Kindness Yard Sale Accounting - $859.38 left to SPREAD KINDNESS!

 Time for another KINDNESS YARD SALE accounting!! 

I have been travelling lately, which means I have been able to SPREAD SOME OF THE MONEY in other states!!  Here is where funds have gone since the last accounting:

·         $5 was put into a bottle with a message and thrown into the Atlantic Ocean at Flagler Beach, Florida.  The money and note went into a little glass bottle with a cork top, which I sealed with candle wax.  I swam out a ways before throwing it in, hoping it would go FAAAR.  Turns out it went as far as the people swimming next to us…  😊  They saw it and went to pick it up, and I smiled and said, “I just threw that in!  Can you throw it a bit further please??”.  They did.  Fingers crossed that someday someone finds it and gets ahold of me so we can all find out where it ended up.  And wouldn’t it be cool if they decide to use the $5 to pay it forward and give someone ELSE a treat?

Message (and money!) in a bottle

•   $20 was spent as a TIP for a restroom attendant in the Atlanta Airport.  She was emptying garbage, cleaning the counters, and mopping the floor.  She was the sweetest, FRIENDLIEST airport employee ever!  “Hello ladies!  Have a great flight!  Thank you ladies!!”.  She talked to every woman that came in the bathroom.  That has to be a thankless job, but she was doing it with grace, professionalism, and a smile.  She was not working for tips – there was no tip jar or anything.  But she was sure happy to get one.

Getting ready to suprise the bathroom cleaning woman with a big tip!

·         $1 was used to replace the money in a gumball machine when it ate a kid’s quarters.  He had such a sad look on his face when he turned the knob and his treat didn’t pop out…  But he smiled a big smile when I gave him replacement money to try again.

·        And since we were at gumball machines, another $5 was used to put quarters in machines for unsuspecting kids to find later.

·        Estelina is a 16 Deaf student from Maryland planning to go on a cultural exchange for a year in ARGENTINA!  She met an exchange student last year who was in the US from Germany and decided she needs to travel, too!  I think going abroad is an important experience for everyone, and was happy to be able to donate $75 of the Kindness Yard Sale money to help Estelina reach her goal.

  

Life changing exchange trip to Argentina coming soon!

·         $100 was used to help a family in need.  I do not know the family, but a friend posted about them and their situation sounded like a perfect one to help out with.  They live near St. Louis and have a child with a rare form of dwarfism, and while they were in Cincinnati getting medical care for her, someone STOLE THEIR CAR.  That meant the car seat for their daughter, their other child, and a special stroller that had room for the medial equipment was also stolen. ☹   (Update:  the car was recovered, though I am not sure if the car seats and stroller were.  Funds raised will be used to help for medical bills.)

Her Cabbage Patch doll has a trach just like her!  Could she BE any cuter??

·         Not all acts of Kindness I have tried have worked.  We tried to pay off a random student’s lunch debt at an Arlington Elementary School, but they were not set up to allow that.  Because it is summer there was not a full staff working and everything for lunch payments needed to be done online.  But we do not have an online account…  So that one was a fail.  We will try again when school opens!

·         Another failure was on a flight.  I was in line to board a full flight and the lady behind me had a roller bag.  The airline had announced overhead bin space would fill soon, so I told her to go ahead of me (I only had an under the seat bag).  The next lady in line also let her cut.  In talking, it turns out her grandma had just died and she was heading for the funeral service.  I thought buying her a glass of wine would be a nice gesture, so I explained to the flight attendant what I wanted to do.  But it turns out the woman only wanted water…  Kindness fail.  😊

·         We had a lot of fun using $7 at a drive-thru restaurant in Omaha, Nebraska!!  Runza is a Nebraska fast food chain, and when we go to Omaha we often pick up a burger there.  After eating, I hid behind the drive thru menu waiting for the next customer so I could surprise them and pay for their order!  My sisters surprised ME by driving up and ordering ice cream, but I told them the offer to pay for food was for strangers, not family.  We all had a big laugh.  Then another car drove up – an SUV with parents and kids.  They were happy to get free ice cream thanks to the Kindness Yard Sale!!

