Day 68 - Give a homeless person a clean blanket.

My goal this past weekend was to complete this deed and give a homeless person a clean blanket. To be honest, I've been holding back from completing this for a while, because quite frankly I didn't know where to begin and I also didn't want to approach a random person on the street not knowing if I would offend them or not.

 Of course the weekend passed by and I was not able to accomplish the deed but late Sunday evening I went to get a late-night snack and while pulling into the McDonald’s drive thru I noticed a homeless person sleeping on the cement sidewalk on the side of the street; I felt horrible when I saw them laying on the cold ground with nothing but the clothes on their backs and I knew it was an ideal opportunity to finally complete this particular deed.

I went to the nearest Walgreens and bought a fleece blanket along with a travel size pillow; all the while countless thoughts racing through my head "what if they are offended?", "what if they are aggressive?", "what if they are callous?”.  I couldn’t control my anxiety and my boyfriend definitely didn't have the answers to comfort me at that moment (I obviously would have never attempted to do this in the middle of the night with him not being with me).

When I arrived at the location, I got off the car and slowly approached the homeless person who I found out was a woman, she started moving and looked up at me. As I held out the items in my hand, in a subtle tone I stated to her that I saw her lying there and thought she would like a clean blanket and pillow so I went and bought some for her. With a baffled look on her face, in a hoarse but brittle voice she said “no”; as I insisted and went to lay them down on the floor she looked at me as if she knew I meant no harm and once again said “no, thank you”.  At that moment I could tell that she clearly wasn’t going to accept anything from me and I shouldn’t cross my boundaries so I took a deep breath and went back to my car.  
When I returned to my car I was overcome with emotions and the tears didn’t stop coming; not because she didn’t accept the items but because I was entirely heartbroken for her. Sure I had seen homeless people in the past but never one lying on the cold ground by a main highway. I tried to erase the image from my mind but for the rest of the night all I could think about was her, I couldn’t even eat my fries and tossed them out. I know that all homeless people are not helpless and most of them have done immoral things in their lives and that's why they ended up where they are, but no matter how much a person has sinned in their life; they deserve a warm bed to sleep in at night or at least a blanket and a pillow.

I will attempt to complete the deed again and today I also signed up with the Miami Rescue Mission to feed the homeless and help with anything that I can. I look forward to my orientation on Saturday, May 18^th, 2013; I will update you as soon as I attend. Also, if any of you are in the Miami area, I urge you to look at the flyer below and help in anyway that you can with Operation Hope Tote, every little thing counts!♥

"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.” - Mother Teresa♥

Day 67 - Ask your partner about what he wants to conquer next.

An important element to any relationship is to communicate, my boyfriend has been the first to always point that out in our relationship and because of him, I am learning on a daily basis to express how I feel, and I am grateful for his help.

If you're in a relationship with someone you should know what their plans are and how they fit into your key essentials that make a person. Not only will listening to them build a stronger foundation to your relationship but it will also help determine whether you want to be a part of that plan or not.

One of the things that most attracted me to my boyfriend is his radiance and passion, the way his eyes light up when he talks about something that he loves, and the way he fills with light. He’s accomplished so much for his age, and excels more and more throughout time, yet is so kindhearted and lovely with every single person that crosses his path. When he talks about his passions he always makes me feel a range of emotions, but mostly, all I usually feel is happy; because although it sounds cliché, his happiness is my happiness. His only downfall is that due to his enthusiasm for so much, he commits to too many things which will usually lead to a nerve-wracking halt.

When I asked him what he wanted to conquer next he considered the question for some time before answering; finally his response was to deepen his yoga practice. When we first started dating, some of his main goals were less complex since work wise he’s been accomplishing everything he’s written out to do, they included but not limited to; waking up earlier in the mornings, smiling more throughout the day, and beginning yoga.  He has since been doing yoga for several weeks and not only feels better but as a beginner has a lot of potential to thrive in his practice. To ‘support’ him, I purchased a month of yoga classes in the studio he attends so that we can do the classes together.

In conclusion, why should you ask your partner what they want to conquer next? Well, research shows that couples who are supportive of each other have a prosperous, healthy, lasting relationship; and being supportive means making your partner’s happiness and well-being a priority, in little and big ways. The reason you’re together in the first place should be that you're each other's biggest fans, so you should make sure to act like it. Today, ask your other half what they want to conquer next, and if they are trying to make a positive change, such as start a new hobby, or undertake a difficult challenge; be their biggest cheerleader. I’m far from perfect, but I am definitely willing and able to practice what I preach, you should to!(;

Day 66 - Bless your interruptions as an opportunity to take a deep breath and smile.

We live in a world that is constantly on the go twenty-four-seven. I can never seem to get unconnected, something is always happening, something is always interrupting. When I get to my office in the morning, I have a to-do list that is never ending, and every time I check something off the list, five more tasks are added. On top of everything else, I never seem to accomplish as much as I would like to, because every five minutes there’s someone walking into my office asking for something or just wanting to chat.

