What a Wonderful World

Sometimes you just need a reminder that people care.

You need something to happen that changes your outlook on your day.

Or even life.

A single event, hug, kiss, smile, letter, gift, or gesture that has you singing Louis Armstrongs lovely song, "And I think to myself, what a wonderful world."

I had that unexpected reminder today.

I came home from work to a letter from my friend, Kari.

 

First things first, I love that she mentioned Baby Sieb in the "to" line!

Second, I love that she is doing 26 Random Acts of Kindness (and she picked me as one of the recipients!!!)

Third, she obviously knows me very well because I LOVE food, especially breakfast / brunch food. 

Fourth, did I mention that she is spreading love and kindness in the world!?

Kari included this card as well:

I've be hit by kindness!
PS Stop judging my chipped nail polish. I'm fixing it tonight, promises.

Kari, thank you so much for including me in your 26 Random Acts of Kindness.

And most importantly, thank you for reminding me (and countless other people) that we really can live in a wonderful world if we spread love and kindness in our daily lives. 

I'm writing up a letter and passing along a Random Act of Kindness tonight. 

Watch out- it could be coming your way! :)

Much love,

Ashley

A Year of Random Acts of Kindness: Weeks 6-7

I know what you are thinking...

Don't you love how I always try to guess what you're thinking?

"Ashley, have you stopped being kind?! You haven't posted in a few weeks!"

Life and vacation kept me busy over the holidays, so it was difficult to find time to blog.

But, I promise you that I was kind.

I opened the doors for strangers.

I picked up an old lady's cookie after she dropped on the ground. She refused to eat it, but I encouraged her to remember the five second rule. And noted that it rained earlier so the ground was probably clean. She still didn't eat the cookie. And yes, I thought about eating the cookie.

I bought healthy snacks for our family on vacation. Don't worry- I also won everyone over by purchasing chocolate covered bacon for us to share.

The verdict?
More bacon. Always.

But my favorite random act of kindness happened on New Year's Eve.

Justin and I were having lunch at The Friendly Fishermen.

The breeze was perfect.

The view was beautiful.

Nothing beats a beer with an ocean view.

The sun was shining.

And ninja birds were stalking us.

Look closely. He is standing like a ninja.

But don't worry, we did not feed the birds.

Angry Birds.

But we probably wouldn't have shared our food anyway. Our spread was de-lic-ious. We had raw oysters, a smoked fish spread, mahi mahi nuggets, and a stuffed carb.

And the cherry on the sundae was our amazing server.

She reminded me of my Grandma Kaye because she made us laugh and smile so much. She kept our beers coming, and checked up on us without stalking us like the ninja birds.

She was simply a rockstar.

And I knew I wanted to surprise her with a generous tip.

"I just love her," I told Justin. "She is great!"

"You want to leave her a large tip, don't you?" Justin asked as if he was reading my mind.

I smiled.

Of course, I did! And I was positive he felt the same way.

So I used some of my Christmas money and left her a $20 dollar tip (about 50% of our bill).

Public Service Announcement: Your server probably only makes $2.13 / hour so tip at LEAST 20%!!

Back to your regularly scheduled blog...

I also wrote her a note to make her smile:

I snapped this picture before the note and cash nearly blew off the pier.
Because I'm full of luck...

Share your heart with everyone you meet.

And tip a few extra dollars when you receive exceptional service.

You'll both be happy you did....

Much love,
Ashley

A Year of Random Acts of Kindness: Week 5

I have a confession. I went to bed on Friday unsure about attending Sussy Day.

Now, I LOVED the concept and purpose of Sussy Day.

And I obviously love The Sussy Project.

But I was completely overwhelmed with work. 

I had 13 award nominations to write.

A campaign to work on.

And (okay, I won't bore you with all the details and projects).

But before I could make up another excuse, I reminded myself of the unthinkable tragedy the day before.  I thought of the children...the children and teachers whom I've never met, but have changed my life. 

"Ashley, now more than ever- you need to remind people that kindness still exists. Get up and show people that violence and hate will be defeated by love and kindness."

And then I read this story...The First Day's Lecture:

On the first day of class, the philosophy professor stood behind a table that had on it a large, empty mayonnaise jar, a box of golf balls, a box of pebbles, and a box of sand. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up the very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up the box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up the box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends, your favorite passions--things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car.

The sand is everything else--the small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house, and fix the disposal.

"Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.

The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers." 

-END of STORY-

 I pulled myself out of bed and told myself that my laptop was staying closed today.

All day.

The sand will not win today.

I made up my mind to focus on the golf balls, the pebbles, and the beers. 

And I'm so thankful and happy that I pulled myself out of bed on that rainy morning. We passed out hand warmers, candy, gift cards, and Sussy t-shirts to people in the mall. We wrote 36 Christmas cards and Meggie gave the Starbucks crew a $100 gift card to use on the patrons. 

Dalton Dingus has a dying wish to break a world record and receive the most Christmas cards. We wrote him 36 different cards.

We decorated tags wishing people a Merry Christmas & Happy Holiday. I didn't have Christmas colors, so I was wishing people an even brighter holiday with those neon colors.

Surprising people with gifts at the mall with Josh and Meggie.

The Sussy Squad - all smiles after a successful morning.

The rain stopped and the gifts began.
The Sussy Squad takes downtown Indy!

One of the most touching moments of the morning was when a woman came over to thank us for her coffee. 

