Being Kind to Mother Earth

We don’t have quite enough going on over here at Kindness Activist (insert sarcastic tone here…) – so we STARTED ANOTHER PROJECT!

We adopted some streets in our county!!

I have always liked seeing the “This stretch of interstate adopted by…” signs and wondered how the programs worked.  I recently decided to stop wondering and start doing!

First, I put out a call for CREW MEMBERS.  I was hoping to get a dozen – we got 17!  And that is perfect, because there will always be times when some people have conflicts and can’t attend.

Then, we filled out all of the paperwork.  Doing that opened up the online map so that we could see which streets had not yet been adopted and…  drum roll…  basically the “adopt a street” program in Arlington County is so underutilized and probably unknown that not a single street around us was adopted.  That is sad in that it means no one is “taking care of them”, but it was good in that we could choose whatever street we wanted!

I had a couple of criteria in mind.  I wanted a street:

-         Near our house so that we could use our home as a meeting place for all volunteers

-         In a busy area so that it would likely need some cleaning

-         Close enough to walk to

It was easy to find a street meeting those requirements.  In fact, it was so easy that instead of adopting ONE street, we adopted THREE!  We chose streets around Sequoia Plaza, a busy office complex down the street.  Here is the map – the blue/purple streets are ours:

The street we adopted

 When you adopt a street/s, you agree to clean them at least once a quarter.  You also agree to wear safety vests.  Today was our first cleaning, and so we donned our vests!!

12 kind volunteers set out to see what this “Adopt a Street” was all about.  We had buckets on loan from the county and plenty of “grabbers” and gloves.

The inaugural Kindness Activist Street Cleaning Crew!

We weren’t sure what to expect.  When you are in a car driving through that area, the streets look pretty clean.  (Shhh, one volunteer messaged me threatening to go drop some litter around there so that we would have something to pick up, because we were afraid it would be a bust!  Don’t worry, she didn’t do it 😊 .)

 

Finding bottles behind bushes

Wait, did you find a plastic bag?

But we quickly learned that even though it may look trash free when looking out your car window, when you are on foot and actually LOOKING for litter, there is a loooot to be found.

 

Clean-up in action!

We found bottles. We found cans.  We found strips of rubber and chewed gum and wrappers.  We found a box.  We found yard signs.  We found a hub cap.  We found broken glass. But what we found the MOST of by far was CIGARETTE BUTTS.

 

This was just ONE area with lots and lots of cigarette butts,
and this is AFTER we had picked some of them up already!

They are disgusting, and they were everywhere!!  You could definitely tell where the workers from the Sequoia Buildings come out on their smoke breaks ☹ .  So that is one thing I will be including in our report: there need to be cigarette butt receptacles at every entry to the offices and at the bus stop.

 

These two worked really hard

The dozen of us worked for about 90 minutes and we got a lot done!!  And do you know what?  It felt good.  I mean, not only was it a lovely sunny day to be outdoors, but bending down and picking up trash felt like a very tangible way to give back to the community.  We were literally making the space cleaner and prettier!  I was very proud of us!!

This little buddy worked all day yesterday perfecting his grabber tool technique!

 

We found a couple of special things while we were out.  Well, I say “we” found them, but really one little helper did.  She seemed to find all of the weird stuff!  First she found a set of keys in a bush.  Then she found a lottery card (not a winner, drat).  And then she found the best thing of all – a wallet!!!

 

The finder of all of the weird things and her mother

The wallet was very clean and looked new, so it didn’t feel like it had been out there long.  There was no cash in it but the driver’s license, credit cards, and insurance card were still there.  When I got home, I posted in a large community Facebook group to try and find the owner.  We had his name, knew his age, and had his address (I just listed his name and age in the post, and said we had found something important of his). 

 

Before long I got a Facebook message.  A woman had tracked the man whose wallet we had down and gave me his address (which matched what was on the license) and his phone number.  We called him and wow, was he happy!!!  Turns out he moved recently and lives near us so he jumped in his car to come retrieve the wallet.  He asked what he could give as a reward for finding it and I told him no reward was needed, we were just happy to find the owner.

 

He came to get the wallet and is so sweet.  He explained that his wallet was stolen just today right out of his bag at a local 7-11.  The thief must’ve grabbed it, saw that it had no cash, and threw it.  We told him that a little girl had found it, and he was very grateful.  He even gifted her some sweet pajamas from the Washington Wizard’s basketball team.

 

Jon, reunited with his wallet

And here is a cool part, too.  He wants to join the street cleaning crew!!  We are technically full, but hey, I think we should make an exception and add him to the list, don’t you?  We gave him our social media links and the website info and he texted to say, “I appreciate the mission your group has and it is a blessing for me.”  Hey Jon, we are adding you to our list of volunteers, so get ready!

