44 Good Days, Special Edition #2

My friend Casey is a lead teacher at the Montessori Academy of Chapel Hill and was inspired to start a "31 Days of Kindness" project in her classroom. She says this picture is from Day 2 and the board already has quite a bit on it. Thanks Casey!

Day 43

Today I dipped into the box again to use this:

(click to enlarge)

There were actually two of these included in the box, so I figured it would be a fun social experiment to post one on the bulletin board at the local farmer's market, where all of the idealistic tree huggers are hanging out, and another at my office, where lots of cynical state IT employees hang out. (I happen to fit both of those descriptions at times.) I'm hoping to check back and see which one gets more takers.

Day 42

As today is Veteran's Day, I'm donating to the Honor Flight Network.

From their web site:

Mission Statement:	Transport America's veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit those memorials dedicated to honor their service and sacrifices.
Goal:	Helping every single veteran in America, willing and able of getting on a plane or a bus, visit THEIR memorial.
Priority:	Top priority is given to America's most senior heroes — survivors of World War II and any veteran with a terminal illness who wishes to visit THEIR memorial. The program will naturally transition to Korean War, Vietnam War and all other veterans who served, on a chronological basis.
ELIGIBILITY:	All men and women serving stateside or overseas.
Philosophy:	Since America felt it was important to build a memorial to the service and the ultimate sacrifice of her veterans, the Honor Flight Network believes it's equally important that they actually get to visit and experience THEIR memorial.
Motto:	“We can’t all be heroes. Some of us have to stand on the curb and clap as they go by.” -  Will Rogers

Day 41

It's usually around this point in the project that I start running out of ideas. But this year I am actually running out of days. I have a long list of unused ideas, and I've got some specific ones I still want to make sure I fit in. It's a good problem to have. I guess that planning ahead thing worked out pretty well, along with the help and suggestions from a number of you reading this now. (You know who you are! Thank you!)

So now's the time I need to make sure I get to all the ones I really don't want to miss.

Today I made a small donation to Duke Children's Hospital.

Day 40

Today I used Kiva.org to lend money to a man named Osman in Sierra Leone. Osman is seeking a microloan to purchase mattresses and mats for sale. You don't get a ton of information about these Kiva borrowers, but I picked Sierra Leone because I know they've been ravaged by the Ebola virus, and it does seem like new mats and mattresses are something that could be needed in such an area. The fun thing about Kiva is that it's a loan, not a donation, so when you get paid back, you can lend out the same money again to someone else. This is my fifth Kiva loan, and so far, all have been paid back in full.

Day 39

Today my oldest son and I got up early and volunteered to help spread 10 cubic yards of mulch for a Scout service project at a local church. We had a decent crew of boys and adults, and we made quick work of the huge mulch pile. The boys even went above and beyond by sweeping the area and raking out the playground sand.

 

I tend to forget how satisfying it is to do this kind of work: To see clear, tangible results of your efforts, to feel like you accomplished something, to work as a team, and just to be outside on a brisk fall morning.

Plus, sometimes if you get up early enough, and your timing is just right (like ours was today) you get a glimpse of something truly beautiful, and you have to stop and take a picture, even if it makes you a few minutes late...

Day 38

The building where I work is fairly high security. The security guards are actual gun-toting law enforcement professionals. You can't even get in the parking lot without a badge, and I have to use my badge a couple more times after that just to get to my desk.

But the thing is the security folks are always so cheerful and friendly, even when I've forgotten my badge for the hundredth time. There's one woman in particular who says hi to you in a way that makes you feel like you've been friends for years, even if you've never met her before.

So today I dropped off a dozen donuts -- for them, and for whoever else comes through the front door.

I know... cops, donuts... a bit of a cliche. But you should have seen the size of the smile I got when I dropped them off...