It's Back! Operation Beautiful

I am actually sitting right outside of Panera having a writer's high. I come here a few times a week to write and today, I am ecstatic because I just completed my first "Act of Kindness" in Atlanta.

A few days ago, Skirt Magazine brought to my attention a wonderful outreach program that is changing the way women, men and children view their bodies. "Operation Beautiful" was started by a young woman named Caitlin from Charlotte, N.C. who wanted to shift the negative views people have of themselves.

The mission of "Operation Beautiful" was to change these self views by leaving positive annonymous notes all around for people to find in the hopes that they feel better about themselves. It's a post-it note revolution!

So, for my "Act of Kindness," I chose to play a role myself. I made some post-it notes with positive expressions like "You Rock" and "You look beautiful today." From there I walked into Panera, went to the bathroom and stuck them all over the mirror! I was sure to be fast and sneaky so that it would be a big surprise to everyone else. I next ordered a Caramel Latte and snuck to a spot outside in plain view of the bathroom to watch the expressions of the people who came out. The best part is that I have seen atleast five smiles.

So, here I am writing about this act of kindness while still watching it have an effect. This is great fun.

So, All you have to do is take five minutes out of your day to make some notes and then just carry them with you until you find the perfect place to stick them! Easy, Fun and So Inspirational.

This was a fun one that I know you can do too! Let me hear some stories about it and pictures would be great too!

All credit goes to the above link for Operation Beautiful. What a fabulous idea.

Thank You for Your Sweet Patience

Brack and I have just relocated to Atlanta, GA and we are settling in and learning the area. I wanted to send a little note to all of you to thank you for your patience. I haven't gotten to participate in a lot of acts of kindness this month because of the move. We have, however, received so much kindness from our friends and family this month and we are so grateful. From the amazing going away parties to the yummy dinners to the couple who actually took out our trash for us, we couldn't be more blessed by your amazing love and friendship. So, thank you for your patience as we get settled into this new place. I do have a little more time to write so I do not want to neglect the blog. So, the next few acts of kindness will be from experiences and interviews with others who are making a huge difference. I do promise that once I know my way around this incredibly new, big city, I will jump right back on the kindness train. Thank you for your patience with this! I love you all!

**Special Update**

Let us take this time to remember that there is still a lot of work to be done in Nashville. Why not make a difference while having a great time!?! In support of the great city of Nashville, TN, let's all go hear some music to make a difference!

http://blog.gactv.com/blog/2010/05/19/country-throwdown-tour-donates-money-to-nashville-flood-victims/

Act of Kindness No. 9- Giving to the Gulf

I am just old enough to remember the haunting images from the Exxon Valdez oil spill off the coast of Alaska in 1989. Though I was quite young, I do have a memory of sitting on my mother’s lap, watching the news and I can remember her crying about the wildlife that was lost at that moment and how the environment would continue to be affected. This remains one of the strongest memories that I have of the news as a child. So when I received word about the latest oil spill and the inability to contain the millions of gallons pouring into the gulf, my heart sank.

Very few of us have the ability to drop all current projects and pick up our lives and move to the gulf and jump right into the cleanup effort. Because of these restraints, it can sometimes feel like we are helpless in these situations. We are, however, anything but helpless.

I realized there was something we could do for the Gulf after my close friend, Jennifer made me aware of a very special task that was taking place all over the United States. Hair salons from Florida to California, are taking hair donations and sending them to the gulf to be used to help clean up the oil. You can even donate your pet’s hair! Visit this site “Matter of Trust” to get the low down on how it works http://www.matteroftrust.org/programs/natural.html

Take a look at the before and after pictures from my friend Jennifer’s trip to the salon:











Who knew you could you make a difference all while looking this glam!?!

Watch more people donate their hair by visiting the accuweather site here:
http://www.accuweather.com/video/83689390001/cut-your-hair-help-clean-the-gulf.asp?channel=fehlik

Please also keep our President, officials, aid-workers and volunteers in your prayers as we continue to come together as a country to help stop the damaging effects of this oil spill. Catch up on the latest attempts here:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/06/01/dnt.costello.oil.clean.up.cnn

Thank you Jennifer for your amazing heart and your amazing hair!

Act of Kindness No. 8- Pillowcase Challenge

I have officially decided to participate in the Better Homes and Gardens "Pillowcase Challenge." The event lasts for one year and looks to receive 1 million homemade pillowcases that will be donated to local charities.

