Week 24: Candy Canes on Cars

Last week, I kicked off my annual December tradition of handing out candy canes to strangers and hanging them on door handles in parking lots while out running errands. 

I did the math and realized I've been doing this for 23 years already, after a trip to Phoenix to visit my cousin. She had some candy canes in her car and gave them to appreciative strangers at the gas station. I saw how simple it was, how happy the recipients were by the gesture, and the tradition was born.

This year, the candy canes have been distributed in Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, and Colorado as I drove across the states last week. Just today, back at home, I asked the young man who took my cart in the Meijer parking lot if he'd like one and he excitedly said, "Sure! Thank you!" 

It's fun thinking about my kids only knowing a life of handing out candy canes in December, that it's a total normal thing for them. 

"You need to replenish your stock" my 16-year-old told me this afternoon.

And she's right, because we still have two weeks left in the year!

Week 23: 10" Cut For a Cause

A whole new woman is writing the summary of last week's project: I got a substantial haircut to donate 10" of my hair to donate to Children with Hair Loss, an organization that provides human hair replacement at no cost to children facing medically-related hair loss (cancer treatments, alopecia, trichotillomania, burns, etc.). 

Their mission to help empower children to feel whole again by making hair replacement available, especially to those financially challenged and might otherwise not have a means to obtaining the hair they desire, is one my family and I have been drawn to many times. My son and one of my daughters have previously donated and this was my third time giving to this worthy organization. 

My longtime stylist, Leah from Beauty on Bridge in Grafton, Wisconsin, once again nailed the haircut, giving me just the cut I wanted after a year of thoughtful trims knowing my goal at the end of this year. And during that appointment we discussed my desire to work with my hair's natural wavy texture going forward now that the weight from the length wouldn't be pulling it down. 

I'm still adjusting to last combing my hair in the shower before rinsing out the conditioner, applying different products using a scrunching application, spritzing my hair with water in the morning to bring the wave back after sleeping on it, and of course the shorter length in general (I've definitely wasted some shampoo and conditioner this week as I've gotten used to have less hair 😅). 

I hope somewhere soon there's a child who gets to go through an adjustment period of having more hair to care for. I hope any empowerment they may feel with the outer change will help their inner beauty and self-confidence shine brighter than ever.

Week 22: Kindness Is a Piece of Cake

My kids and I spent Thanksgiving with family in New Mexico last week. And as expected, traveling over the busiest weekend of the year at the mercy of two college schedules was not without its "excitement." 

Our flight out got moved up two hours making our layover in Atlanta over three hours long. Our first rental car smelled like it was on fire after 15 minutes on the road, so I had to drive back to exchange it, then they forgot to switch the next car's reservation to my name, so I had to go back in again; third time was the charm though and the Jeep Rubicon I ended up with was fantastic. Even driving through a snowstorm in the pitch-black on winding desert roads at 1:00am.

On the trip back, our first flight was delayed three hours, and we passed our connecting flight on the tarmac in Dallas at 10pm. We were then put up in a janky hotel with the thinnest of walls for 4 hours and slept for literally 10 minutes (I woke up in a panic afraid we missed the flight) and headed back to the airport at 3:30am for our 6:00am flight to Chicago; then we took a car to the Milwaukee airport to get my car (and my daughter took the Badger Bus back to Madison). 

I say all of that to point out a few things: 

1. We had a fantastic time with our family in Santa Fe, shared some amazing food and stories, old and new, and adventured to Los Alamos and Bandelier National Monument. We'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.

2. I was so proud of my kids and their positive attitudes throughout the challenges. "There are so many people in worse situations" was said many times and my heart swelled each time. 

3. We encountered a handful of really nice people throughout it all but the one who "took the cake" was a woman working at Varasano's Pizzeria in the Atlanta airport. She was extremely friendly and kind on such a crazy busy night. Our conversation went like this: 

Me: So, what do you think of Kirk Cousins as your quarterback? 
Her: I don't watch much football; I prefer basketball and boxing.
Me: We're from the land of Giannis so I like basketball too. Did you watch the Tyson fight?
Her: No; I haven't had a day off in 13 days. 
Me: Have you tried that cake place around the corner?
Her: Yes, it's so good! 
Me: What's your favorite kinds?
Her: I'd recommend the strawberry with the cream cheese frosting, it's amazing.
Me: Thanks!

My daughter and I took a few steps to the side; her holding the thingamajigger that buzzes when the pizza is ready. I said, "I'll be right back; I'm going to go buy her a strawberry cupcake." 

The smile on her face as I handed it to her was contagious, and her positive attitude for sure buoyed me for the rest of that long travel day and beyond. 

It truly is the little things.