Hiding behind drive thru menu!

Runza - a Nebraska tradition

·         $50 was given to a student from Romania.  She is in the USA for a couple of months working as a cleaner at a hotel in Kansas City and we got into a long conversation with her.  She loves America – had done an internship here once before.  She is a medical student in Romania but dreams of moving to the US.  She was practicing her English and trying to get fluent.  She wants to work and hang out with people who speak ENGLISH, not Romanian.  I asked what she wanted to do while she is in the states, and she wants to visit Las Vegas and Los Angeles.  She did not want to take the money, but I told her it was to help her explore America.  I didn’t say it out loud, but I sure thought it:  this is not a good time to be an immigrant in this country.  I want her to have a GREAT experience.  I hope she gets enough money together to explore!!

·         And the last one for this installment is:  $16.79 was spent on FLOWER POTS!  I got the idea from a kindness group to paint flower pots, plant cute plants in them, and leave them out for strangers to find.  They were very fun to paint, and all 3 were found the same day we hid them in Ormond Beach, Florida (we went back to check on them).  2 were hidden in view of the ocean, and 1 was hidden in the center of a labyrinth.  I hope the plants are thriving in their new homes.

Flower pots, plants, and notes ready to be put out into the "wild" for strangers to find!

One of the pots waiting for someone to come along and adopt it

We have $859.38 from the yard sale left to spend on KINDNESS!  It is so fun to be able to delight people unexpectedly.  If you have an idea for a way to use some of the Kindness funds, please let me know!   

Signs of Kindness

I am sure you have noticed that there is a lot of “snark” and negativity on social media these days.  It is very easy to get dragged into it.  But then, every once in a while a post pops up that INSPIRES.  The posts that make you SMILE and feel like you have taken a breath of fresh air.  I saw one of those posts recently, and I reached out to the person who wrote it to ask if I could tell her story here.  Luckily for all of us, she agreed.  I think you will be as inspired as I am.

Rayna Pummel, her sister Riley, and her children Jasyn and Luelle decided to DO SOMETHING recently.  They TOOK ACTION at a time when many others just stood aside thinking nothing could be done.  And their action may literally save lives.

 

The Pummels lost their 16 year old sister, Skylar Dae Plummel, on March 20, 2018 when she completed suicide.  Suicide awareness and prevention is now very important to them.  Wanting to help other families from having to go through what theirs did, and saving other people from making that fatal decision, were reasons enough for Rayna and her family to take action.

Rayna lives in Omaha, Nebraska and a video came out recently about a young girl ready to jump from a pedestrian bridge to end her life.  Rayna told me, “When I saw the video of the young man (Ray’Veontae Harris) saving this girl in my own hometown I just felt urged and inspired to do something to possibly help prevent it for someone else.”

So, Rayna and Riley looked up some suicide prevention quotes, chose the ones that spoke to them, and made signs to hang around town.  Some signs listed the Suicide Hotline number (800-273-8255) for people needing someone to talk to to call.  They tied and taped the signs on streets signs, the pedestrian bridge where the girl had been planning to jump, and on the other side of the bridge (which is in Iowa).   

Here is how Rayna explained it in the Facebook post I saw: “Yesterday evening a girl tried to jump off the pedestrian bridge in downtown Omaha to complete suicide.  Luckily a young man was walking by and saw her and while everyone else walked by, he talked her down and got her to sit on a bench and hug him.  This young man saved her life – but what if he had not been there?  So, my sister and I, having lost our youngest sister to suicide a year and some months ago, decide to put some signs around downtown Omaha for support and awareness.  We need more people like this young man, and I hope our signs help someone.”

Rayna – you and your sister ARE like that young man.  You DID reach out and make a difference to strangers.  Who KNOWS how many people will see those signs and be inspired to keep going?  You are making a difference in the world.  “All I could think was if that man was not there to save that girl, she very well could have died.  Sometimes when people are to the point of choosing suicide all they need in that moment is one sign or one smile to change their mind,” Rayna told me. 