 

All in all, it was a very fun project.  In fact, David found it so fun that after we had come home, had a snack, and sorted out the recycling from what we picked up, he went BACK and cleaned up some more on a street we hadn’t even adopted.  He had noticed some garbage in a retention pond area and wanted to tidy it up.  He even picked up a CAR BUMPER (add that to the list of odd items we found…).

 

First round of cleaning – done!  We will be back in a couple of months for round two.  Until then – PLEASE DON’T LITTER!!  Be kind to Mother Earth!

 

 

David in action

So much to pick up

Just SOME of the garbage we cleaned up

John was quite happy to pick up the loaned 
buckets from the county

The Kindness Dance

Thanks to my friend Ixel, a flop became a hit.  And I am ever so happy and proud.

Last summer, I had the idea to recreate something fun that we did during Covid.  David and I would choreograph a dance, film us doing it (with instructions), post it to our neighborhood Facebook page, and neighbors would film themselves doing it.  They would then send their videos to me and I would edit them all together into one fun video.  It was so cool when we did it during Covid, I figured it was time to do it again!

Only, no one else figured it was time.

It flopped.  The only people who filmed themselves doing it were David and me (on the beach even!), and young friends Ixel and John (aka Baby John).  Baby John was really into the Charleston part, and Ixel was a specialist at the freestyle part (no choreography needed, the “do your own thing” part). 

But I figured I couldn’t make a video with just US and our 2 friends, so I dropped the whole idea.  It was, as they say, a kindness flop.  I was disappointed, but oh well.  Not all ideas work out.

Fast forward about 5 months…

Ixel mentioned “The Kindness Dance”.

I honestly didn’t know what she was talking about.  Kindness Dance???  New to me.

Only, it wasn’t new.  It was the dance from the summer, and in her mind, it was called The Kindness Dance. 

And she became fixated on it. 

She practiced her freestyle parts daily.

She made costumes.

She had a whole story line in her head.

And, one day, she proclaimed it was TIME to perform! 

“When is the Kindness Dance???” she asked me (a question I think she had been badgering her mom with quite a lot).

Well, ummm, I hadn’t thought of actually performing it.  I mean, it was supposed to just be a fun video thing…  But to actually perform it??

But Ixel would not take no for an answer.  She had plans.  In her mind, it was all ready for an audience!!

Only, we had no space…  And it is far too cold to do it outside…

She even picked a DATE!  Like, the girl was ready, and the whole back-end actual PLANNING and logistics hadn’t happened.

But the more her mom and I thought about it, the more we knew – the Kindness Dance was going to be a real live thing.

We booked a room at the local community center.  Ixel had told us she would need 3 hours to get ready, you know, what with make-up and costumes…  But the adults figured 2.5 hours total should do it. 

Ixel made a poster.

Kindness Activist was a co-sponsor, along with "Ixel's Ballet Studio"

She made a list of characters.

She made headpieces for many of the performers.

And she made AN ENTIRE OUTFIT!  Everything!  She made a leotard, a skirt, and a headpiece!  And folks, this was costume number TWO!  Yes, she had a costume change mid-song!  While us background dancers were grooving away, she ran to the side and pulled off costume number one, with the big reveal of costume number two!!!!  This girl was on fire!!

Tonight was the night.  She told me a couple of weeks ago that there would be “lots of people there to watch”, so I confess I was a bit nervous thinking that there might be more dancers on “stage” than there were butts in seats.  But I was wrong!  26 people (special invitation only) came out on this cold night to watch us (well, mostly to watch Ixel) dance to Bruno Mars singing “Uptown Funk” while disco lights shone.

Cast list (as you can see, David played the role of David)

Ixel wrote her own intro and delivered it with a microphone.

John, playing the role of the Crystal King, decided at the last minute that he would sit out (he complained that his crown was hurting his head, not sure if that was an excuse or not).  He sat down on stage as we danced, then ran around a bit 😊 . 

"Baby" John in crown handmade by his big sister

And Ixel.  Ixel was so happy. And so proud.  To see her shine like that – spinning and spinning and spinning.  It was beautiful (and not just the dancing, her heart was beautiful as well). 

Pre-show spinning

And her friends there supporting her – so sweet.  When the official performance was finished the dance floor opened up to all guests, and we rocked out.

Post-show dancing (costume number 3)

Tonight was a good lesson for me.  Sometimes even flops can turn into something special.  No, there was not a neighborhood video this time.  But the community came out, and the result was 100 times more special than planned.