I never really sewed as a child but became increasingly interested in it throughout my high school and college years. I even took a costume design class in college. Needless to say, I was the last girl in the room finishing my project with tears swelling up in my eyes as the professor snarled at my crooked seams. It is definitely not a secret that I am not the best sewer to ever grace the presence of the bobbin and thread. But like all things that are hard at first, the best way to get better is to practice, practice, practice. So, for the last year I have been doing that to the best of my ability and I now feel confident that someone could sleep on my pillow without the worry of a missing hem or unfinished seam.

So when presented with this challenge, I was ready to jump right in.

The American Patchwork and Quilting: 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge calls all sewers and quilters to unite to make 1 million pillowcases for charities across the United States. To get started, you just pick a free pattern from the web site (or use your own creative pattern) and get sewing. You can choose a shop from a list of participating members on the web site where you can donate all finished pillowcases. If there isn't a participating shop in your state, you can simply click on a link to see a list of participating stores in your area or a list of charities that are always taking donations (such as women's shelters and children's hospitals). Then you drop off your donation and make a record of it on the APQ counter on the web site.

That's it! What a great feeling you will have knowing that you made a difference in the community and in someone's life.



I am still in the process of sewing my pillowcases and with my track record, it may be a while before I am completely finished but there was no way I could wait to share this one with you! So here is my call to you sewing friends: Get Started!

http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/millionpillowcases/index.html

Act of Kindness No. 7: LDOC-Finding the Kindness Moment in Each Experience

The Last Day of Classes on Duke’s campus brought a celebration unlike anything I have ever seen. It was an all out party day for the students that included food, drinks and concerts featuring performers such as Jay Sean, Flogging Molly, Rooney and Big D & the Kids Table. The amount of crazy college fun that accumulated on this one day was enough to leave us all exhausted.

As my friend Lindsay and I set out on the walk to our cars, I had only one thing on my mind: Relaxation. I will be the first to admit that on this particular day, I had forgotten to keep kindness in the forefront of my mind. Thankfully, I am blessed with amazing friends who have already incorporated kindness into their normal everyday routines. That brings us to Act of Kindness No. 7, an act that would not have happened if it was not for Lindsay.

As we were walking down the quad on Duke’s campus, surrounded by thousands of excited college kids, we said “Hi” to our co-worker from the Office of Student Affairs (OSAF) as he was trucking by to the quad pushing a dolly that was stacked high with water bottles.

Carrying on with our conversation, Lindsay and I stopped after we heard a huge popping noise. We were sure it was a balloon or a crazy college prank. When we turned around, we saw our OSAF friend bent over with the dolly.

The dolly had popped a tire and hundreds of water bottles fell onto the sidewalk. He was making an awful face. I froze in this moment and I was able to observe every detail of what was happening around me.

As if someone pushed a kindness button, at least 10 students ran over to help the sweet guy with the pitiful face-Lindsay included. I watched as they said “Sorry Dude” and “We will help.”

I smiled at this act of kindness and jumped right in myself. We all carried one set of 12 water bottles into the quad and into the boisterous crowd. I am not even sure if our OSAF guy even had to carry anything besides the broken dolly.

I was floored at the immediate reaction by all of these people. I am still in awe of the fact that in a moment of unplanned chaos, everyone jumped to help and not one of those people thought twice. The college students amazed me the most as their minds should have been on the band or drinks or graduation but instead everyone of them stopped in that moment to do something for someone else. What they each probably thought of as common courtesy has moved me beyond words. I will strive for that kind of kindness reaction time in the future. So in a place where kindness seemed unapparent, I was thrilled to learn it was there all along.

Act of Kindness No. 6-A Variety of Perspectives with the Same Ending

When I started forth on this blog journey, I promised myself I would do a little research on kindness and acts thereof. Not the sit-down-with-your-encyclopedia type of research but an in-depth look at the way people give, receive and accept kindness. Here is a little bit of what I have started to learn:

I was talking with my friend and co-worker Jess Jalufka when she told me a remarkable story about an act of kindness that she will never forget. When Jess was three, she was bitten by a rattlesnake (Jess is from San Antonio, Texas).  Her mother rushed her to the hospital and she underwent hours of surgery.  After recovery, Jess was in the hospital for over two weeks as she learned to walk again.  Her mother, though rejoicing that her child was alive, was in shock at the over $110,000 bill that this mother without insurance now owed.   Little did the family know, that their angel would come in the form of an old man from The Shriners Group.  He, after overhearing Jess's story, paid the bill in full and quietly left.  Jess is left with only a slight memory of the experience but her love for random kindness has continued to grow. Jess left me with these words to dwell on:

"It's so awesome to do the little things.  But every now and again, when people do the big things....it restores your belief in humanity."

