Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end. ~Scott Adams

I think most people are kind most of the time.  There are those people that certainly could improve on how they treat people, but for the most part the people in my life and the strangers I encounter on a day to day basis are kind.  But, when I read through some of the things that I have put on my list, it seems like I must think I need some work in that area.  

Maybe there is a difference in just being kind throughout your day and then going out of your way to do something kind for someone.  Holding the door for someone is a kind thing to do, but I wouldn't necessarily call that a random act of kindness, but then again...maybe it is. Maybe it is a matter of perspective.  Maybe it doesn't really matter at all and what really matters is that I am finding ways to be kind, big or little.  After all, Scott Adams (the Dilbert guy) that every act, and I am assuming that mean any kind or unkind act, creates a ripple.

For my own purpose of "counting" something for my list, I have decided that the act of kindness needs to be more than just holding a door for someone.  With that said, however, looking for those chances to exhibit kindness in a "big" way has made me more aware of the the little opportunities to exercise some kindness.  How lucky am I?  I get to feel all that of kindness come back at me with a smile or a "thank you".  And, maybe, just maybe that kindness will ripple through them and onto someone else.  That is not something that can be quantified on any kind of list..and nor should it be.

But, this post is not only about the little moments of kindness but the bigger ones too. Just today, I hand wrote two cards to people.  In those cards, I wrote a specific story about how something they did, an act of their own kindness, impacted me; a ripple started by them that had reached it's way back.  I also gave a simple gift, a framed photo, that I feel lucky enough to be able to give.  

So, as my eyelids get heavy and I finish off this day, I am reminded to keep looking for those opportunities. They present themselves often, we just have to be looking for them.  

Favorite 50 Songs....and some other stuff

I talked Joe into helping me come up with the list of my favorite 50 songs for a couple of reasons.  First of all, he is the one that has the iTunes library on his laptop and second of all, there are a lot of songs that I really like that I can't remember the name of but he does.  He can't remember what he had for dinner last night but he can tell you the name of most songs within 5 seconds of it beginning.  So, one night this past week we set out to make a playlist of my favorite 50 songs.  We decided for the sake of organization that we would go alphabetically by artist.  We got through letter D.  I have 126 songs already in the folder.  There is going to be a problem.

In my defense, I was being pretty liberal with what I put in the folder.  And two of my favorite bands, Cake and Counting Crows were obviously in the C section, which we did go through. But there is still going to be a problem.  

Another problem that I realized once we started, was that there are different songs that I love for different reasons. While I love Jay-Z's 99 Problems, I am in a little different mood when I listen to Hotel California by the Eagles.  I don't know what I am going to do about that...maybe subcategories?  This Type A lady likes the way I am thinking.....  We are going to do some more sorting starting with E tonight.  Fun stuff!

This week I was also able to cross off the list putting change in an expired parking meter when Taelin and I were at the library.  While fun to cross off the list, not something necessarily worthy of it's own blog post.  I mean really, are you going to come back if wrote an entire post about putting a quarter in a parking meter?  No, I didn't think so.

This week I also "gave a gift just because" to an old co-worker and sent a handwritten note to a friend that needed to know someone was thinking of her.  Nothing huge, but still something that helped me think beyond myself and all the things on my other lists that are more about getting the everyday things done.

Where to Start? Now that I have started...

I realized today that I need to come up with some sort of organized way of keeping track of what I am working on and what has been done.  (Not because there is some sort of rule about it, but rather that I am a bit Type A about that kind of thing...hmm...that might make it on my list of things I sometimes don't like about myself.)

Anyway, what I have decided to do is to bold any things that are complete and italicize those things are in progress.  So, with that in mind....here is an update!

I am currently reading two different books. The first being Half-Broke Horses by Jeannette Wall (who also wrote Glass Castle, which I loved).  The second being Notebook Connections by Aimee Buckner (who also wrote Notebook Know-How, which I loved).  So far I am liking the first...and LOVING the second. When I finish them I will give a little more information that will make me sound less like I'm a third grader trying to get out of answering a question and more like an adult with an intelligent opinion.  Or at least I will try to...

Today, I also sent a card to a friend that is going through a difficult time with a very fresh loss.  It was a little strange I have to admit, actually writing in a card with a pen vs. typing an email or sending a text.  There was something about needing to be more present and thoughtful. There wasn't a backspace so I had to be a little more aware of what I was writing. 

I was so glad to see that there are some people that have decided to follow me on this journey, at least for the time being. It is motivating and provides me with some accountability. Plus, it makes me feel a little less crazy....more writing for someone to read vs. me talking to myself.  So, thank you for all the encouragement!