The cast.  Crystal King minus his crown, Ixel in costume number 3, and me in costume number 2

Ixi as Sunshine

Susan as Flower and David as, well, as David

Oh, and hey.  As we were leaving tonight Ixel announced that the Kindness Dance is going to be an annual thing.

And you know, when Ixel says something, that girl makes it happen.

 

See you on the dance floor next year.

And now for your viewing pleasure, may I present, Ixel, starring in the Kindness Dance (not the whole dance)!

Kindness funds spent:  $67

P.S.- special shout out to the techie and DJ, Mac, for keeping the lights flashing and the music blasting.

 

Pausing for Kindness

Checking my phone today, I saw there was an alert that I had been tagged on Facebook.  Now, that can be a good thing, or that can be a bad thing…  I checked to see which this was, and found this post:

“In the spirit of cutest things, my littlest wants to spread some kindness and made a collection of gifts to share with neighbors. It would mean a lot if that box was empty later. He even wrapped the gifts. Feels very much inspired by Susan Thompson-Gaines.  The gift station is near our driveway at (location). I have no idea what is in here, but it’s the thought that counts?”

Heart.  Melt.  I couldn’t shower and get dressed soon enough.  I needed a gift from the special box!!

By the time I got my act together to go check it out, the box had been brought inside due to snow (don’t want the secret gifts to get wet now, do you??).  But that was a-ok by me, because I had hoped to get to talk to the kid behind the kindness anyway, Rex.

His mom called for him to tell him he had a visitor and he came running.  I explained that I had heard about his box of gifts and was hoping to get one.  He laid the box out in front of me – closed so I could read the note.

“Please take one gigt for FREE (big heart).  Have a nice day.  Open this box.”  Then, this part must’ve been a bit of an afterthought, the note said, “Also we take one of those from there” with a small arrow pointing to the right.  To the LEFT of the box he had stacked up some painted wooden pieces.  His mom reminded him to check the direction of the arrow, and he quickly moved the extra gifts to the correct side so that I could follow the instructions 😊 .

I eagerly opened the box.  I was curious what sort of magical mysteries he had wrapped!!  I narrowed it down to 3 gifts then asked Rex and his BFF Lucia help me decide.  My gifts were great!  I got a pen (branded from an old race for Sherriff) and a super shiny smooth rock.  Then I chose a Halloween decoration that he had painted that featured a snake.

I had some questions for this kind kid, and he agreed to an interview.

I asked my buddy what he was doing today and he said he wrapped up some special things. 

“How did you pick what things you would wrap up?” I asked, genuinely curious. 

His answer was as honest as kids his age get.  “They are just, umm, stuff that I didn’t want any more…”.  😊

 

I pointed out that the rock he gave me seemed extra special.  Rex’s family collects rocks with hearts on them, and he showed me that the one I scored has a “kind of a heart” on it.  I explained to him that outside our house we host the Poll of the Day and that people use rocks and gems I put out as voting pieces. 

“The rule is that people that vote outside our house,” I explained, “can take one rock or gem a day.  So, the thing is.  YOU gave this special rock to ME, I am gonna put it there at the poll, and I bet somebody else will take it.  So, the kindness will just keep going.”

That idea made us both smile.

 

His friend told me that she had helped pick out the things to give-away, but none were hers, they all belonged to Rex, including the very special paper they used to wrap everything.  Turns out that was origami paper that Santa had brought.  Isn’t it sweet of him to share that with others?

I was so glad that his mom had tagged me.  I likely would not have seen the post if she hadn’t, and would’ve missed out on the magical kindness.

It was all so simple really.

Kid rummages through his house and picks out gifts (or, as Rex told me, things he didn’t really want anymore).

 

Friends wrap the gifts.  I bet that took quite a while.

Then to find a box to put them all in…

 

Then make the SIGN to go on top.  I wasn’t there when that happened, but I have a feeling that was super fun.

Then to place it all outside and hope, hope, hope people stop and get involved!!

Because that is where the magic happens really.  When passersby not only open their eyes and physically see the “ask” but open their hearts and take time to stop and engage.

Sometimes all it takes to be kind is to wrap up some leftover stuff.

 

Or to pause for a moment in your day to graciously accept a gift from a 6-year-old.

 

Want a bit of unsolicited advice about kindness?

1.     Never pass up a lemonade or hot chocolate stand.  Even if the lemonade is made from powder and the hot chocolate is made with water (not milk), the $1.00 you spend will brighten that kid’s day.

2.     Keep your eyes and your heart open.  Opportunities to be kind are quite literally all around us.  Sadly, most people don’t notice them.

3.     Model kindness.  Because kids are watching. 

It’s simple really.  Just be kind.