Just the other night, I received a facebook post from one of my Tennessee girlfriends, Joy Morrison.  She touched my heart with her story and made me realize that kindness is all around in many parts of the world all at the same time.  People are doing amazing things without the slightest thought of receiving anything in return.  Check this post out:

"The best thing happened tonight... Joshua and I went to Jason's Deli for dinner, as we were waiting in line there were two older boys in front of us that had these bracelets that turn into animal shapes. Joshua was very attentive to the boys and their bracelets, as his good friend has them and now he wants them. After we ordered the Mom and I were waiting for our plates and I asked her where I could get those bracelets, I hadn't seen them in the store yet. We talked about it and I said thanks. As we were eating dinner the Mom came up to our table and gave Joshua a bracelet. It made him so happy!  I made sure we thanked the lady as I choked back tears that WE had just RECEIVED a "random act of kindness". My friend Tracy is promoting random acts of kindness and WE were recipients tonight! That 10 cent bracelet made my night and definately my son's. I need to give forward now."

Here are some inspiring thoughts from some pretty brilliant young minds about how "Acts of Kindness" have been influential in their life:



I was just checking my facebook and noticed that so many of my sweet friends are volunteering for so many wonderful causes.  From Relay for Life to Goodwill to volunteering at Animal Shelters, you are all teaching me so much about kindness.  Keep Rocking it Out! It will be amazing to see what more we learn over the course of the next few months.  I truly love your inspiring hearts!

Random Act of Kindness No. 5-Bye Bye Road Rage!

Traffic. Traffic. Traffic. Traffic.

Driving used to be therapeutic to me. (Sun-roof open, music up, windows down) Countless thoughts and ideas could be processed as I drove over rolling hills with only the breeze to stand in my way……

(Cut to present day) Horns beeping, brakes squeaking, smog rolling, fingers flying…..

I have developed road rage. (Understandably I would say.) Blame it on driving out of downtown Durham, blame it on road construction, blame it on the fact that my 20 mile commute takes close to 1 hr. and 15 minutes. I am lucky I know, as I do have close friends driving into Chicago and D.C. Still, for this little country girl, city driving is something I may never adjust to.

With that being said, I am yucky to other drivers and it must come to an end. For I cannot talk about being kind and considerate when I myself am pretty ugly for at least 1hr. and 15 minutes each day. No, I don’t let drivers over. No, I don’t brake on yellow. Yes, I will cut you off.

My intervention and thus, this week’s act of kindness came in an unexpected and oh so wonderful way.

It was 9pm and I was driving home from working a show when up ahead I saw what looked like a Disney parade of dancing lady bugs. Upon pulling up closer, I noticed there were hundreds of cars stopped in front of me.

 “Oh No,” I thought. “I am so tired and this is going to take forever.” Here it came…the road rage…the yucky-ness. As I sat there waiting to move even an inch, I saw some cars to the left zooming on up. You know the ones, the impatient ones that scoot on up there while the right lane waits in agony. (I am surprised I wasn’t in that lane actually)

Something happened while I watched all of this occur, I started thinking about the blog and about kindness and there was an opportunity there. I started thinking about what time really means. Why was I always in such a big hurry? Would 15 minutes really make that big of a difference? Then, I felt very grateful that I had been so fortunate to be safe for all of those times when my aggravation got the best of me.

So when I was nearing the end of the merge, I paused and let over at the very least eight cars from the left lane. To my surprise there was no honking behind me and no impatience at my actions. I can only hope the eight people who got to cut over in line are grateful.

For we may never know where they needed to be or what acts of kindness they were on the way to deliver.

Act of Kindness No. 4- Fire and Sugar and Love Oh My!

"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude."~Cynthia Ozick

As I was sitting on my back porch, sipping lemonade and browsing through the pages of this month's issue of "Better Homes and Gardens" magazine, I came across a kindness idea in the calendar section that read "bake cookies for your local fire department."  These ideas tend to jump out at me now and I took out my pen and jotted the idea down on my "kindness list."  If I recall correctly it landed somewhere around #10 as a cute idea that I would soon try.  It was, however, not on my list for this week. 

Then something terrible happened.  By this point, we have all heard of the explosion in Montcoal, West Virginia that left 25 men dead and four others still missing.  I was raised in the mountains of Virginia and coal mining is a part of everyday life there.  If you do not directly have a member of your family employed in the coal industry then you at the very least have a friend who is.  In fact, my father-in-law spent 20 years in the coal mining industry before leaving to pursue other career interests.  There is no way to avoid that coal mining becomes embedded in your blood and when something as tragic as this occurs, you cannot help but feel as though these are members of your own family.  Though we are all raised knowing the risks associated with coal mining, there is no way we can prepare ourselves for the reality of such a nightmare. 

