27 Acts of Kindness = Awesome 27th Birthday!

About two months ago, I saw this blog post on Pinterest, and knew immediately how I wanted to spend my birthday. The brilliant woman who wrote the blog did one random act of kindness for every year of birth, which meant that this year, I'd get to do 27 things. In the time since I first saw the post, I have been slowly planning things out, making lists and collecting supplies for my big day.

My amazing husband surprised me with a super nice camera this morning (he and my parents and grandparents were in cahoots - thanks so much, everyone!!), so I had the perfect tool to document all of the fun I had today! Here goes:

These were the little tags I attached to some of the activities.

1. I dropped cookies off to my favorite across-the-street neighbor, Gary, and brought his newspaper to the porch out of the (threatening) rain.

2. and 3. We have new neighbors a few doors down on both sides of us who have recently moved in, so I went to introduce myself and drop off cookies. Nobody was home, so I didn't get to meet them face to face, but I did leave the cookies and a note welcoming them to the 'hood. (Incidentally, I got home a few hours later and one of the neighbors taped the sweetest thank you note to our front door! So much love in my neighborhood) :)

4. Per the aforementioned blogger's idea, I left a thank you note and some cookies in the mailbox. Reverse mail! So fun!

5. We have a (random) cemetery in the middle of our neighborhood, that seems to catch a lot of trash. I went and cleaned it up, and played around with my new (camera) toy.

6. Near the cemetery are the mailboxes for those who live in the duplexes. I have seen "Take What You Need" signs before, and thought it might be a nice place to hang one.

7. I have been avoiding a certain part of the sidewalk in our neighborhood for weeks because there was broken glass all over it. Today, I dug around my house for our little broom and dustpan, and went to work. No more glass, and no more worrying about puppy paws getting cut up!

Just in case you aren't familiar with broken glass. This is what it looks like. 

After doing my good deeds around the neighborhood, I came back to find these cuties greeting me at the front door, who inspired me for my next few (not quite random) acts of kindness.

8., 9., 10., and 11. I made doggie treats, using the recipe I found here. Mabel and Murphy gobbled them up, so I can only assume their friends that I dropped them off to (Katie & Melody, Tucker, Lucy, and Kona & Dublin) will enjoy them as well. Unfortunately, I didn't have any cute dog bone cookie cutters, so I went with stars.

12. Next, it was time to venture beyond the house and neighborhood. I went to the nearest grocery store and taped a $5 bill on a big box of diapers...who needs cash more than someone with a baby in diapers?

13. and 14. This was another idea stolen from the first blog I mentioned...I took dollar bills and taped them to toys at the dollar store. I creeped around for a bit to see if anyone found the dollars, but then I just felt weird. I decided to just imagine how exciting it would be for a kid to find it, and moved on.

15. One of the inexpensive grocery stores we go to is Aldi - you have to put a quarter in the cart in order to unlock it, and then you get your quarter back after you return the cart. Before I became a seasoned Aldi-er, there were many times that I would neglect to bring a quarter (or an extra bag) with me, and would awkwardly walk around the store attempting to juggle 15 different grocery items. So, for this random act, I taped a few quarters to the carts.

16. and 17. I wrote a few notes to some people I dearly love, so that they got some good old-fashioned snail mail, AND so they knew how I felt about them. (I think I could have written about 100 more notes to all of the amazing people in my life, but we'll save that task for another day, and another blog post).


18. I dropped off cookies to my girlfriend who just had the most adorable little baby girl. We chatted for a while (with her mom and sister, too!) and I took some pictures of sweet Abigail (I think I was the one who benefited the most from this stop, though!) :)

Raise your hand if you're the cutest thing on the planet!

19. I got to have lunch with my dear friend (who made the neatest present for me!) and gave her a bag of cookies, complete with a blue ribbon (she's having a little boy this fall).