 

P.S. – Rex’s mom texted me after I left to say, “You made his whole day, which he needed! It’s been a rough few weeks over here. He put on the sweatshirt you gave him immediately.”

The Power of Kind Children

Mackenzie, aka June Bug, held her 2^nd (she decided today should be annual) Hot Cocoa Stand today.  June Bug is 6 now – lost her front teeth and the adult ones have peeked through.  She is a bundle of positivity, energy, kindness, and love.

The event was 2 hours.  Guests were greeted by several young volunteers and told to start at the MUG TABLE.  There, they could choose whichever of the donated mugs they would like.  Next up, the cocoa table, where young helpers would fill the cups with hot, tasty chocolate.  Then over to the topping table where the amazing Lori presented people with very fancy and unique toppings to complete their cocoa.  Most guests also made their way to the snack table, which featured all kinds of delights, including some homemade hot cocoa cookies and Rice Krispie treats from Lisa and her amazing daughter Marin.  And Mac (of the infamous Mac’s Donuts) brought loads of fresh donuts.

Choose your mug

Snacks, snacks, and more snacks

Did someone say - toppings?

The sun was shining.  The rain that had threatened only dropped about a dozen drops as we were setting up.  And the wind – well that was steady enough that the planned fire in the fire pit had to be scrapped (but not before some enterprising youngsters got their marshmallows toasted and made smores).

It was so busy!!  People started coming at exactly 2 pm and kept flowing through until after our planned closing.  So many were there to support not only Kindness Activist, but JUNE BUG.  Her neighbors.  Her friends.  Her TEACHER (which she was very excited about). 

Kids ran around.  They played on the teeter totter/see saw.  They held up signs that other children had made to coax passing cars to honk and/or pull over for cocoa.  There was laughter.  There were smiles.  And there was kindness.  So.  Much.  Kindness.

During gatherings like this I often feel guilty, because with all of the setting up and managing and chatting, the pantry gets ignored.  It is simply impossible to do it all.  But a pantry crew member who attended, Teresa, kindly came up to me and asked if she could fill the pantry after she finished her cocoa.  Even while celebrating the beautiful day, she remembered pantry guests.

Kind drivers saw kids holding signs, including one that said HONK FOR COCOA.  And they responded.  They smiled and waved.  They honked.  Some parked and joined in.  And a few even rolled down their windows and gave cash donations, no cocoa involved.

I didn’t witness this kind act, but two people who did told me the story as we were finishing up and I got goosebumps.  They said that a guest came and donated $50.  But it was not for her cocoa.  No, she paid for that separately.  This was a $50 bill she had found on the sidewalk.  She explained that she had picked it up and hollered to the person she assumed had dropped it, but they assured her it was not theirs.  So, she decided that she would use that found money to do something kind.  And she did – by donating it to Kindness Activist today.

And people HELPED.  Kids made great signs.  Neighbors donated 113 mugs for us to use. Lisa and Marin worked very hard to clean chairs and then in the basement kitchen to keep the cocoa flowing.  Kasey and June Bug helped set everything up.  Kids helped serve cocoa and take donations.  Kids stood proudly with signs to greet passersby (including little John, who held a sign he had made that was illegible.  He was SO PROUD to hold it up to cars and holler, “Cocoa for sale!!!”).  People stayed to help clean it all up.  So.  Much.  Help.

Look at John's sign!  He made it himself

One man came up and told me he pulled over and came to join in because he saw these two sweeties

Mid-event, I stood on a chair and announced that it was going to be one young helper, Oliver, birthday tomorrow.  And with no hesitation that whole crowd lifted their voices and sang Happy Birthday to him as he stood and smiled, taking it all in.  Then another little boy came up and told me quietly that it was his birthday in one month…  So, I got back up on the chair and asked if we should sing to Nate, too, and the answer was YES.  Cue another round of the song.

I recognized one young guest, but was not sure who he was.  You know the feeling – you know that you know the person, but how??  I found out soon enough when he came over and started talking about that time he gave me one of his gifts from Santa Claus – a Chuppa Chuppa Melody Pop.

Ahhhhh – it was Gianni!  I wrote a story about him when I met him that day back in December.  He came to pick up his gift from Santa and sat right down on our front steps to open it.  He was so happy!  Read his letter from Santa straight away.  Shared the whole experience with me, and I loved it.

He was so happy to be here today.  We talked about his Christmas gifts – I asked if he had made the bubblegum in the science kit Santa gave him.  Yes he did –the flavors were watermelon and orange, and it worked great!  He also used the invisible ink pen he got from the North Pole.  And he used it to WRITE A THANK YOU NOTE to Santa!  Isn’t that the sweetest?  Gianni and I held signs by the road and had a great time.  Once, as I was walking around chatting with people, he came up to me and said very quietly, “I am going to talk to YOU the rest of the time that I am here”.  Heart.  Melt. 