She continued, “I hope people felt inspired like I did. I hope the signs were informative and I really hope those signs or someone else can save someone's life one day. I hope those signs or someone else's kindness is what helps them choose to live.  This is definitely something my sisters and I plan on doing again.  We want to put signs up in every part of Omaha for everyone to see. We want to spread awareness and kindness as much as we can, because in this world today we need it.”  I couldn’t agree more!  I hope that your story also inspires other people to make and hang signs in their own communities. 

This piece is dedicated Rayna’s little sister Skylar, whose favorite saying was, “Be your own kind of Beautiful”. Skylar is forever loved and never forgotten. 

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please call the Suicide Prevention Hotline.  They can be reached at 1-800-273-8255.  You can also reach them online at:  Suicide Prevention Website

You can see the news story about the incident, including an interview with the man who talked the woman back to safety on the pedestrian bridge, here:  WOWTV News Story

#SuicideAwareness  #SpreadingAwareness  #EraseTheStigma 

Wheelchair Kindness

I wrote recently about how KINDNESS helps the giver as well as the receiver. How, “when you help others, you can’t help helping yourself”.  I was thinking about it from the GIVER’S perspective – how when I go out of my way to do something kind, I feel that I somehow get a boost from it, too. 

But last week I got to experience it from the receiver’s end, and it was lovely.

I am currently in Florida, and my sisters flew in to visit us here.  I like to make funny signs to hold up at the airport and greet them when they come, so this time I made this sign:

Waiting for my sisters to arrive - photo taken by a stranger

(One sister has glioblastoma (GBM)  – a brain tumor, that was found 11 months ago after she visited us in Florida, and the other sister has a strange laughing disorder where if she laughs too hard, she passes out!  So that is what the sign referenced.)

Anyway, we were running late to get to the airport, so my partner dropped me off to run in while he parked the car.  As I was standing in the airport, several people noticed my sign.  One was a sweet older woman who asked if I would like her to take my photo with the sign.  “Sure!” I said, and she did.  I explained what it meant, and that my 2 sisters should be arriving soon.  “Would you like me to photograph them as they walk up to you??” she asked.  “Great!!” I replied.

This is something that I often do – take photos of strangers for them.  So, to have someone offer to do it for me was so nice!!

As we waited, we chatted.  She asked about my sister with GBM.  She said that she was very sorry she hadn’t thought to bring her scooter, a mobility device.  She thought my sister would have liked to have it for the visit (the idea of my sister riding around on a senior citizen’s electric scooter made me giggle inside).  Then the woman thought of another idea; she had a WHEELCHAIR at home!  She would like to give us that for while my sisters were in town!!

Now, sometimes my sister does bring a wheelchair with her on trips.  She gets tired much quicker than she used to – chemo, radiation, and a brain tumor will do that to a person.  And she walks a bit slower than she used to, too.  But we had talked before the trip and decided that her wheelchair wouldn’t really be necessary in Florida.  It wouldn’t work on the beach – pushing a chair over sand would not work.  And we probably wouldn’t visit anywhere else that a wheelchair would be necessary, and if we DID (maybe a mall), they would have one we could borrow.  So, we had consciously decided NOT to bring a wheelchair.

But this woman was SO SWEET, so KIND. To not accept her offer of a wheelchair seemed rude.  So, I talked with her about where we might pick up the chair.  Then the topic of when and how to return it came up, and she explained it was not a loan, it was a GIFT.

You see, the chair had been her late husband’s.  He died several years ago, and she had held onto his wheelchair.  This was a perfect use for it, she said, and her eyes looked so happy to have happened upon us and found such an excellent use for the chair.

So, we accepted it.  We met her stepson in a parking lot near their home and transferred the chair into our hatchback car.  It took quite a lot of wiggling luggage and people around to make it fit, but we got it in there!!  And we brought it home with us.

The gift from a stranger - a wheelchair.  So kind.