One of my closest childhood friends has a husband that devotes his life to being a rescue miner.  He was called to respond to the tragedy in West Virginia and while I was lying in bed saying prayers for his safety, I couldn't stop thinking about how his selfless heroism was a true blessing to the families of the lost miners.  Isn't that the ultimate act of kindness?  The complete and utter giving of your self to help save someone who you may never even know. 

That was it.  It came rolling back to me like a flood. 

The article about giving cookies to a local fire department, the one that had seemed so "cute" a week earlier, had just floored me with its gravity.  How could these little acts of kindness even begin to thank the men and women who spend each day saving our lives? 

As little as the act seemed, it was now #1 on my list and I have never been more excited. 

For this act of kindness, I enlisted the help of my good friend Josette Cruce.  She was more than glad to participate in this blog as she tends to be one of the sweetest girls I have ever met.  We baked four bags of cookies.  On the front, we placed a little "Thank you" note. 

Now it was time to deliver the cookies to the Apex Fire Department. We made it to station #3 and walked right in the front door with our hands full of cookies.  We were greeted by two very sweet firefighters that were more than appreciative of the cookies.  It is impossible to thank these men for the job they do each day but my hopes are that they will know how much they are loved and needed.  They make us all feel safe each day and we can learn so much from their ability to give so selflessly to others.  There were five men on call at the firehouse when we arrived and we were thrilled to know we had made just enough cookies for all of them.  After we dropped off the cookies, we were ecstatic in the car ride home. 

I am so thankful for all of the heroes that make life safe and fun.  Thank you for all you do.

"I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks." ~William Shakespeare

Please visit http://www.apexvfd.org/to show your appreciation or even volunteer.  I am sure they could use more cookies! I am sure your local fire department could use some cookies as well.  It's your turn to show a little love! Do it this week!

Act of Kindness No. 3-Closet Cleanout:Goodwill Project

I can't believe it is the third week of this project already.  My spirit is refreshed by the coming of Spring and I am so happy to see the sun shining each day.  With the arrival of warm weather comes a need for Spring Cleaning which is what Brack and I have been trying to accomplish this week.  With that being our main goal for the week, it was clear that this would be the week we FINALLY donated our extra stuff to charity.

          When Brack and I volunteered gutting houses in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, we made a pact to ourselves that we would donate to goodwill at the very least once a year.  One of the largest lesssons we learned while carrying out hundreds upon hundreds of soggy items from flooded homes, was the lesson that we all have too much stuff. This is a lifelong project we have committed to and I am glad you are with us this year.

           Goodwill Industries International, Inc. uses donations to help fund "job training programs, employment placement services and other community-based programs for people who have disabilities, lack education or job experience, or face employment challenges." There are over 2,300 stores across the United States and Canada and making a donation is quite simple.  Watch Brack and I make our donation: 

Please go to http://www.goodwill.org/ to get involved further.

Please also remember to visit your local food pantries to donate items to those in need. 

Blessings to you all and Happy Easter!

Act of Kindness No. 2

           
           It’s been a week since my last act of kindness and I have noticed a change in my spirit already. I am constantly on the lookout for kind things to do or ideas to add to “my kindness list.” I have 10 items already in the works thanks to your loving words and ideas. The act of kindness for this week is one that I could absolutely not wait to accomplish. I had to complete this act as soon as I heard about it. It is so easy and simple and fun that I can’t believe I overlooked it until now. This is something I should have been doing all along and something that I will continue to do for the rest of my life. This one moved my heart and brought me to tears…….
          The Make A Child Smile (MACS) Organization was founded in May of 1998 by Alexandra Bakker.  The group's mission is to inspire and offer hope to children with chronic or life threatening illnesses.  Volunteers and sponsors use their time and talents to provide financial and emotional support. 
          When I heard of this organization, I immediately realized that bringing joy to a child facing an illness was the next act of kindness I wanted to do.  There is nothing on Earth that is more heart-wrenching than a child facing a terrible sickness. One look at their little smiling faces can immediately floor us. No one knows the answer to why children face such things. My heart yearns for answers about why this happens…answers to why life is so unfair…answers that perhaps may never come until I see God face to face. To fully embrace this task, I had to come to a realization that it is sometimes hard to attach your heart to something so painful. Shame on me for not searching out a way to help sooner. I am thankful that I now know a way I can help brighten the day of a child and I am even more thankful that I can share this with you and you can share it with your friends and family.
            MACS provides everything you need to start volunteering.  The first step is to visit the website http://www.makeachildsmile.org/featured_kids.shtml and find a child that speaks to your heart and you can immediately begin sending items that make a child’s day.
            For my act of kindness this week, I have selected four special children to send "Happy Easter" cards to. I have an overwhelming love for stationary so this project was completely free and easy to do.