And the kindness didn’t stop when the event was over. 

We offered the leftover cocoa and donuts in our local Buy Nothing group.  As we sat outside and waited for people to come, a pantry guest who I suspect does not have housing that I had seen walk by earlier in the day came by again.  I offered them cocoa, just as I had earlier.  But this time they accepted, and explained that they had been in a rush to get to the library before it closed the first time they came by.  After we talked a bit, I went downstairs and brought up food for them from the pantry stock that I know they like.  And because of recent donations, we had great things to give them.

The woman who got the leftover donuts from Buy Nothing, Jessica, came to pick them up.  She was excited because she had always wanted to try Mac’s donuts but never had.  After she left, I found out that she passed the pantry on the way back to her car and saw a mom and daughter there getting food.  Jessica did the kindest thing – she stopped and shared those donuts with the girl. 

It just felt like kindness begat kindness begat kindness all day today.  It was amazing.  My feet are tired, but my heart is full.  Very full.

June Bug and I will meet to brainstorm ways to use the money she raised today.  One thing is certain – she wants to buy some fancy stuffed animals (I think they are called Pets Alive) for kids at Children’s National Hospital.  I am sure we will find other creative and fun ways to spread kindness.

I will share the total collected here, but today was about so much more than fundraising.  It was about community.  And diversity.  And togetherness.  And support.  And KINDNESS.

Today was about love.

Total raised:  $1063.79

Isn’t that amazing?

Thank you to everyone who helped out.  To everyone who drank cocoa.  To everyone who donated.

And thanks to JUNE BUG.  Who inspires us all to be more inquisitive and thoughtful people.

Junior Kindness Activist - ROSIE

One of the things I love about my Kindness Activist work is the opportunity to engage with CHILDREN.  I really like hanging out with kids!  They are funny, energetic, and inspiring.  As Kindness Activist, I’ve spoken to a small troop of Girl Scouts, had neighbor kids over to volunteers, and am going to go work with a group of elementary school kids in an afterschool program next week.  It’s so fun!

Like most things that can positively change the world, starting with kids is the answer.  Understand that climate change is real and destroying the planet?  CALL IN GRETA THUNBERG and her young cohorts!  Want a country where racism doesn’t mean an unequal playing field for people of color every day of their lives?  TEACH THE BABIES TO BE ANTI RACIST!  And want a society where kindness is the norm and permeates everything people do?  START WITH THE CHILDREN.

That philosophy is why I began engaging JUNIOR KINDNESS ACTIVISTS.  Kids get it – they know kindness.  They have seen people be KIND, and they have seen the opposite.  So, I thought, what would THEY do to change the world and make it more kind, if they had the financial resources? 

Meet my friend Rosie, almost 12, and the newest Junior Kindness Activist!  Rosie has been very helpful with Kindness Activist before.  In fact, this winter she and another neighbor put up and decorated the Community Tree of Celebration on our front porch, and it was beautiful!  This time I challenged Rosie by giving her $75 of Kindness Activist money and asking HER to spend it, then write a story to show where it went.  (And her parents chipped in another $25, giving her $100 to use to spread kindness!)

Here, in Rosie’s own words, is how she decided to add more kindness to the world.

“I was chosen by Susan to spend some kindness money to better our community.  The money that was spent was from the Kindness Yard Sale.  That took place last summer.  One of the two things I decided to spend the money on was a local organization called Doorways.  Doorways provides shelter and help to the homeless, domestic abuse survivors, and those who are struggling and need somewhere safe to stay.  I chose this organization because having a safe place to stay is so important to live a happy life and I just love what they are doing for people.

The second thing I spent the Kindness money on was that I bought food like applesauce and granola bars to fill Campbell Elementary School’s food pantry.  I decided to spend the Kindness money on this because every time I had seen that pantry it seemed very empty and I wanted it to be really used.”

Rosie and her friend with groceries for the food pantry at a local school

I love how intentional Rosie was with her funds.  She chose how to use them carefully, and I think she found very impactful ways to spread kindness!!  Way to go Rosie!

Do YOU know a kid who would like to be a part of this kindness revolution?  I am looking for the next Junior Kindness Activist…  The requirements are they must be kind, must be willing to write a story of how they used the money, and to share a photo or two so others can “meet” them.  If you think you know a good candidate, message Kindness Activist on Facebook and introduce me!

Kindness Activist money used:  $75