Today, I made sure to not to get irritated when someone came in to ask me for something; instead I smiled, took a deep breath and delighted in taking a couple minutes away from  my hectic work day.

What we don’t realize is that it is essential to our health and we deserve to stop, relax, breath, and take just 5 minutes each day to get disconnected; when was the last time you took a time-out (other than sleep) away from the chaotic workplace to gain perspective and clear your mind for 5 minutes? It's completely counterintuitive to set aside time not to do work in order to do more work.

I think the nice side-effect of taking the time to breath is that you are able to control your workday rather than letting the workday control you. By taking the 5 minutes it gives you a chance to disconnect and reboot. There will always be urgent issues to keep you busy, but it’s up to you to let those issues take over your life. Today, bless your interruptions as an opportunity to clear your mind, disconnect and reboot to be more productive; I promise it will leave you feeling better and more efficient. ♥

 

Day 65 - Fill the printer with paper so it won't run out on the next person.

Have you ever had one of those days where everything is going wrong; you spill your coffee on yourself on the way out of the house in the morning, you're running late and traffic is bumper to bumper, you're catching every single red light, you get to the office late and to top it off you go to make copies all the way to the other side of the office to find out that there’s no paper in the printer, making you have to turn around and go all the way back to your desk to get the supply key.

Okay, so maybe this doesn't happen all of the time, but truth is it could happen. Besides, it's nice to have a little bit of office etiquette. So today, I filled the printer up with paper so the next person who uses it doesn't have to worry about it. Maybe it won't make a difference in anyone's day, but, what if it does?

Today while making copies at work, be nice and do the same!(;

 

Day 64 - Pay attention.

My office entrance is a glass entrance with black partitions and our company logo on the glass windows, it isn't hard to notice that it’s there, even on the cleanest-no finger prints day (I’ve attached a picture below so you can see for yourself). On a weekly basis, I can't tell you how many people run into the glass because they are either on their phones, not paying attention, or sadly they are not bright enough to realize that all offices have an entrance and are not just alfresco. Sadly we’ve even had vendors who have been working with us for years, and KNOW that there's a glass there, run into it for lack of paying attention.

It’s pretty funny because above our entrance hallway there’s a camera recording everything, so over the years our security staff have collaborated a video of all the people who have ran into the glass. Let's just say the video is fairly long.

In today's society we are generating and encouraging a culture of distraction where we are gradually disconnected from the people and events around us and gradually unable to engage in long-form thinking. If our brains aren't stimulated we feel anxious; in a psychology article that I read, it points out that by constantly being distracted, "we are losing some very important things; we threaten the key ingredients behind creativity and insight by filling our "gap" time with stimulation. And we inhibit real human connection when we prioritize our phones over the people right in front of us".

As today's deed I decided to look at my phone as least as possible and pay attention to the here and now. I must admit, I caught myself picking it up subconsciously throughout the day (even while driving), and had to remind myself to put it down and pay attention.  During a lunch date with my boyfriend, while waiting for our food instead of making conversation I picked up my phone to play a game, while he sat there staring at me. I rapidly realized what I was doing and put my phone away. Although it was challenging, I completed my deed (for the most part).
  What I gained from this deed seems to be a repetitive message that I've been shown in previous deeds: life is too short to not pay attention to the things that matter most. This is summed up by a movie I saw recently with Adam Sandler called Click. The movie trailer never caught my attention when in theaters but it was playing the other day on TV and since there was nothing better to watch I tuned in. To my surprise the moral of the film really hit home and touched my heart.The message of the movie is that there will come a time in life where you've reached your desired goal after years of long, hard work, and when you do you'll ask yourself, this is it? This is what I worked for all of these years? It is not as sweet as I thought it would be.  That’s because happiness does not reside at the end of your race, it is experienced along the way.

The number of friends that you gain, the special moments in life with people who mean the world to you, the laughter, the people whose hearts you touched, the memories – even the ‘bad’ memories, like the day your daughter or son had a science project which exploded in the kitchen, leaving you furious at them and the mess they caused. All of those moments are what make you look back and smile.

Value your time with the people who mean the most, don’t spend it working to be the most successful or on your phone texting, instead make your race worth it and pay attention. I leave you with this movie clip from Click…..♥♥

Day 63 - Make someone laugh.

It's been proven throughout the years that laughter is in fact the best medicine; it triggers healthy physical changes in the body, strengthens your immune system, and boosts your energy. Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens up your burdens, inspires hopes, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert.

As my deed of the day, instead of making someone close to me laugh, such as friends, co-workers, or family, I decided to make YOU (my readers) laugh; I figured I'd branch out since the people who are close to me are lucky enough to have my humor as part of their day to day life. Lol.
Okay so I'm actually not that funny when I'm put on the spot so I decided to find 15 pictures that are sure to make you laugh, or atleast smile....
     

 

 

If those pictures didn't make you laugh, click here for some health benefits from laughing. So today, share some laughter with someone else, so that you can both live a longer life! ;)

 



Life is better when you're laughing!♥