"Thank you so much," she said. "You're all a reminder that good people still exist in the world, especially after yesterday's events..."

We all held back tears, but managed to say "you're welcome" + wished her a Merry Christmas.

The day was perfect. I shared many laughs and made new friends.

And best of all, I spent the rest of the day smiling and wanting to spread love to everyone who crossed my path.

Much love,
Ashley

A Year of Random Acts of Kindness: Week 4

Kindness comes in all forms.

A smile.

A small gift.

A donation.

A helping hand.

A phone call.

A compliment.

An amount of your time.

A cookie.

A shoulder to cry on.

A door to hold open.

And during Week 4, my random act of kindess came in the form of advice. 

A week earlier, I was running with one of my best friends Ryan. He told me he had a second job interview at a position he was REALLY excited about.

The job had some elements of social media, so while we were running I started rattling off ideas and opportunities for him to consider.

"If you want, I can take a look at the site and give you some ideas!" I told Ryan. "I also have a lot of research I could send your way."

"Would you really? That would be amazing!" Ryan said.

On Sunday evening, I realized the weekend escaped and I had forgotten to email Ryan the information I promised.

Frantically, I typed up a list of ideas and gave him research for inspiration. The ideas were simple enough to inspire him...and I knew he would take the ideas and run with them + apply them to the organization to the position / organization.

Ryan replied back in all capital letters: "WOW- YOU ARE AMAZING. Thank you so much!"

A week later, Ryan called me at work and left me the best voicemail ever.

I saved it because his kind words and happiness was so contagious.

When I called him back, I could feel his smile through his voice.

"I got the job!" he said instantly.

"I am soooo proud of you, Ryan!" I said. "I knew you'd get it!

"Ashley, I couldn't have done it without you," Ryan said. "You've done your good karma for an entire year!"

At that moment, I realized that I did my random act of kindness and didn't even know it! And best of all, my friend has a job that he loves!

As you grow in your profession and gain more skills, don't hoard your knowledge to yourself.

Share your ideas and inspiration with your friends, especially if they are seeking your help!

Offer your best advice.

Encourage them to be creative.

And most importantly, believe in them.

Much love,
Ashley 

A Year of Random Acts of Kindness: Week 3

$1,500.

That's how much we have to pay in car repairs over the next few weeks.

But- it could be worse! At least we both have good jobs. And we are alive.

So...

Despite the (always) unexpected hit to our bank account, The Year of Random Acts of Kindness must go on!

On Saturday, I spent the morning with my girls drinking bloody mary's and mimosas.

Ann and Ashley.
Day drinking.

I needed that morning of laughs, especially after our car news.

"Animals are not allowed to drink from the well."
We are grown-ups. I promise.

On the way home, my friend Ann and I stopped at Taco Bell.

Always a good idea after a few drinks, right?

(Wrong. I ended up getting sick after eating Taco Bell. Never again). 

"Ann!" I said. "I need to do my random act of kindness today! I'm going to buy this guy's lunch behind us. And your lunch!"

"What if his bill is really expensive?" Ann asked.

"Well- then Justin will lecture me and I'll remind him...that it was just meant to be!" I said.

We both laughed- knowing that Justin would shake his head if he heard me say that...

I pulled up to the window and said, "Hi! I'd like to pay for my order and the guy behind me!"

The young girl smiled, "Okay!"

"And just tell him that I said 'Have a great day!'"

The young girl smiled again, unsure what to say next.

I always love seeing the reaction to people during these random acts of kindness.

Ann laughed, "You sound so diplomatic!" 

"What does that even mean?" I asked. "Is that good or bad?"

"Good!" Ann said. "Well, I guess good. But you kind of sounded like a crazy ex-girlfriend. 'Hi my name is Carol- and you go ahead and tell my ex-boyfriend back there I said HAVE A NICE DAY!"

We started dying laughing.

"Okay, well now I have to sussy someone," Ann said.

(By the way, a sussy is a gift for no reason. Click on the link above to learn more about The Sussy Project).

Guys, that's the best thing about these random acts of kindness- they are contagious!!

We went to Marsh and saw the most ADORABLE little boys selling discount cards and 3-D sports cups to raise money for their basketball team.

A prime target.

"Hi!" Ann said. "What are you selling?"

The little kid went into a huge sales pitch about the cups and discount cards. The other kids next to him would chime in if he forget to mention something or mispoke.

The dad, who reminded me of Jessie from Breaking Bad (aka I had a crush on him), was smiling at Ann and I the entire time.

"Okay, we will come back and get some cups when were are on shopping," Ann said.

We walked away and she said, "There is my sussy. Expensive cups...and I'll give them to...who knows?"

I loved that Ann was inspired to sussy someone- she supported the kids and bought 3-D IU cups.

Also, this was the result of day-drinking.
A 6 p.m. hangover.

Later that night, I went to Starbucks (hoping the caffeine would eliminate my "hangover headache" and planned on buying coffee for the person behind me.

But no one came in, so I didn't have the opportunity to keep spreading the love. Instead, I smiled knowing that my purchase was helping raise money for World AIDS Day, which Starbucks was supporting all day on December 1.

Sussy Saturday was a great success. 

And I'm looking forward to making even more people smile this week.

If you have any good ideas for my charity to support for December, comment below or send me message! As a reminder, I'm donating $26 to a different charity each month.

Go out and make someone smile today.

And everyday. 

Much love,
Ashley