Bits of Kindness

I have this little book called Highlighted in Yellow: A short course in living wisely and choosing well. The very first chapter is on kindness. It lists out thirty four different ways to show kindness on a day to day basis. The end of the chapter offers you a bit of homework to work on in the week ahead.

All thirty four ways are great, and I highly recommend you pick up a copy of the book for yourself.

Here are five of my favorites:

1. Smile a lot. It costs nothing and is beyond price.
"They might not need me, but they might; I'll let my head be just in sight. A smile as small as mine might bePrecisely their necessity." -Emily Dickinson  

2. Call a nursing home or retirement center and ask for a list of the residents who seldom get mail or visitors. Send them a card several times a year. Sign it, "Someone who thinks you are very special".
"Alone and without love we die. Life itself is as dependent on relationships with other as it is on food." -M.N. Beck  

3. Whenever you hear an ambulance siren, say a prayer for the person inside.
"More things are wrought by prater than this world dreams of." -Alfred, Lord Tennyson 

4. Make a habit to do nice things for people who'll never find out.
"That best portion of a good man's life, his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love." -William Wordsworth 

5. When going through the checkout line, always ask the cashier how she's doing.
"Nothing is ever lost by courtesy. It is the cheapest of pleasures, costs nothing, and conveys much. It pleases him who gives and him who receives and this, like mercy, is twice blessed." -Erastus Wiman

Here is to health, adventure, and trusting God

Preface 

Every year after the clock strikes I wait for that aha moment; that moment where all of a sudden I want to wake up at 6am, go for a run, be productive, and lose 10lbs. I am waiting for all that in a single clock change. When it comes down to it there is no aha moment. At least not for me. What I have come to realize is that aha moment can come anytime, any day of the year. It is all in the mind. None of this has to do with clock flipping to 12:00. No, it can happen at 4:04 in the afternoon if you want it to.

Here is to health, adventuring, and trusting God 

Do not get me wrong, I like the new year. I too treat it as a time to look back at the year past, and to look to the year ahead. Every New Year's Eve I make a trip to Mt. Pisgah (the "mountain of Holland", which is a big sand dune). I trudge my way 100+ stairs, take in the view of Big Red for a brief second, and then make my way down the trail.

Then I divert.

I know, I am one for rule following, but this is the one time I break them. I squeeze between two fences and work my way to the dune's edge. I find a spot; a spot where fellow dune climbers won't spot the girl who jumped the fence. I nestle down, pull out my journal, and write.

I write of the good, bad, and uglies from the past year. And then I turn the tables and write of the year ahead. I always take a tiny piece of paper with me, and on that paper I jot down my goals for the year ahead. I take a couple pictures of the paper, fold it into a square, and bury it in the sand. Before I bury it I say a prayer, praying for the goals scrawled across that tiny paper. My hope has always been that when times get tough, I can come back to that spot. It has been a challenge since I now spend most of my time 8 hours away.

This year I have three goals. First, to be healthier. Second, to adventure more. Third, to trust God.

So here is to a new year. One filled with the good and bad, the joys and tears.

A year of health and adventure.

A year to trust God.

Conclusion

Don't wait for that aha moment, BE the aha moment.

Ease the chaos

Knitting.
I have not been doing it long, and I am a far cry from a pro.
Last week I started and finished my first knit project.

There is something about the clicking of the needles, the repetition of the stitch that soothes an anxious, overactive, overwhelmed mind.

Last week I picked up my knitting needles for the first time in nearly a year. The end of the semester left my mind on overload. I needed to remove myself from the chaos of the semesters end and relax into home.

The more time I spent with thread and needle I remembered the tips and tricks to knitting beyond the first row. As time progressed I started challenging my skills, learning the purl stitch from how-to YouTube videos.

Slowly I am improving. Maybe someday I will be knitting socks, but until then I will wear my SmartWools proudly. For now I am content with my simple creations of headbands and scarves, slowly working my way up to bigger projects. Next up a new cowl scarf to match my new coat.

Here is my challenge to you: take some time away for YOU. Do something to calm that chaotic mind. Whether you get your knitting needles out or curl up with a good book. I challenge you to unplug, relax, and ease your mind. It will make a difference, I promise.

Five to read once more

Nearly a year has gone by. This blog has shifted with each word and photograph placed upon it. I have found difficulty in writing lately, and I apologize for that.

So, here is to the year ahead with many more words to be shared.

Here are five of my favorites post from this past year. Enjoy as you read them once more.

1. I ain't got no friends
2. New Shoes and a Messed Up Toe
3. "You jump, I jump": a story without a perfect ending
4. Endless Sunshine
5. In every corner of our lives

I can

Lining the pages were words of what might be someday. Written in handwriting so distinctly mine. I had written tea, Montana, Natives, kids, mom? Simply written below in the same scrawled handwriting was confusion, unsure, uncertain, overwhelmed.

Those pages have been my life the past months. Written this summer, words strong and true. In time I realized that in the sprawling words of my confusion I could be all. I could drink tea, live in Montana, live life among the Native people, have kids, and be a mom. I can be all that those words represent.
I can.

A little something to ponder

"There are two ways each of us can approach life: spending our days meeting our needs or looking for ways to meet others' needs. The mystery is that when we spend our life focused on our own needs, we are never satisfied and our deepest needs never seem to be met. But when we pour out our life and focus on how we can serve others, not only do we find incredible fulfillment, but our deepest needs are met as well." -Eric Ludy

Starbucks, for the non-coffee lover

Here is to all the non-coffee lovers who tell me the reason they don't go to Starbucks is because they don't like coffee.

1. Tea

You can never go wrong with tea. My favorite from Starbucks is Vanilla Rooibos. 

2. Chai Tea Latte

This may be my favorite drink at Starbucks. But you have to go beyond the plain Chai Tea. I like to mix it up. Some of my favorite creations are:

Pumpkin Spice Chai. Ask for a Pumpkin Spice, with whip, no water, Chai. Trust me, it is autumn in a cup. 

Caramel Chai. This drink is the perfect blend of chai and sweet. Want a bit more sweetness? Ask for whip and caramel drizzle.

3. Hot Chocolate

For all you chocolate lovers you need to try a Hot Chocolate. My personal favorite is the holiday special of the Peppermint Hot Chocolate (which you can get year round).

4. Caramel Apple Spice

This drink is an amazing blend of apple cider and cinnamon; topped with the sweetness of whip and caramel. 

5. Blended Strawberry Lemonade

Even though winter is around the corner, you have to try this. It is wonderful. Add raspberry and whip for perfection.