Deed #10, #11...New Challenge

As is my usual fashion, I blog for a while and then get distracted by life. As you may know, I have been working on a challenge to myself to do 111 kind deeds in the last 111 days of 2010. Did I do it? Well...yes and no.

There was a Friday when I was at a Christmas Bazaar at a retirement community. I brought my boxes inside and then went back out to help other people bring their products and displays into the building. Then my display got set up after I finished helping.

We had a Christmas Gift Exchange at LOTH, and one of the ladies had to bow out due to a family tragedy. That left someone else without a Secret Sister. Even though I was not participating in the exchange, I stepped in and played the part of that person's Secret Sister.

I could go on and on, and I very well may have reached my goal. However, my challenge to myself was to do kind deeds that were purposeful for this challenge, and that proved to be difficult since it

is my nature to do for others, anyway. Thus, I may also have failed at reaching my goal.

You know what they say, though: If at first you do not succeed, then try, try again.

Update to challenge! Since I have documented eleven deeds, that leaves 100 to go. My new challenge to myself will be to do 100 focused, kind deeds in the first 100 days of 2011. That makes my new deadline April 10th.

Bear in mind that the intention for this challenge is not to come on here and brag about kind deeds that have been done. The intention is to challenge myself to be more focused on other people and doing what I can to bring a smile to their faces or to help them with something or to make their lives just a little bit easier.

PS I am also going to try to get up to 100 Followers of my blog because the more people who I have holding me accountable (and encouraging me), the better I believe that my odds will be of reaching my goal!

Deed #9

There are a number of families who have made known their desire to be bombarded with Christmas cards this year. Though I do not know these families personally, what easier way could there be to add some Holiday cheer to the season for some folks?

Now the mystery of why I bought stamps at the post office last week even though we did not need them has been solved!

Deed #8

Are you one of those people who will avoid public restrooms at all costs if it is realistically possible?

I am.

I am horrified by the disgustingness of filth and germs. UGH! If I absolutely have to use a public restroom...there is no resting involved. It is stressful. I try not to touch anything. When finished, I scrub my hands like I am getting ready to perform surgery.

You might be "one of those" people, or you might not. If you are, you know that it is difficult to touch the handle to make the paper towels come out...because other people have touched it, and there might be germs. The horror!

Being on vacation this past weekend, I found myself faced with not being able to avoid using public restrooms. Since I had to suffer, anyway, I decided to try to ease the suffering of the next mysophobe who might be forced to use the public restroom after I left.

I made an effort to lower the paper towels out of the dispenser so that the next person did not have to touch the potentially dirty, germy, yucky dispenser knobs or (handles).

You may have to be "one of those people" to appreciate this. I am sure that someone did!

Deeds #6 & #7

I am so far behind that I am going to have to be doing kind deeds left and right this month to accomplish my challenge to myself. No worries, though. I can do it!

We went to the mall at NC last week, and there was a woman walking up ahead of us who had a garment bag with a big lump at the bottom. That did not seem right, so I trotted up to where she was and pointed it out to her. This deed may seem small, but even the small deeds matter to the people that they affect. The woman had apparently just bought a new sweater that did not stay on the hanger, and she was grateful that I let her know so that she could open the bag and hang the new garment properly.

Last Sunday, our pastor challenged us to actually see people. When we were at a mall at SC, I made a point to look at people and notice them. When eye contact was made, I smiled at them. I was not obnoxious or silly. I just gave a friendly smile to acknowledge them and hopefully give them a smile (since smiling is so often contagious). My observation was interesting: I think that every single person seemed to nervously turn their gaze away when they realized that I realized that we had made eye contact. I wonder why people are so nervous around...people.

Deed #5

The guys and I went to a department store on Saturday to look for some slacks for Hubby. While he went to try on the pants, Boy and I walked over the the children's section of the store to look at toys and clothes. Boy played with a few things, and then I decided that it was time to head back to find Hubby.

As Boy and I walked past a rack of clothes, I noticed that something had fallen on the floor. Instinctively, I leaned over and picked it up. Then it occurred to me that this could be a kind deed! As we walked back toward where Hubby was, I kept my eyes scanning the floor, picked up items that had fallen, and hung them back on their respective racks.

No one may have even noticed that it was done, but I felt good knowing that some employee later that day (or night) would have a little bit less work to do.

Deed #4?

Dawn and I were working a booth for Discovery Toys at a Holiday Bazaar this weekend at the Cannon School this weekend. Yesterday when I pulled into a parking space, I could see a woman, another vendor, struggling to gather all of her supplies together to carry inside in one trip. She may have needed to make two trips. It sort of looked like a comedy skit while she would add one thing to her cart and something else would fall off and then she would pick that up and another thing would fall off.

Thinking about it now, it is one of those things was probably frustrating in the moment but about which she might laugh later.

After parking my car and turning it off, I got out, walked straight toward her, and offered help. She gratefully accepted. Once we got through the doorway of the building, she said, "I can take it from here," and promptly dropped her things again. Well-choreographed comedy. I helped her get her supplies to her booth.

The reason that I put a question mark next to the title of this post is that I would have helped this woman anyway, so I am not sure if it counts for my 111 Deeds challenge to myself. I am a bit behind on my deeds, though, so I am counting it!

Deed #3

On Thursday, Boy and I went to meet some friends at Chick-fil-A for a play date. I had done temporary airbrush tattoos for a Kids Night there recently and had traded for some free food coupons.

When we were getting ready to leave, a family arrived with a little girl. I asked the (I assume) dad if they would be purchasing a Kid's Meal. He told me, "No."

Then a lady who works there asked if I needed anything. I thanked her and told her that we did not and that I had asked the guy because I had a meal coupon that I would have given him. Then the guy said something like, "Oh, if it is free...." LOL.

At that point, it did not seem like the guy appreciated it, but I gave him the free Kid's Meal card, anyway, in the hopes that it would be a happy surprise/treat for the little girl.