Week 10: I Can't Do Much, But I Can Do That

Last week's act of kindness was inspired by a handful of people in my life (directly and loved ones of my loved ones) who had serious medical issues. 

I'm a woman of action and I really don't like feeling powerless, especially when health is on the line for those I care about, but with those people living far away and me not being medically trained outside of essential oils, supplements, and 20 years of motherhood, there wasn't anything for me to do but text and pray for them. 

But I thought there may be something I could do, that I know is very small, for strangers closer to home. And so that's what I did.

I sorted out the $38 in quarters I had in my bear bank (given to me by my Uncle Dick and Aunt Barb when I was born - excited to visit you in NM for Thanksgiving, you two!), my daughter divided them between two baggies, and we headed out to our two area hospitals.

After confirming there were vending machines there and that they did indeed still accept quarters (my Gen Z daughter was the genius behind checking; you never know these days - and typing that, boy do I ever feel each of my 49+ years...), we sat on a bench outside and decided what to write on the note.

As you can see, we kept is simple. Afterall, the people reading it were in a hospital, close to the emergency room; they just needed the facts and a snack. And that's what they got.

The world has an uneasy feeling right now, and if I could give you all a little treat to help the days feel better, I would. 

I know the flowers I got last week helped me. The unexpected call from my son yesterday made me feel loved. My daughter inviting me to a concert with her made my heart swell. My other daughter looking at me when we laugh at the same parts of the show we're binging makes me so happy. The marinated goat cheese I splurged on at Costco and am enjoying as I type this helps. 

I hope you have little bits of goodness in your life too. 

And I hope you give them to others as well. 

Week 9: In-Flight Florals

I always have my carry-on bag packed and my TSA PreCheck number handy. 

Why? For almost three years I've been averaging 30 flights a year. 

Why? I have a job I can do primarily from anywhere, friends and family spread across the country, and a boyfriend who lives in Colorado the majority of the year. Therefore, two to three times a month one of us travels to see the other, or we meet in another location.

I feel incredibly blessed to not only have Mark in my life but that we are fortunate to adventure together, seeing and doing new things in this amazing world we live in. And I am so grateful for the airlines (primarily United) and their employees who do the heavy lifting (figuratively and literally - I am not a light packer 😅) to make the back and forth possible. 

And so last week, after six days in Colorado (and one in Wyoming to visit my first hot spring), we stopped at Trader Joe's to pick up bouquets of flowers for me to hand out on my journey home. 

The TSA agent at my little-known airport PreCheck point received a bouquet. Being accustomed to getting at least a bit of bitterness each day, boy, was she ever surprised. ;)

The Terminal B gate agent was given flowers. "Really?!" she asked. "Absolutely!" I confirmed.

The head flight attendant was handed an arrangement as well as both pilots upon my boarding. 

I went to the back of the plane and said "This is for you" as I handed the other flight attendant a bouquet. She asked, "Are you sure?" I said, "Yes, of course!" 

As I made my way back to my seat, I heard a woman boarding say to the crew "You got flowers too? The gate agent also had some. How fun!" And it was!

I also gave flowers to the guy waiting to deliver a wheelchair as I walked off the plane. 

And the last bunch was handed to my usual shuttle driver who takes me back to my car after each trip. 

It takes a village to keep this long-distance love feeling much closer than 1,000 miles apart. And until the gap can be closed (soon-ish!) I'll continue to be grateful for and kind to everyone who helps us along the way! 

Week 8: Bench Give Back

"Sit down and rest awhile" was the inspiration for last week's Kindness Countdown activity. 

I served on the board of Ozaukee Food Alliance for five years and recently took a step back to focus on this little happy project of mine. I began my time there when it went by a different name: The Saukville Community Food Pantry and was located in the basement of a local church. 

The pantry and it's needs grew a lot while I was with them, so much so we needed a new, designated location and updated branding/name to communicate we had become more than a food pantry. The process was a privilege to be a part!

I dreamed of us moving into the location long before it seemed feasible, and after the fundraising became successful and it was becoming reality, I began dreaming of the food gardens to be planted and relaxing seating for our patrons.

