Best.Birthday.Ever. Part I

I awoke this morning at 6:30 thinking, "I am still 44 until 11:00 am-ish". Then I remembered I was born in another hemisphere so if I'm going with that logic I turned 45 yesterday. I went back to sleep.

A little later I got myself out of bed and dressed, excited to start my challenge. I began by putting together my Random Acts of Kindness in memory of the Sandy Hook School victims. I had planned several RAOKs about 8 weeks ago based on the example of The Birthday Project, the inspiration for my challenge. But the Newtown tragedy and the resulting 26acts campaign started by Ann Curry of NBC News changed the focus. 

I printed out my RAOK cards and added green ribbons to each. After finding out my green ribbon had been absconded. And going across the street to buy more at the card store. No good deed goes unpunished.

(Yeeeessss, I could have just printed the ribbon logo on the cards but I am a compulsive devoted crafter and it was impossible for me at a molecular level to not embellish the cards. Not that it mattered to what I was doing one iota.)

Then I added a voucher to the first 20, the ones I had planned early in December. The cards for those vouchers noted that if it could not be used by the recipient, please pass it on. The last few were for spontaneous acts and did not have that note.

An example of the card I used today.

Since I want these acts to remain semi-anonymous I will not be publicizing exactly what I did or where with all of them. So I will be telling you more about the impressions and reactions. 

My first stop was a local coffee shop, a location just off the highway where a lot of travelers stop in. I am a closet shy person hidden by a facade of gregariousness and exhibitionism. So I was shaking when I approached the door.

There were 5 people in line and sitting at tables. They were mostly older people and one man who sat alone looked like he was there to stay somewhere warm. I approached the person start of the line and went down the queue handing out the first 5 cards, wishing them "Good morning and happy new year!" Most people didn't look up and just said, "You, too." or "Happy new year." Then they looked down at the card with the ribbon and, a beat or two after I moved on, realized what it was. The cashier said, "Isn't that sweet!" and most of the people smiled and said "Happy new year!" as I walked out, fast, after dropping the last card. I had done it and not tripped, walked into a door, or confused anyone. Yay!

Across the street I spotted two city police officers in cruisers talking. I drove into the same lot, parked a bit away and carefully approached and waved the cards, smiling. The female officer closest to me lowered her window and I explained what I was doing, thanking them for their service. I handed them cards and she passed one to the male officer in the other car, and they really appreciated the thought. I had been hoping to have the opportunity to thank a first-responder considering how many of their counterparts were affected by what they saw in Sandy Hook. 

I moved on to 4 other local gathering places, repeating my actions. In one, a woman said she didn't need to be given anything, she worked there. I asked her is she would like to pass it on, her face brightened and she agreed. When I was left with just an individual voucher, I went through the drive-through and asked the cashier to give it to the next car. She knew exactly what it was before she even looked at it, this was not her first RAOK transfer. 

To summarize the the first part of the day, some people saw the green ribbon and knew what I was doing right away. Others gave me a polite smile that said, "hand my your advertising and leave". (I know that smile, I perfected that smile.) They most likely did not realize what it was until I walked away. I hope it gave them all a real smile and maybe they passed it on or did an act themselves today, I will never know. Some people may not have cared, may ignore it, or may be angry I made them think about the tragedy. I hope not. I hope it was a pleasant moment.

That was 20.

Then came the harder ones, the ones that I had not prepared. I wanted to use this to push the envelope for myself and think on my feet, look for opportunities. I will be more detailed about these, hoping there is no connection between those who see this and the recipients.

After a lunch with my husband and daughters and a stop home, I went back out to complete my mission. However, it was now snowing, Nothing a New Englander in all wheel drive couldn't handle but it made for slow going and not very many people out and about. 

I stopped in a hardware store. I saw two men in flannels, possibly father and son, struggling with a bag of ice melt that was leaking crystals all over the check out. They looked like they needed some cheering up. I bought a gift card, turned and handed it to them to pay for part of their purchase and gave them a ribbon card. I wished them a happy new year and took off. They seemed a little confused, as did the cashier who I paid and was helping them, but I think they figured it out later. I hope they did!

So that was 21. 

The snow was coming down in big, fluffy flakes now and stopping at lights was getting slippery. But I passed the truck stop on the way home and saw lots of tractor trailers lining up for the night. They have a gas station and convenience store for travelers, but the back has showers for rent to the drivers who sleep in the cabs. I thought, a hot shower is pretty much just what I would want  when ending a night driving miles in the snow. So I stopped in and purchased two showers and left them two cards to give to the next two truckers. The cashier told me it was very nice of me, but I thought it did me even more good than it will them. 

So that was 23.

At that point in the evening I had to meet my family for dinner. The snow was still coming down. I decided to wait to finish the last few tomorrow. A friend suggested I send emails or make phone calls to complete my task and that's a good idea. But my goal was to be random, approach strangers, hand them the card with the ribbon and a name of a victim to show they are remembered and matter. And I don't think kindness has a deadline, so I am OK with it.

So, this is only Part I of my birthday RAOK.