20. I stopped by and picked up a bouquet of flowers, and went by the nursing home to spread a little cheer. I walked in and asked one of the medical assistants who she thought needed flowers the most. After deliberating with a co-worker, they decided on a "Miss Verma." I tracked her down in the common room and gave them to her, she was a sweet nearly toothless lady in a rocking chair, who thought they were "just beautiful" and was tickled to hear they were for her. After that, the medical assistant helped me track down a "vase" (aka styrofoam cup) and put them in her room. I chatted with a few more residents, and before I left, the medical assistant stopped me and (smiling) asked, "Um, Miss, who are you with? Who are you representing?" I explained to her my little project, and although I think she thought I was a little crazy, she just gave me the most genuine smile and wished me a good day.

21. and 22. I cleaned out our shelves and dropped off some food to the local food pantry. I also gave the workers a bag of cookies to thank them for all of their service. (This might actually count as a third random act towards my husband...I actually did a little cleaning around the house!!) :)

23. and 24. I wrote a letter to the animal shelter employees, thanking them for their dedication and telling them how much we love Murphy, our pup we adopted from them. I also picked up a bag of dog food to donate to the doggies that are staying there.

25. I donated to the Children's Miracle Network at a little collection site at the grocery store.

26. This idea is from one of my new favorite blogs, kindnessgirl.com. This amazing blogger (who one of my very good friends is neighbors and friends with!!) does so many great things, and makes me so excited to have children to involve in these sorts of activities. I went to the library equipped with sticky notes and a pen, and left notes of encouragement in a few different books. This was SO much fun, and I kind of want to do it regularly.

And, last but not least, 27!! The 27th was another idea from one of kindnessgirl's websites, guerrillagoodness.com. There is a number on her website you can text, and you'll get an assignment back to do a "guerrilla act" of goodness. Mine was to write messages on sticky notes and post them on mirrors around the community. This is another thing I will do frequently. 

 I also tried to have an attitude of total kindness all day long, smiling and saying hello to everyone who passed, holding doors open for people, and being a calm and courteous driver (as if I'm not already?!). We had a get-together that night at a local wine bar with 16 of my closest friends, who once again proved to me that I am so spoiled and loved, and made me want to go out and do another 100 acts of kindness to bless others as I have been blessed. Thank you to everyone who was part of my day!

Oh, I love my husband! (also, my fabulous in-laws sent me that scarf for my birthday! I love it!)

Me with three gorgeous party guests.

My girlfriend Melissa is the most talented baker, who made me this chocolate peanut butter heaven cake - all gluten free!!

Baby Abigail even came out for a bit to celebrate!! So many thanks to her mommy and daddy!

This was SUCH an amazing day! This will definitely become a new tradition for my birthday...I'm already planning for next year :) Feel free to leave any suggestions or ideas for other acts of kindness, I would appreciate it. Have a LOVELY day!

My Namesake is a Three-Legged Male Cat

Not to be too dramatic (well...actually, yes) there has been a miracle.

(Incidentally, this miracle has nothing to do with the title, I was just trying to get your attention. The title is, however, true).

I was driving to work last Monday morning (I work about an hour away), and felt so great. I was ahead of schedule, the radio was pumping out some amazing music (80's and 90's awesomeness, if you must know), and the sun was already out and shining. As I was driving, I was making a mental list about how wonderful life was, when in my rear-view mirror, I saw the state trooper that just drove past do a u-turn in the road, and turn his lights on.

Not a good sign.

Another sign, though different from the kind of sign I'm talking about. Also, much funnier.
(Taken in Glasgow, Scotland on our honeymoon last year)

I thought for a second, "What are the chances that there's been an emergency at 7am in the direction I'm going, and the nice police man has to get there quickly!?" Answer: No chance.

Now, if you are my baby brother and you're reading this right now, you need to stop. (He seems to think his sister is a poor driver with a lead foot and begs me to be more careful, and if he finds out about this whole incident I'll really never hear the end of it. Also, ladies, he's 21, handsome, talented, brilliant, and caring enough to worry about his big sister, if anyone is interested ...just leave a comment below).

