Being the change

Well, it's been a long time since I've blogged and I apologize. I know people lose interest when these things aren't updated regularly so I will try harder to keep it up in the future.

Now that the disclaimer is out of the way I can get on with my blogging.

I took the kids up to the mountain yesterday so that they could get some skiing time in on their new skis. They had a blast and were sufficiently worn out, enough that Bubba is still asleep this morning and it's 11:15am. I decided that I would just watch this time, since they like to just stay on the rope tow and I don't really enjoy the rope tow as much. It got a bit chilly, so I wandered over to the lodge to get some coffee. I mixed my coffee, then went to throw the sugar packets away just as a young man, probably in his early 20's walked up to throw his garbage away as well. Because I'm SO NICE, I held the little garbage flapper thing open for him. Not a big deal right? Wouldn't anyone do that? Well, apparently it was a bigger deal than I thought. It completely surprised me when he was absolutely shocked by this tiny little act of kindness. He exclaimed "Wow, thanks! That's the nicest thing anyone has done for me all day!" I didn't know what to say other than "no problem." As I walked away, I wish I would have spread the message that I'm always trying to follow. Why didn't I tell him, "be the change"?

This little thing, that I usually would not think twice about really made me realize that it doesn't take much to make a difference in this world. So go out today and do something nice for someone, be the change. It's not hard, I did it without even realizing it.

Be The Change + Pay It Forward

So, earlier in my blogging days I wrote about a famous quote by Gandhi that reads something like "Be the change you wish to see in this world." I think about this often, and try to come up with ways that I can be the change. The problem I run into each time is that I want to see too much change, so I need to ask myself what is it that I really want to see happen in this world? I suppose that answer is different every minute of every day, but I believe that the most glaring thing in this world that really needs to change (and I think that we can almost all agree on this) is the lack of kindness and caring in our society. Each day I am disgusted by somebody's selfishness or negativity and I often think that the only thing I can do about it is to say "whatever" and try to move on. However, after doing a little bit of online research tonight, I've come to realize that I can be doing so much more!

By typing in "be the change" into the Google search, I came across a website that has some wonderful and very simple ideas on how to be the change and pay it forward in your everyday life. Below I will paste a few of my favorite ideas from the site, but I encourage all of my followers and even those who may just be stumbling upon my blog to check out the site for yourself. It's very inspiring and encouraging to know that not everyone in the world is evil and that maybe we can someday get back to a "Leave it to Beaver" society again where we actually talk to our neighbors and care about how other people feel and maybe even know each others names again.

"Be the change"...
~Order some "Smile Cards" and start the fun - This is a game of pay-it-forward: anonymously make someone smile, leave behind a card asking them to keep the ripple going. It's easy and fun. Is kindness truly contagious? There's only one way to find out ...

~Crafts of Kindness - Ask a creative crafter to help you with acts of kindness. Knit a hat for a homeless person this winter. Crochet a table cloth for a family that just moved into the neighborhood. Hand-craft some jewelry for women at a battered women's shelter. Bake cookies to celebrate someone's achievement. Create a photo frame of your best friend's pet and leave it outside his/her door with a smile card. Give scrap booking lessons and materials for underprivileged children.

~Healing Kindness - Express kindness to those who are healing. Leave a stuffed animal for a child in a hospital. Plant a tree to commemorate someone coming out of a long illness. Run a race to help fund research for a fatal disease. Tag a cancer patient with a book about a heroic recovery. Volunteer at a hospice for the terminally ill. Listen to a friend who is going through a tough time.

~Honor Your Heroes - Honor your heroes with kindness. Dedicate a small act of kindness to your hero by writing them a letter about your experience. Find your favorite elementary school teacher and send him/her some 'thank-you' flowers anonymously. Get a 'just because' gift for your dad even when it isn't Father's Day. Tell the story of your hero to a young child. At your next family gathering, have everyone share each other's heroes. In honor of your pet, volunteer at a local animal shelter.

~Five Bucks And Under - What can you do with five bucks to make someone's day? Tape the exact change for a soda to a vending machine or a payphone. Pay the toll for the person behind you. Leave flowers in front of someone's house. Bake cookies for your neighbors. Put quarters in the laundry machine for the next person. Send cards with beautiful messages to anonymous people. Leave chocolate on the desk of your co-workers. Treat someone to a cup of their favorite coffee.

~Tag the Ones Closest - Do something kind for those closest to you. Give your housemate a hug in the morning, for no reason. Help your mother, brother, father, or sister with something that they would not expect you to do. Leave a flower in your brother or sister's room. Spend some time with your grandparents. Make breakfast for your partner. Call your parents just to say 'Hello'.

~Public Transportation - Before you get off the bus or train, leave an inspiring book on a seat with a Smile Card. Give a flower to the bus driver or anyone else that looks like they can use it. Leave a nice CD with a smile card. Offer gum or candy to the person sitting next to you. Give your seat to the elderly or mothers with children if it's crowded. Help people find their way if they look lost. Write a card with a beautiful quote or a blessing and leave it on your seat for someone to find.

~Give of Yourself - Prepare a nutritious sack lunch for a homeless person and hand it to him/her saying "have a great day". Shovel snow for someone. Mow the yard of an elderly or ill neighbor. Run or walk a race, or walk for the cure to help fund research for an incurable disease. If you see someone having a bad day, stop to listen to them, hand them a flower, anything to make a difference in their day. Babysit for free for a mom who needs a day to herself. Offer to drive elderly or disabled people to appointments or the grocery store. Crochet or knit baby hats and blankets to donate to a local hospital nursery. Leave your newspaper behind for the next person to read. Teach your children or grandchildren the act of giving.

Some of these ideas are repetitive, but to me, they all brought tears to my eyes because they are such simple ideas that I should have thought of a long time ago. I know I'm not perfect though, and never will be, but at least I'm trying and maybe someday, I will be that change that I want to see. I hope I can encourage others to do the same. Please check out this site, there are many more ideas and inspirations to help you pay it forward in your every day life.

Be the change..

This famous quote by Gandhi was brought to my attention following the death of a friend, and since then I have been pondering it almost daily. I understand what it means, but what I have a hard time with is how I can apply it to my life. I have so little time in my life to simply get the things done that I need to, how can I possibly fit in saving the world? And an even bigger question, how do you explain this way of thought to children so that they too can be the change they wish to see in the world. Do they even wish to see a change in the world at this young age?

I do see my kids leading by example when we go to a restaurant and they are sitting quietly at the table waiting for their food while staring in horror at other kids that are screaming and running around. During these rare moments we are so proud of them, but if you take the horrible children out of the picture, then our kids can turn into those screaming, running kids very quickly. My point is that for some of us, or maybe even most of us, we tend to ignore or shut out all of the bad stuff around us unless we are faced with it directly. We don't try to change things until they're right in our face, and by then it's often too late. I know we all have very busy lives and not much time or money, but perhaps we need to all start thinking about the bigger picture a little bit more and figure out exactly what change we do want to see happen, so that we can start at least changing our own lives to start moving in that direction.

This blog really hasn't helped me figure out what change I'm working towards, but I suppose in some way, maybe it will help with the bigger picture in getting more people to think along these lines.

Please post comments with ideas on what changes you'd like to see and how you're changing things at home to lead in that direction. Maybe if we all brainstorm we can save the world faster.