That was the inspiration for last week's activity: a donation of a cast iron bench to be placed in a place of rest. 

One of my daughters worked with me to put it together; my other daughter and I borrowed my parent's minivan, and we drove it to the pantry. It was lovely to catch up with the director on the latest happenings and take my daughter to see some of what I had had a small part in building. 

I hope the pantry and activity participants enjoy the bench, take a moment to rest, and feel ready to put their best foot forward as they depart. 

Week 7: Compliment Calling

My friend Lupe found me on Instagram a handful of years ago and after a quick read of her positive message and seeing her sweet but sassy personality come out through the things she shared, it didn't take me long to follow her back and start exchanging DMs on the regular. 

A few months into our online friendship she sent me a reel of people driving down a street and giving out complements to strangers with a message saying something like "If you ever want to do this, I'm your driver!" I replied with a pocket full of yesses! 

Last week we lived out our plan to deliver some drive-by praise to unsuspecting pedestrians. And unsuspecting they were. 

We got into Lupe's vehicle, rolled down the windows and stepped outside our comfort zones. Although I am known to deliver complements regularly to strangers in stores and parking lots, at gas pumps, etc, it was different yelling them from a car and I'll admit to being intimidated by the first couple of people we passed. 

But then dog-walking hour hit our small town and sincerely yelling "Your dog is so cute!" to everyone with a four-legged friend was a piece of cake. And boy did it make everyone smile huge. 

My next safe space was to tell women "Your hair looks nice," or "I love your dress." I yelled "Hit 'em long and straight" to a man loading a set of golf clubs into his trunk and "You look great in that pink" to a woman wearing the perfect shade for her complexion. 

We had over an hour of fun making people smile before parking and heading to our neighborhood beer garden...where we continued to complement people we walked past. It turns out, making random people happy is quite addicting. 

And I'm not trying to quit!!

Week 6: Presents for Those with Paws

This activity is memory of my sweet Maude who passed away last year. I miss you every day, baby girl. 

Last week my daughters and I went to the store and bought loads of dog and cat toys to donate to The Humane Society. It was fun squeezing and shaking and throwing the different offerings, talking about which pets of ours would have loved which toys. 

I've had a handful of dogs in my life and each of them has preferred something different in toys. Some liked soft rubber squeakers, some liked justtheright texture of a plush toy, none have loved the crinkle toys. 

And while I've never shared my home with a cat (I'm allergic), I've spent time with a few at the barns my daughter rides horses at and love watching their unique personalities come out at playtime too. 

All this to say, I hope we got something for everyone. 

Please note: Adoptions and visiting hours are currently suspended at the Ozaukee County Humane Society due to a personnel shortage.

Be sure to call ahead with your specific needs other than donations, which can be left in the handy dandy bin outside their front door. 

Week 5: Wishing (Strangers) Well

It's time to share another installment of my little project. Well, actually, it's almost a week overdue. Oopsie. 😅 While I have no issue performing each week's activity, getting summaries written and posted by the following Monday (the schedule I set for myself), has proven to be less consistent. But if I'm going to choose a priority, it's the acts themselves. So, I present to you, better late than never, week 5:

When packing to spend last week in Colorado, I added hundreds of pennies to my backpack for the week's random act of kindness: leaving free wishes at a fountain in a popular plaza in downtown Fort Collins. 

I poured the pennies intp a plastic container, wrote out a note that read "FREE WISHES!! Make one for yourself and then call or video-chat a loved one to make one too!" and taped it to the container before heading out the door. 

My boyfriend scouted out nearby restaurants while I set up the pennies on the edge near the splashpad and outdoor piano set out for people to play.* Almost immediately, parents took their kids over to make wishes together. 

Mark and I enjoyed a great meal on the patio of CooperSmith's Pub & Brewing as we watched a group of teens in matching summer camp shirts take photos while making wishes, a kid pushing the envelope on the number of wishes he could make (his mom put the bin of pennies out of reach on top of the piano for some time 😂), and other strangers tossing their wishes towards the water. 