As you have probably already figured a few paragraphs ago, Mr. State Trooper decided that I was, in fact, breaking the law, and did pull me over. Now, this marks the fourth time I've gotten pulled over in my life. The first time I was in college in Michigan, going WAY (I mean WAY) too fast. I cried, the officer was flustered (and had a SOUL!) and let me go. The second time was a few years later in Indiana on my way to Chicago, and I was pulled over by a state trooper. This guy could not have been a day over 21, and I easily flirted my way out of it (not because I'm particularly gifted at flirting, but because he was 21 and from the looks of it, a little nerdy and perhaps a bit nervous). Southern cops are just not as forgiving as those Midwestern boys, let me tell you. The third time I got pulled over was last July in North Carolina on my way to see my 8am client. This man was sneaky, on a motorcycle, and hiding  behind a bush. I got my first ticket from him.

Bummer.

After that ticket, I feel like I spiraled downhill. There were a lot of other things going on at the time (some minor but annoying health issues, a stressful PhD program, continual car problems) and I just felt that this was the icing on the cake. I turned into someone who I did not care for very much, very moody and negative, with a dose of depression and anxiety for good measure (God bless my husband for still tolerating me). This lasted for quite a few months, and although it wasn't the ticket per se, the ticket represented all that was "bad" (I use quotations because in hindsight, those things were clearly not big deals, but did feel like it at the time) in the world.

Anywho, back to last week. Being amazingly polite and slightly flirtatious was not working, and though it crossed my mind, I decided I was too old to turn on the waterworks. So, as Mr. State Trooper was kind enough to take my license and registration back to his bat mobile, I was doing some deep breaths (as I tell my patients and clients to do during stressful times, practice what you preach!) and screaming to myself,

WHAT LESSON AM I BEING TAUGHT!?


New Christine is big on lesson-learning. For example, last month I accidentally washed my smartphone and was phone-less for close to two weeks. The lesson I was being taught was to unplug and relax a little more. I am frequently taught lessons on patience (like when I hit every red light, or have to deal with people who test this particular quality). Like many formal tests in school, if you fail, you usually have to take it over again at some point. The universe is kind to me, so I get many opportunities to re-take certain tests if I don't do so well (::cough::patience::cough::).

I was furiously trying to figure out the lesson in hopes of calming myself down. Was I being taught to slow down in life? (You see, lessons are usually metaphorical, so it couldn't be something as simple as actually slowing down, as in, driving the speed limit...plus, I'm clearly not ready for that). However, I decided that I had been doing very well slowing down in life and being reflective, so it couldn't be that. I was at a loss.

Proof that I do stop and smell the roses. Almost literally.

After I had been given my ticket, and continued my journey to work, I had an epiphany. There was absolutely no reason to let a silly ticket ruin my day. After all, it was only money. And then I realized that I had actually thought those words all by myself (aka without my mother's prompting). I have a tendency to get stressed about money, when in 100% of times, things have worked out. Despite this, I would usually still feel it was necessary to waste my energy worrying  for absolutely no purpose. This needless worry was the root of the stress last summer, because every time something not-so-fabulous would happen, I would let it feed into my victimized thinking, "Oh poooor me! Why does this always happen to meeee?" And then I would worry about the outcome.

But this time, it was different. Almost exactly one year later, I was given the same exact test (in the form of a speeding ticket) and now had the opportunity to show how much I had grown and changed...and I passed! I was able to control my thinking, keep myself calm, and have the inherent wisdom that things would work out, because they always do. 


About ten minutes after I got to work that morning (still on time, mind you), one of the fabulous women I work with said, "Oh, my (well-connected lawyer/county official) uncle can take care of that! He's always getting me out of tickets." She took the ticket.

And that was that. Done.

So, embrace the lessons you're being taught today. There is no better feeling than getting a test in life, and passing with flying colors (even if it's the 50th time you've had to take it). In fact, I would argue that the more you have to take a test, the better it feels when you actually pass it :)

Thank you for reading, and have an amazing day!