Really sweet thing that happened in the world today

[tarotgal]

Trigger warning: death of a pet

You know that Random Act of Kindness where you buy the next person's coffee/fast food at a drive through (I've done it once at the comic book store)? Well, my coworker told me that today his parents back home are putting down the family dog (he is old and has been in pain for a while). As one last treat, they took him on a car ride and went to a fast food drive through to get him a few small cheeseburgers: his favorite. The person ahead of them in line apparently paid for their order (not knowing of course what it was for). So on a very tough day for his family, this kindness was done for them.

So many times little gestures mean more than you think they will or ever know they will.

On a related note, I've been thinking about starting 29 Gifts today (for 29 days, you give one gift to someone every day). I've been thinking about it all week and, actually, that story came to me today after I gave a gift today. So maybe that's a sign that starting today was the right thing to do? I need to do it some time before next next September and maybe this is as good a time as any? I am starting to feel like one of those people I secretly laugh at: the people who say they're going to do NaNoWriMo and then back out at the last minute because it intimidates them. And I only laugh because I was the same way and then I just threw myself in and, only then, realized I'd worked it up in my head to be a much bigger and harder thing than it turned out to be. The best thing to do is just start and it's okay to not know what you're doing. The point is just to do. I've been putting off doing this project for years now, scared I would miss a day or not be able to come up with something or not do it right. It seems like a very emotional/personal journey and I wasn't sure I was going into it with the right understanding of it. I even started reading 29 Gifts a week ago and I joined the online 29Gifts community and asked for advice because I was nervous about not being able to follow the rules and not really understanding if I was even thinking about it right. The advice I got back was almost EXACTLY what I tell people who are hesitant about starting NaNo: just start and everything will work out. So I suddenly realized that, yeah, maybe I should. Maybe it's a bad time to start and I won't make it, but then I'll just try again some time. There's plenty of time to start again between now and September 2015. Who knows? Maybe it will be easier than I've worked it up in my head to be and in a month I will be laughing at myself just like I did when I was scared to try NaNoWriMo. So... yeah. I'm going to try it. I probably won't feel comfy updating my just_the_things journal with my progress about it until I'm a few days in and feel like it's going to work out for me. Today's gift was easy, but I've no idea what to do for tomorrow yet! But... that's the point, right? Don't stress about it, just do. I need to trust in myself and my giving nature that I'll find the right thing to give every day.

Here goes nothing!

Comments

[tinadp.livejournal.com]

I love the concept of 29 Gifts, it's definitely something I'll think about. We just sent birthday cards to a little boy with an inoperable brain tumor who wanted to get a lot of cards. It made me think about how a small gesture can be a big "gift" for the recipient. I was just looking on Anysoldier.com thinking about sending a care package. It's something we've thought about but never done.
Good luck, would live to see how it goes when you're ready to post.

[tarotgal]

I have sent things through AnySoldier about 30 times now--a few were cards, others were boxes of books (Media Mail as technically APOs are US addresses), others were care packages based on the unit's wish list. It was so much fun to shop for toiletries or cheap DVDs or sheets or socks or whatever. My best advice, if you do it, is to pick a unit that is based from the state in which you live (you can search AnySoldier based on that) and then include a section of your newspaper in the package. When my parents lived overseas in the ages before the internet, they used to read over and over the newspaper people wrapped gifts in when things were sent because they were so starved for US news. I read one AnySoldier unit page where they were having health issues because they couldn't get their shoes dry at the end of the day because of the rain & cold. So I sent along some newspaper for them to put in their boots at night and the soldier wrote back and thanked me but said the newspaper was FAR too valuable to them as a piece of home to ever do that with and they were passing it around to read. Ever since then, I've tried to include part of a newspaper (usually the local Metro section of the Washington post) with every package I send out through Any Solider. Also, write a note. It doesn't have to be much, but they appreciate it. Sometimes they write back. Sometimes they don't. But lots of them like putting names & faces to the person sending the items.

Wow. I haven't sent anything through that in a year or so. I'd forgotten how much fun that was. Maybe I should make it one of the gifts for my 29 Gifts? I really, really like how journaling a little about each gift is part of the 29 Gift project. I like the idea of taking the time to reflect on the act of giving, not just giving because it makes me happy, but really understanding what each act of giving of yourself really means in the moment or in the greater scheme of things. A lot of time I just give because it makes me happy to help (I'm too Hufflepuff!) but I like the idea of taking the time to honor that act, even if it's just a minute or two writing down some thoughts. But, hey, maybe it won't be as deep a journey as all that for me. Maybe it'll just be a 29-day high I feel from giving and making people happy. I guess I'll find out! :-)

But my point is, you should totally do AnySoldier some time. I've really, really loved doing it. I don't have any military ties in my family or anything, so it's nice to be able to touch this part of life I don't have any contact with normally.

And I highly recommend reading the 29 Gifts book. I got it out of the library and have been reading a few chapters a day.

[tinadp.livejournal.com]

I started the book. My daughter picked it up for me at the library this afternoon. Still thinking. I feel like I have no time, work has been so overwhelming but I guess that's part of the point. I feel like there's so much I want to do(like 40 Bags in 40 Days) that I just never get to. I do love the concept though....