I said, "I wonder what everyone's wishes are. I'd bet some people are wishing for big things and others might be wishing for simple things we may take for granted." 

No matter what they wished for, I sure hope they all come true!!

* - Bravo to anyone on the team to make downtown Fort Collins beautiful, because y'all sure do a great job! The planters everywhere (including the alleys!) are incredible, the little waterfall on the medium always make me smile, and the pianos sprinkled around town get played more than you might think. Thanks for all you do!!

Week 4: Kind Cards on Cars

What a week we had here in the United States. This year, in this decade's history book, is going to need it's own section. 😅 (← That has quickly become my most-used emoji as I try to laugh off stress. 😅 See?! 😂)

Annnnyway...I figured it was a good week to do a throwback to a prior act of kindness from four years ago: leaving messages of positivity on random people's cars. 

I created a PDF, took it to Office Max to get printed on cardstock, cut them out while watching an episode of Young Sheldon with my daughter, and then started "littering" love in the parking lots while I ran errands over the weekend. 

The world doesn't feel really comfortable right now, and I know it can be heavy to carry around all of the uncertainty. I hope that these simple messages of hope and support encourage a few smiles this week, and going forward (I plan to keep them in my car and pepper parking lots as needed). 

Perhaps these cards will get passed along. 

Maybe someone will use theirs as a bookmark for a consistent reminder.

It's quite possible some people got to their cars, saw the card on their window, and rolled their eyes. But I hope in those situations, the knowledge that people are out here trying to brighten their little corner of the world makes an impact, no matter how small. 

And I hope that knowing that, reading this, helps you a little bit too. 💗

Week 3: Sharing a Side of Smiles at Supper

Each week of this little Kindness Countdown project of mine over the years has been memorable, but there are a few that stay with me, long after they're complete. Last week was one of them. 

My boyfriend Mark and I, along with our friend Al, headed to the Denver Rescue Mission to work alongside a cook to finish preparing dinner, set up the two meal services, and clean the kitchen after. But it was so much more than that. 

We learned there are three professionally trained chefs employed at the Fort Collins location and each of them takes pride in preparing great tasting food for the homeless men who visit for breakfast and/or dinner each day utilizing the food donated or available to them at their local food banks. 

Keith, the chef we worked with that evening, told us they are in need of morning meal helpers, milk and egg donations, and anything else people are willing to give. He told us there are some regular meal patrons he has seen for long stretches of time, and others who are homeless temporarily due to economic/health issues. 

We were there for a couple of hours last Tuesday evening; the first dinner service saw 30 visitors before we closed up, cleaned and refreshed the tables and line, and then reopened the doors. Every single man we met was kind; they returned our smiles, thanked us for being there. One may commented, "You could probably be anywhere in the world tonight and you chose to be here. Thank you." That has echoed in my heart so many times...

As we loaded up their plates, we thanked homeless veterans for their service, smiled and laughed alongside the men while they were there. And when dinner service was complete, we watched the patrons work together to clean up the space and prepare it for the sleeping mats they'd roll out later that evening. 

Mark, Al, Keith and I had a great discussion as we prepared for dinner, discussing how precarious life can be, and how amazing it is to have resources to use when needed...and the importance of helping when you can. 

And we could. And so we did. And plan to do so again and again. 

May this find you in the "able to help" boat, and may you find a great local organization near you like the Denver Rescue Mission to share your fortunes. 

I promise you'll feel them grow tenfold with the effort. I know we did/do.

Week 2: Malt Across Many Miles

I've lived in the Milwaukee area my entire life; that's 49 years and counting in a place where beer is taken seriously. 

My dad has always enjoyed trying new breweries while I remember my grandparents having their faithful favorites. And although I'm more of a whiskey girl, I've never been known to turn down a beer with friends or family, enjoying them all because of the company. 

This week, I put in some effort, a little bit of money, and thousands of miles to help a couple of others enjoy time with their favorite people sipping some of their favorite beers. 

