting in a little bit of extra effort in your relationships to help strengthen them and make your own life even more meaningful by helping others. 

I hope the message made it through. I hope you found one or two things you've decided to incorporate into your daily life. I hope you and your community are better off for it. I hope each of you finds meaning and so much happiness in your life. 

I hope you've enjoyed this final chapter of the Kindness Countdown. 

Kindly yours,
Shannon

Week 51: Pinwheels in the Park

I've had a lot of community involvement the past 51 weeks as I set out to execute a year of kind acts before my 50th birthday. This last week, I upped the ante. 

To prepare for the activity, I first ordered a set of 100 pinwheels from Amazon and spend an evening assembling them at my kitchen island while listening to an audio book. 

I'll probably find tiny shiny circles for the next week weeks from the various pieces with punched out holes, but worth it. 😅

Next, I made a sign telling people what they were for: offering them a free pinwheel in exchange for them agreeing to doing something nice for someone. 

The step after that was calling my daughter, an art major, to ask her to fill the blank space at the bottom with some pinwheels. Thanks for the assist, Martha!

And then lastly, my boyfriend and I headed to Cedar Creek Park on Friday morning to stick all the pinwheels in the ground...which proved more time consuming than anticipated seeing as we had had some rain.

Mark had to head back to the truck for a buck knife to make each hole so I could stick the pinwheels in the openings. 

When all was said and done, I said, "That doesn't look like 100 pinwheels." 

He said, "It felt like 100 pinwheels." 😂

I hope everyone enjoyed their pinwheels, and that the effect reached far and wide!!

Week 50: Happy to Help the Happy Place

My friend Lauren and her business partner Sally started a nonprofit to get kids and adults of all abilities cooking. After years of working in client and borrowed spaces, they decided to go big and open their own brick and mortar location in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. 

I attended the grand opening events of Happy Place Cooking Space at their charming space today and was really impressed by how it all came together since the day Lauren first approached me at a wine bar and brought up the idea of me donating time and my natural excitement for things I believe in to become a part of the fundraising committee.

Of course, I said yes.

Together, Lauren, Sally, two other amazing women in town with connections and big ideas, and myself met every month to two to brainstorm ways to raise $200,000 to reach their goal (space, renovations, everything needed in a professional kitchen, supplies, tables, chairs, aprons, etc). 

We discussed generous local business we had ties to, families we knew were supportive of their mission, spitballed smaller fundraising ideas individuals would have fun participating in, and more. I really wish I had taken photos during those meetings because we were fed well, "We're a cooking business," they'd say as they dished everything out. 

After months of meetings and texts and encouragement to keep moving forward, the doors opened today. And it couldn't have turned out lovelier! 

The designs and colors do indeed make it a Happy Place! 

The thoughtful food-inspired custom artwork to showcase the donor names looks incredible!

The layout is open and bright and inviting!

The kitchen is stocked!

And the doors, and class registrations, are now open!!

Congratulations, ladies! I'm so proud of you!! 

Week 49: Flyers Full of Feelings

Guys! I am almost caught up on writing my blog summaries; one more to make up and I'm back on track. 😅 And this and the next one are two of my favorites; so simple but I found them quite impactful. And I don't take the use of the word "quite" lightly. 😂 Keep reading and tell me if you agree...

I printed out a stack of flyers and posted them side-by-side in 10 different places around town: cafes, laundry mats, grocery store bulletin boards, etc. One asked people what they needed. The other asked what they would share. The options on both flyers were the same:

• Love
• Hope
• Understanding
• Faith
• Patience
• Courage
• Peace
• Freedom
• Passion
• Healing
• Strength
• Beauty

After two days I went back to a few of the spots to see if any action had been taken. 

And I shed tears at each location as I pictured people reading my signs and feeling the need for Strength, Peace, Hope, and Healing so deeply they tore the strip away. 

And the location where nothing was torn as needed but rather a willingness to share Love, Patience, Courage, Peace, and Passion in the world? Amazing!

I hope the strips of paper people took for what they need can help serve as a placeholder for those things until the real deal finds them. 

I hope the strips of paper people took for what they will give is kept as a daily reminder to give those gifts away. 

And I hope I live both lessons every day going forward: There is no weakness in taking stock of what you need and when you have something to share, give it away freely!!

Week 48: Candy Bars for Clerks

I came up with an idea five years ago during a previous round of Kindness Countdown that I've made a part of my life ever since. It goes like this:

When I notice a store clerk is having a rough day, or the person in line behind me has sad eyes, or someone near me in line gets excited about a snack I add to my cart at checkout when at Trader Joes or TJ Maxx, I add on a treat. 

Here are some examples:

1. When I'm checking out at Trader Joes or TJ Maxx, the two places with healthier snacks near the registers, and an employee or another customer says they like what I chose, or they've been meaning to try it, I add on another pack and give it to them as I'm leaving.
   
   
2. If I notice a clerk at the grocery store dealing with a tough customer in line ahead of me, when it's my turn to check out I say, "There are so many candy bar options to choose from, too many I like. What's your favorite?" And then when they tell me I say "Good choice!," put one or two (depending what they choose - I’m always a sucker for a Snickers) on the belt, and ask them to keep it/one out of the bag...and then I hand it back to them before I walk away. 

It's such a simple idea, and inexpensive, but one that brings a smile to faces every single time.  

Give it a try sometime and I promise you too will be smiling ear to ear! 😊

Week 47: Scattering Native Seeds in Nature

A favorite book I read to my kids when they were young was called Miss Rumphius. In the story, the kids in her town knew her as the Lupine Lady because as she walked, she dropped seeds. When they asked her why, she said "to make the world a more beautiful place."

That was my inspiration for my filling a sugar container with native perennial seeds and shaking it as I walked the paths through my city near the creek and along fields. 

The soil was quite warm when the seeds were dropped and we are now expecting a week of rain so I'm hoping to have some follow-up photos of flowers to share soon!

And then more next Summer, and even more the Summer after that. Because this is a tradition I'm planning on continuing each year going forward.

Week 46: Penny Pony Rides

Meijer is where I do the bulk of my grocery shopping, and I smile every time I see kids riding the Sandy pony at the checkout, knowing the parents had to only pay a penny for their child's ride. 

With homeschooling my kids until the oldest two reached high school and the youngest 7th grade, I am proud to say they were errand-running champs. Heck, just last week I called my son on his day off and asked if he wanted to tag along on my errand day and he said to come pick him up. 😊

Back in the day, my kids were a wonder, they sincerely never really complained or asked me to purchase things out of the ordinary and were quite helpful sidekicks as we made our way through the grocery store, picking up drycleaning, stopping at the post office, etc. 

But I know that is not the norm for kids used to being in school during the day and parents accustomed to accomplishing these tasks solo. The way I see it, the Sandy ride at the end of a Meijer shopping trip is probably helpful incentive for kids and their parents. 

Five years ago, when I was completing 45 acts of kindness to count down to my 45th birthday, I got the idea to put out a cup full of pennies to make the rides free. 

Last week, when my son and I were finishing up my shopping, I noted a cup was there but only had 2 pennies in it. And Summer is just beginning. Unacceptable. 

The next day, I returned with 150 pennies to fill 'er up! And my boyfriend snapped this picture after a woman walking by said, "Get on up there, you only live once!" 

And so I did. Giddy up!