Hi, people...I'm sure it's still Thursday somewhere, right? I had a more stressful than usual day at work yesterday so after coming home from a much needed happy hour, Nick fussed around me...patting my head and generally being the wonderful husband that he is while we watched Parks and Recreation. And I fell asleep by 8:05. I am approximately 80 years old. Next thing you know, I'll be eating dinner at 5:00. OH, WAIT - I already do that.
So, down to business...in no particular order, what I'm thankful for this week.
#1 - Fall...glorious, glorious fall. It's my favorite season and aside from family and friends, the reason I could never live anywhere without the four seasons. I've been pinning pumpkin recipes like it's my job (although I've yet to actually make any of them), drooling over boots and scarves, and just generally walking down the street some days feeling as thought I'm in a movie. This weekend, I'll be joining the fam at Weston's Red Barn Farm for new family pictures and hopefully, some pumpkin buying.
#2 - Yoga...I've been trying to do 30 minutes of yoga every other day since the massage therapist told me I had knots the size of Texas in my shoulders. I used to be much more religious about practicing yoga, but I fell off the wagon. While at first, I was huffing and puffing my way through, it's starting to get to the point where I really enjoy it again AND I'm no longer wearing my shoulders as earrings. BONUS.
#3 - This next one is an experience I'm grateful for...it's harder to explain and takes some back story, so bear with me.
I frequently see homeless people on my drive to work...and just as frequently, I have that uncomfortable "Do I make eye contact? Do I give them money? Do I ignore them completely?" dilemma in my head. You would think that someone who has dedicated their career to nonprofit health and human services would handle this situation better, but I don't.
One morning, I was at a stoplight and saw a homeless man on the corner on my driver side. Not really thinking about it much, I grabbed my lunch, rolled down the window and handed it to him. I felt such sadness as he took it and thanked me and said "God bless you." I wanted to do more. Later in the day, I remembered...oh yeah, you work in nonprofit health and human services, so you do more every day...even if it's indirectly.
But what I don't get every day is the opportunity to experience the human to human connection of helping someone. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that even though it was a small act and probably was more meaningful to me than the man I helped...(warning: I'm about to go all 'kumbaya' on you guys) the world could use more small acts of kindness. And selfishly, I realized I wanted to be on the giving side of kindness because I could use that positive energy in my life right now.
So, I've been thinking about how to incorporate this into my life and here's what I've come up with. Each week, I'm going to perform a random act of kindness and blog about it. Fairly simple and certainly not a unique idea, but I know that declaring it publicly will keep me honest. I'm hoping you all will help me come up with ideas, too. I've already got an inkling of an idea for next week, but you'll just have to wait until then...
Have a pumpkin-filled weekend, everyone!
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