Random Acts of Kindness Week

As a self-proclaimed champion of kindness I feel a bit caught off guard.  I am totally unprepared for whatever I should be doing to advocate random acts of kindness week.  And what a terrible day for a kick off of kindness as I am feeling totally drained of patience, excitement, and motivation.  My sad act (that I will count for today and vow to do better tomorrow) was to take a woman's cart for her at the grocery store so she would not have to continue the distance to the corral. What a pitiful attempt.  though I will point out that Phoebe Buffet would say no RAK is truly selfless because it always benefits the person completing the act (with a sense of do-gooding if nothing else). As luck would have it, the cart I took off the hands of that other shopper was the wrong size and I ended up not using it.  Therefore I did not benefit and was rather disappointed that I had taken it from her to begin with. Success!

A short list of suggested RAKs from randomactsofkindness.org

Monday, Feb 11—Smile at 10 strangers.
Tuesday, Feb 12—Buy something for the person in the line behind you.
Wednesday, Feb 13—Reach out to someone you haven't talked to in a while.
Thursday, Feb 14—Bring a treat to a neighbor or your co-workers.
Friday, Feb 15—Donate your time or money to a local charity.
Saturday, Feb 16—Cook a healthy meal.
Sunday, Feb 17—Let someone go in front of you in line.

Might I add to this finding time to donate blood. 

good news - cochlear implants

even before i worked in a "hearing" field i was deeply moved by Internet videos of people hearing things for the first time.  as someone who really really loves music i cannot imagine not being able to hear.  today i came across this video making the rounds of a mother hearing her child for the first time.  the mother received a cochlear implant after 15 years of deafness and her son is 8. 

 

Having a child myself, I can attest to how hearing him say " I love you" never gets old.  I can only imagine how awesome it would feel to hear it under these circumstances.

Just to add to the warm feelings here is another video I find very touching.  I am happy these people are willing to share their experiences with the world so that we can all share in their joy.

 



Gabriella Rocha by way of 6pm

When it comes to shopping for clothes made in the USA, there is nothing better than being able to search via a site like 6pm.com.  I don't remember the last time I paid full price for something and I don't know why anyone would in this day and age.  One of my favorite features of 6pm.com is the "% 0ff" filter.  Sure it may be out of your price range but at 70% off, what a bargin.  Today I was browsing for interesting tops and narrowed my made in the USA search to one brand; Gabriella Rocha.  A brand I am not unfamiliar with, but based on its prevalance and my perception of it being a lower end line, I was surprised to find it was made here.  Thanks again internet, always broadening my horizons you are.  So while I found some cute items the brand also seems to lean a bit junior for my taste and then there was this:

 

to which i say no, never, and why?

 

In some cases a transgression such as this would be enough to turn me a away from a brand.  Honestly, i will look at every future G R piece with this silly thing in mind.  Not to dwell on my personal opinon of this, I will move on to what I thought were  great deals and cute looks.

 

Varci Dotted Tee $35

 I would dare call this top a necessity. I base this on ownership of something similar from the Banana Republic from my pre-usa-only days. It is a great casual tee shirt with subtle sparkle. Key word being subtle.  No one was ever criticised for subtle tee.

And then this little number because I have spring fever

 

Monica Polka Dot Blouse $14

This blouse is two important things; simple and interesting.  Love it.

 





Sprouts!

It comes as no surprise to me that as soon as i had given up on my apricot seeds they sprouted.  Just a couple of days ago i bought an orchid at the grocery store to console myself for what i thought were my loses and to fill my need for something growing in what i want to be spring time.  I was rather disappointed that i had let the seeds sit too long in the fridge and then, after planting them i had clearly over watered.  Then, today as i glanced at the window sill i spotted two adorable little sprouts.  I am hoping there are more to follow, though i will guard those two with my best efforts.