It is an old chair – the rubber around the wheels peeled off (years in the Florida sun, heat, and salt will do that).  But it was a very generous gift.  And in accepting it, I think we helped her close a chapter of her life.  The chair had found a home.  After years of storage, it would now help someone else. 

I like to think that woman’s heart is a little lighter now.  Thank you for the wheelchair, ma’am.  We are honored to accept it.

Sisters on the beach

$416.59 Given Away So Far - How It Was Used!!

Oh.  My.  Goodness!!  More of the proceeds from the Kindness Yard Sale have been given out, and it is SO FUN!  It is both inspiring and educational to decide where to use the money and to see it go out into the world. 

As a reminder, a total of $1552.76 was collected at the sale.  (I think that number is a bit larger than last time I wrote, because another donation came in 😊 ).  Of that, so far I have given out $416.59 – over $400!!  This is the 3^rd accounting report.  Here are the most recent ways the money was used:

·         $6 was given out to GOOD DRIVERS in Arlington, Virginia!  Our house (which we affectionately call “The Big Yellow House”) is right on a very busy corner at a stop light.  At the stoplight, drivers are supposed to stop right behind our driveway.  They should know this because there is a big line painted on the road, and a SIGN telling them.  The reason they need to stop so far from the red light is because city BUSES have to make left turns on our corner, and if cars pull all the way to the light, the buses cannot make the turn.  And yet, despite the signage and the line, MANY drivers pull all the way up to the light…  This is so frustrating for bus drivers who are trying to do their job and get their riders where they are going on time!  So, I made 6 envelopes for good drivers who followed the rules, each with a $1 bill inside.  Then I stood at the line by the sign and handed them out to cars that stopped in the right place!  It was funny to see people’s expressions when I congratulated them on following the rules of the road.  One recipient said, “Well, I stop here because it is the LAW!”.  Yea buddy, I wish everyone followed your lead. 

     ·         $3.85 was used to pay for a stranger’s boba tea 😊.  I was having one (paid for with my 
            money of course, not sale proceeds) and it was fun for the person behind me, too.

     ·                $25 was left in an envelope at our hair salon for our stylist’s next client to help pay for 
                their  hair cut.   Our stylist, Gilbert, was excited to be included in the giving and promised 
                to make sure the person after us received it.

·              $20 was put in an envelope for someone pumping gas.  This was an interesting one…              First, I taped the envelope to the handle of a gas pump because I thought that would make        it obvious and whoever came next would see it and be curious enough to open the 

          envelope.  Only, it turned out that people didn’t READ the envelope, they just saw a note 

          on a pump and assumed it meant the pump was closed.  So, I moved the envelope to the 

          windshield of someone who had gone in to pay and get snacks.  We waited and secretly 

          watched until they came out.  They SAW the envelope, took it off, and (without opening it) 

          threw it on their dashboard.  Oops!!  At first I was a little disappointed, but it was a good 

          lesson for me:  once the money is given, it belongs to the person who found it.  What they 

          do with it (even if that is never open the envelope to find it) it up to THEM.  I have no 

          control over that.  

·          An older gentleman often walks in front of our house wearing a bright yellow safety vest.  I  

        have wondered where he was coming from, and on a walk recently I found the answer 

        – HE SWEEPS THE SIDEWALKS on Columbia Pike!!  He gladly accepted a $5 tip for 

        keeping the space clean.

·          $50 was given to the Arlington Free Clinic so that a patient could have their first dental exam

        for free.  I had often passed the Clinic since it is near my bank, but had never gone in.  It is 

        really NICE!!  The staff were so friendly, too!  I got a tour of the facility and an explanation 

        of how it works.  Medical care is free, as are most meds.  But patients have to pay $50 for 

        their first dental exam (thereafter treatment is free).  So now one lucky person will get clean 

        teeth for free!  The staff were very appreciative of the neighborhood donating there.

 ·         We had a fun time using $25 of the proceeds to pay for PARKING FEES for people leaving the garage at the Arlington Hospital.  Boy were they surprised when someone whipped out $5 bills to pay for them!  I would like to do that again sometime.  I hate that we have to pay for going to the hospital (or the doctor if your doctor’s office is in that building).  So if we can help ease that burden off of someone I am all for it!

