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!!