Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Day 50

Today is my last day for this year's project.

Today is about words. Words can be used almost like magic. They can be very powerful. Think about it: These little lines and curves and dots, combined in just the right way, have the ability to make us laugh, or cry, to make their heart beat faster, to make our minds open up to an idea we never had before, or to transport us to a world we've never seen (and may not even exist!)

Words can make people's lives better or worse. They can start wars or end them. They can elicit love or hate. Words can take an experience or a memory and make it a little more tangible. We can revisit old ideas or share new ones. I can take something from my mind and transfer it to yours, without either of us being in the same room, or even on the same continent. In fact, we can even take in ideas and stories from someone who has been dead for thousands of years and incorporate them into our own lives today.

How is that not magic?

So today I'm going for a tiny bit of magic. I've gone to More Love Letters and picked out a handful of strangers to write to. It's taking me just five or ten minutes each to write notes of support and encouragement for these people. Once I'm done with these, I'm going to move on to Operation Gratitude, and then Smiles for Siblings and Love for the Elderly. I might even do some more tomorrow. I'm not sure how many I'll do, and I'm not sure how many will make a difference, but seriously, who doesn't love getting a letter?

I've posted a couple stories from people who were inspired to do things based on my words here, and I know a number of other people who have done little things that they haven't shared in such a public way. Let me know if you've been influenced by this project, and what you've done. Remember, I said at the beginning that my inspiration to keep doing this came from your words. So if you'd like to inspire me, let me know what you've been up to. And if you want to inspire more than just me, post a comment, or drop me a line and let me know I can share it here.

-- 
NOTE: In a fun coincidence, as I was typing this, I got an note from my friend Helen from college, who has been following along and said:

Thank you for your 44 good days. I helped an older man near "my corner of the world" (I'm a crossing guard for the littles) shovel snow. He's not as steady on his feet as he was 8 years ago. It certainly brightened my day and his wife's day as well. It feels good to give, I've forgotten that.
 -- 

Thanks Helen!

In any case, thank you thank you thank you all for following along and keeping me going. Even if you've never commented or contacted me, I can tell from the visitor stats that you're out there. That means a lot.

People have told me how great it is that I'm doing this. But wouldn't it be great if there were nothing remarkable about this? What kind of place would the world be if this was all considered normal human behavior?

I say let's all try to head in that direction. 

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