        ·         I want to use some of the funds to pay for a patient’s prescription, but I haven’t been able to 

              do that yet.  I have tried 3 times but there is never anyone with anything to pick up!  

              However, there was an older couple filling out forms to get inoculations, and I got to pay for 

              those!  The woman gave me a big thank you and hug – that was the best $8 spent that day                      for sure.

         ·         $26.75 was used to pay for groceries of someone checking out at Safeway on Rt. 50.  The 
                shopper was very surprised, and promised to pay it forward and do something good for 
                someone else.  

  ·         While road tripping from Virginia to Florida, we pulled over to get gas.  I used $20 to buy 

         10 Powerball tickets which we then gave to people – the man cleaning a fast food 

         restaurant, a checker and the man working at the fish counter at a grocery store, and a few 

         more people.  Everyone was very excited to receive a gift from a stranger that might be 

         worth $120M!!  I put the last lottery ticket (in an envelope with a note and a Kindness 

         Activist business card) on the windshield of a car in the parking lot.  I was hoping it would 

         not blow away and sure enough it didn’t!  The owner of the car contacted me!  She wrote:  

        “I would love to know how or why you selected my car to put a lottery ticket on.  Was it a 

         one time occasion, random?  My heart needed this act of kindness.  Even if I don’t win…         It was a down day for me yesterday.  Thank you for your act of kindness.”.  Later she 

         showed me an awesome project she is working on – connectmycause.com .  She said her 

         motivation is, “To help nonprofits thrive and bring awareness to the community about the 

         nonprofit services available”.   Sounds like kindness to me!

  ·         We pulled over to check out a LOVE sculpture on the same road trip.  Isn’t it cute??  We         hid $20 in an envelope under the letter “O” with a note saying that we love love, and the 

         finder should take their love to lunch.  I wonder if anyone has found that yet…

 

   

     ·       I posted a question on the Kindness Activist Facebook page (which you should “like” and 
           “follow” if you don’t already 😊 ) asking:  “Hypothetical question: if someone handed you 
           $50 right now, what would you do with it?  #KindnessActivist”  80 people viewed the post.                 13 people “engaged” with it (not sure what that means…).  And only 2 took the time to think 
           about what they would do and reply.  Those 2 were each rewarded with $50!  Rebecca Lahan 
           donated hers to RAICES to help immigrant children on the Mexico/America border, and 
           Samantha Blackby is using hers to buy new back-to-school tennis shoes for a child in 
           Kentucky whose family can’t afford them.  (Story on those gifts here:  Taking Attendance )

·       My sisters and I like to paint rocks and hide them for people to find.  We mostly hide them in parks and in the Cancer Center where Annette is being treated.  While they were painting rocks recently, I painted a big pine cone (my big sister helped put on some dots, too).  I put $10 in an envelope with an envelope saying the finder could use it for ice cream and hung it and the pine cone from a tree in a park (not a pine tree – we wanted it to stand out to passersby).  After I hung it, my sisters told me that a man (presumably homeless) had been peeing in the bushes nearby and saw me doing something in the tree.  At first we all thought, “Oh man – the guy who was peeing in the bushes is going to get the money, that’s yucky…”.  At first the man didn’t look in the tree, but then he turned and saw an out of place pine cone with an envelope…  He stopped and looked, then took the envelope.  He opened it, read the note, and put the note and money in his pocket.  As we watched from a distance, I realized he was the RIGHT person to find it.  He was in the right place at the right time, and he paid attention to the world around him.  I was glad he happened upon it.  So glad, in fact, that I took the pine cone down and we will hang it up again today with a new envelope and $10!!

 That is the current accounting report.  $40 is earmarked (in envelopes) but hasn’t been given away yet, so I will save that for the next entry. 

Thanks again to everyone who donated, shopped, and believed in the Kindness Yard Sale.  And GO OUT AND SPREAD KINDNESS EVERYONE!