I am sending love through the mail and it is an ingenious idea. A little glitter, a few stickers, some knock-knock jokes and four stamps later, I am ready to send out some sprinkles of love into the world.  My heart smiles at the idea that a sweet child will open my card and have a big smile.  That idea in itself should inspire you to visit the website, pick a child and mail out some joy right now. 

          

THE IDEA......

Bread Crumbs of Kindness- (noun.)
1. The act of leaving a trail of good deeds in the hopes that someone will receive the good deed and thus reciprocate that good deed by following in your footsteps.
2. The ability to make someone’s day in the hopes that they will make the day of someone else.
3. A “Pay it forward” type of mentality.
4. “In about the same degree as you are helpful, you will be happy.” ~Karl Reiland

As follows:

           You know those days when everything seems to be going wrong and a little dark rain cloud of yuck seems to be following you wherever you walk? I was having one of those YEARS….The kind where everything seems to be going badly. I reached a point where I had to say “Okay, If this rain cloud is not going to end then I need to buy a new umbrella.”

            When taking a look at the world, I realized that I was not the only person feeling this way. With unemployment rates soaring and affecting even my own newly-formed family, I felt out of control in a world spinning faster than I could keep up. That is when I stumbled upon an article in the December issue of Glamour magazine entitled "31 Days of Giving."   My first thoughts were “How on earth am I going to help others when I can barely keep my own family afloat?” After putting that article down and returning to my grey cloud of self absorbance, something happened. I couldn’t stop thinking about the article. What if I could make a difference? That’s when it hit me. I needed to heal in many ways and the only way to do that was to learn, grow, stop and listen. I needed to stop focusing on myself and start focusing on others and I knew it was time to do something about the way I was feeling and handling my situation.

             Thus, the idea of "Bread Crumbs of Kindness" was born. With the new year 2010 on the brink, I decided to make this blog my New Year’s resolution. For 6 months, I will participate in several acts of kindness (precisely one a week). Some acts will be random while others will be planned. I will also research and interview people who make these acts part of their daily practices in the hopes that I can understand the true importance of helping others.

             Why did I decide to take you with me on this spiritual journey? The reason is simple. I need you for this blog. I need you to follow my bread crumbs so that you can leave bread crumbs for others to follow. Come with me as we add a little sunshine back into each day. Here we go…………..

RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS NO. 1

             From the moment I decided to do this blog, I knew my first random act of kindness would be something I had always wanted to do. The plan was clear: I would go through the drive-thru at a local fast food restaurant and pay for the person behind me. It sounded like a simple idea at the time but I definitely underestimated some very important factors:


1. Unlike Brack and I (stuck in our college ways), people do not eat dinner at 9pm and our first attempt at finding a crowded fast food restaurant came up empty.

2. The most important element we forgot in the giving process is that spontaneity is key. We found when we focused too much attention on finding the perfect fast food restaurant, we overlooked opportunities to help others in our everyday life. For example, we completely neglected to buy Girl Scout cookies for the nice man in line behind us outside of the grocery store.

            Finally, the day came when we pulled up in the Wendy’s drive-thru lane with a car directly behind us. We both knew it was the right moment. I was excited and nervous all at the same time. Many thoughts passed through my mind and I even got a little scared about asking the lady at the window if I could pay for two cars. Would she tell me that the world had come to the point where security practices in such matters would deny me the opportunity to even do such a deed? The moment came when I pulled up to the window with my nervous knots in tow. I was glad to see a smiling face on a friendly woman. I just blurted out, “Can I please pay for the person behind me because I’ve always wanted to do it.” I waited for a response. In one smile, she reaffirmed my belief in good deeds. She was definitely more excited than I. She lovingly rang in both orders, handed me two receipts and said these precious words:

“They are going to be so shocked. You have a very blessed day.”

             I thanked her, took a mental memory and flew out of the parking lot as to avoid the car behind us. I was laughing and smiling so hard at the rush of excitement we had just experienced. Brack was laughing so hard because I was driving so fast to leave the parking lot. He said “Tracy, you are driving like you stole their food, not like you bought it.”

            The experience was so incredible that words cannot describe how elated I still am, even now, as I write these words. My hopes are that the car behind us will think of this day the next time they get the opportunity to do something for others. My even bigger hopes are that you will (the next time you have EXTRA cash) decide to repeat this act of kindness.

I am beyond pumped about the next act of kindness. I hope I can wait a week…………..