The idea for this week's act of kindness came to me a couple of months ago in my local Piggly Wiggly while talking to my friend/old neighbor about some of our favorite drinks. Being the liquor buyer for the store enables him to access just about everything he'd ever want, but for his favorite, available only in the Russian River Valley of California. Knowing my sweet boyfriend was taking me there for my birthday a handful of weeks later I asked him for more details. 

Fast forward to the end of June: I stopped in a couple of stores searching for Piney the Elder but quickly learned it was rarely available outside of their brewery, and so we drove an hour out of our way to visit Russian River Brewery to purchase some bottles of this beloved beer, along with some bubble envelopes to wrap them in to keep safe in my suitcase for the flight home. 

My pal Doug sure was excited to receive the surprise bottles this week, and I was so happy to be able to make it happen. And so I planned to do it again, utilizing those same bubble bottle holders to bring some of Wisconsin to Colorado.

Wisconsin's most sought-after beer outside of the state comes from New Glarus (specifically Spotted Cow and their seasonal fruit beers), and I quickly remembered a conversation with some employees at New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins, Colorado when in town a couple months earlier. As a result, some bottles found their way into my suitcase last week when packing for a return trip. 

Mark and I stopped in over the weekend to make beer delivery #2. Being the 5th of July, it was busy, but we found Ramone just inside. I handed him the goods, he looked at me, smiled big and said, "You just made my day! Come with me!"

He escorted us to two seats at the small bar, told one of the bartenders to fulfill our order on him, and secured the New Glarus to the back room. Mark and I had a great visit, sipping a sour and cold beers on the hot day, eating from the food truck, and almost playing our traditional game of bags in their awesome outdoor space (like I said, it was busy). 

In summary, it was a fun week playing a Sudsy Santa of sorts. ;) I hope the beers become a part of some fun memories as the deliveries have for me. 

Week 1: Beginning at the Beach

Welcome back to the Kindness Countdown! Unlike previous years that saw me performing 40 acts of kindness over the 40 weeks leading up to my 40th birthday, and 45 RAoK as I counted down to age 45, this final round will contain two bonus projects: an entire year of activities (52 weeks) as I count down to my 50th birthday!

The other change I foresee t\his go-around is my children's involvement. Unlike the past two projects completed while I was homeschooling, my kids are all 10 years older now, two of them adults in college living out of the house. While they have all expressed interest in continuing to be a part of it, their involvement will be limited during the school year. 

However, along with their growth comes a sincere desire to help areas of their lives they see a need. I'm excited to work alongside them to do what we can in spaces that matter to them. Stay tuned for those activities, and in the meantime...

To kick things off, my three kids and I, armed with black garbage bags and handy dandy grabbers, headed to the beach in Milwaukee on June 30, my 49th birthday, to spend some time cleaning up the shoreline. 

We filled two garbage bags in about an hour with everything from bottle caps (so many bottle caps) to lone socks, balloons, plastic silverware, packages of edibles, remnants of fireworks, food packaging, personal hygiene items, and enough plastic straws to make a healthy bouquet. 

One man approached us on his way to a trashcan and asked "Are you guys picking up garage? Right on! Thanks!" He added his garbage to one of our bags and that's about the time my kids and I started to look around and noticed the lack of garbage cans near the beach. And so began the first of what I believe will be many discussions with my kids (two of them now voters) as a result of this little project of mine.

We contemplated how long it would take the beach to fill back up with garbage (not long was the consensus) and if it's worth doing things like this knowing it won't change the majority of people's practices (yes was the majority). And that led me to explain to the kids why I, someone who generally believes good deeds are best done in private, started this blog a decade ago. 

I have received a whole lot of messages from strangers over the past 10 years saying they happened upon my blog in a magazine or podcast and were looking for fun family activities as a way to give back, or were inspired by the simplicity of most of my ideas and were going to replicate them in their own community. 

'
Reminding my kids (and myself) of the ripple effects of Kindness Countdown, especially 5 years ago when it was features in People, Real Simple, Women's World, etc, encouraged me to keep going and see how far and wide I can project the idea that kindness is cool, areas of service are all around you, and you don't have to have a lot to make a big impact. 

Thanks for tuning in to this first week; I hope you follow along for the next 51! What a year this is gonna be!!