The Neighborhood Garden Award

After a boring day of allowing people to merge in front of me on the highway, I decided to get crafty. The Neighborhood Garden Award was born!It's just a little paper that says, "We love your garden. Thanks for making this world a more beautiful place! Sincerely, Your Neighbor." I attached it to one of the Dwarf Poinciana plants that I grew from seeds. The next step was to choose a recipient.

LJ and I take a walk every day along the same route. We always stop to admire the butterflies at this one particular house. One day (months ago), the owner was outside. He was listening to his iPod and trimming a tree. I tried to get his attention because I wanted to tell him how much we love his garden. We walked within two feet of him, and he never turned around or acknowledged our presence in any way. Of course, I have thought he was a total jerk since then. And, today- I decided he was the absolutely perfect recipient for our award/kindness project. Here is a picture of the front yard:
I know it looks like a jungle, and you probably can't tell very much about it since the picture is rather small. But, when you get up close, it's all tropical gorgeousness and butterfly heaven. It really is beautiful and incredibly well-maintained. Here is another shot of a pretty shrimp plant:
He works very hard in his garden. I hope that he enjoys the little flowerpot and award that we stealthily left on his doorstep. I wonder if we might get a smile next time we pass by or at least some eye contact. I'll let you know.

Kind Regards,
Your Neighbor

What's the antonym of road rage?

I decided to do something really simple today... just to show a little more kindness as a driver. I discovered that when I was looking for opportunities to be kind behind the wheel, I found plenty of them. "Yes, you can cross the street in front of me." Wave. "Sure, you can throw it in reverse and back up the entire length of the ATM line." Big smile. The extra courtesy was well-received. No wonder-- since Miami has the 9th largest traffic congestion in the US. It has also been voted the most dangerous city for pedestrians in America and for the past two years, the capital of road rage. It's not hard to brighten someone's driving experience when you're in an environment like that. Today's task was too easy.

PS I know I told "Not Actually Michael" that I would make the awkward perfume compliment today, but I just couldn't do it. I didn't smell anything good. And, that has to be legit. Otherwise, it would just add another layer of awkwardness. Maybe tomorrow?

Kind Regards,
Your Neighbor

Christmas in July

Today's idea came to me over breakfast. I couldn't wait to go shopping! I know that acts of kindness don't require spending money (which is a very good thing since I don't have a lot of money to spend), but I allowed a $5 budget for this idea. There is a couple who live in our neighborhood who really go wild with their Christmas decorations. They have hundreds of trees inside their house. Most of them are tiny, but every room has a full-size tree. Every room also has a theme... Snowman room, Santa Claus room, Poinsettia room. The kitchen tree is decorated with Christmas cookie cutters and little candy ornaments. The bathroom tree has cotton balls and dental floss and little soap balls. They start decorating in October, and they add a little bit more each year. I don't know why they popped into my head this morning at breakfast, but they did. And, I had the greatest idea. The thrift shop at one of the local hospitals has a Christmas room. I would take my $5 and go shopping!
Just look at all of that stuff! I found a grapevine tree with little white lights and a cute snowman. I even had enough money to buy a Christmas gift bag. I made a card that said, "Christmas Countdown. Only 148 more days!" I walked down the street and dropped the package on their doorstep.
Of course, now I'm wondering if that creeped them out. I didn't sign the card. I wanted it to be anonymous. But, would that bother them? Did they call the bomb squad? Do they feel like they have a stalker now? Are they peering out of their darkened windows at this very moment wondering who could have done such a thing? Maybe I should tone it down a little bit. I should just pick up some trash tomorrow or let someone merge in front of me on I-95.

Kind Regards,
Your Neighbor

The Beginning

Here's the plan: one act of kindness, every day, for one year. This idea came to me last week. I realize that I am not the first person to undertake a project like this. I don't even know where it will go. Perhaps it will be the start of something big, or maybe it will end up being my own personal adventure. Either way, I'm committed to 365 days of kindness. Of course, I would love to have hundreds of readers. Maybe even thousands. But if no one reads this blog, if it's never viewed by anyone-- I still have the experience of doing something positive for humankind and teaching my daughter a valuable lesson about the power of kindness.

I would like to write this blog anonymously, but the content will probably give away some information. For example, I have already told you that I have a daughter (LJ). Since she is only two years old and my constant companion, I suppose she will be my partner for this project. I enlisted her help earlier this week. I told her that we might as well get used to doing some kind acts since we'll have to do them daily once the project officially begins. She colored a picture, and I picked some flowers to take to our neighbors' house (a sweet, elderly couple). They invited us in and offered LJ a chocolate chip cookie. I was thinking about the success of our first, unofficial act while LJ grabbed onto an upholstered chair and pulled it toward the table. My succesful thought bubble was quickly burst by my neighbor jumping to his feet and screaming, "AY! DOES SHE HAVE CHOCOLATE ON HER HANDS?!?!" Oops. That's when I decided that I would write about it all, uncensored, the good, the bad, as it happens. I am hoping that there will be more positives than negatives, but you never know.

So far, I've learned that strangers don't really like to be complimented on their clothing. Strangers don't really like to be talked to... at all. Maybe that's because I live in South Florida. People down here are suspicious. When I try to talk to them, I feel like they think I'm trying to rob them or beg for money or attempt to pull some kind of scam. That's not going to stop me, though. I'm a little crazy like that.

Most of the acts will be deliberate and planned in advance, but I am still going to keep my eyes open for opportunities for random acts, too. I was delighted to find a cottage cheese container full of change (and a few candy wrappers) today at the post office. I was starting to feel some pressure since I had to get some kindness in and it was almost 5:00pm. I was beaming when I turned this into the postmaster.


At that moment, I decided to start the blog TODAY. What am I waiting for? There is a story to be told. I chose the picture of the dandelion seed as a symbol for this page. I'll probably never know what will happen (if anything) as a result of this project, but I'm hoping some of the ideas will get picked up and carried off. I wonder how far they will go.

Kind Regards,
Your Neighbor