Kindness Yard Sale 2020 - GRAND TOTAL!!

My body is bruised, exhausted, and sore.

But my HEART, my heart is happy.

The Kindness Yard Sale 2020 is in the books!  We started at 8:30 am Saturday and Sunday, and we didn’t have a slow time the entire weekend!  You know how with most yard sales you expect to be busy the first 3 or 4 hours, then have long lulls between customers?  That is what we EXPECTED, but oh that is not what we got!  People just kept coming and coming and coming!  We had a large supply of re-usable fabric bags that we planned to put purchases in for the whole sale.  Those puppies didn’t even make it through the first day before we had to switch to plastic and paper bags.  It was amazing!!

If you know me (and you probably do because you are reading this) you know that I often have my camera in hand and I take photos (literally) every day.  So, it might help you understand how BUSY the sale was when I tell you that I didn’t take a SINGLE PHOTO of it!!  It wasn’t until we were starting to pack up that I even thought of photos!!!  So here it is – the terrific signs David made.

Speaking of the signs, that and posting in 4 Facebook groups was the only advertising I did.  As much as I planned ahead on the sale aspect, I sorely lacked in the advertising.  I can only imagine how much busier it would have been if we had found time (and remembered…) to hang up the signs we printed!  😊

I have so many fun and poignant memories of the sale.  Let me tell you about a few of them.

-          A little boy (age 2 I think) was with his parents.  His dad came to the sale on Saturday and was interested in a small child sized table, but wanted to come back with his wife.  So Sunday the 3 of them came to look.  After checking out he table, the parents shopped while the little boy played with trucks (his dad told me he loved anything with wheels…).  I decided to see if he would join me for a TEA PARTY.  I brough the tea set of Disney princesses down to the kid table, took a seat, and set up the cups, saucers, plastic silverware, and tea pot.  Then I invited him over.  He sat opposite me and I showed him that I had made some (pretend) tea.  I poured us each a cup and pretended (through my mask) to drink mine.  He wasn’t sure at first, but soon enough realized that tea parties are marvelous fun.  We drank “tea”, he stirred “sugar”, and a good time was had.  When it was time to leave, his parents were leading him out with their purchase of the 2 small chairs and kid table.  But he was having NONE OF IT.  He cried and cried.  And he had been so cheerful and attentive the whole time, but now he was S A D.  Turns out, the mom had packed up the tea set in the baggie and BOUGHT IT.  But my little friend thought packing it up meant leaving it at the sale.  Poor fella.  I hope he had a good tea party when he got home.

-          A woman was shopping for clothing and asked me if there was a place to try it on.  There was not, so she asked if she could maybe take a few things to her house to try on.  I asked where she lived and she gestured 2 houses down.  As we talked I learned that she is an au pair for a neighbor.  She moved to America from Mexico the DAY BEFORE the quarantine started!  She brough very little with her, thinking she would buy used clothing when she got here.  But everything has been closed.  So I asked her sizes, needs, and preferences, then headed toward the basement to look through the stacks of clothing that I didn’t have space to hang outside.  I filled up a big plastic tub of clothes for her to take home and try on.  She took pictures of the ones she wanted to buy and brought the rest back.  She ended up with sweaters, a winter scarf, a winter headband, snow boots, a swimsuit, and some all season clothes!  It was so fun to be able to welcome her to the neighborhood and the country.

-          Many items found the RIGHT HOMES.  Lots of people were careful about their purchases, really looking things over, considering them.  It was obvious that they would value and care for them.  One of those was a little girl whose parents bought her the American Girl horse.  It was a beautiful horse and came with horse accessories, too!  The girl beamed when I showed it to her.  And about an hour after they left the sale they sent over a photo of her playing with her new toy.  Heaven.  These items also found perfect homes!

Who doesn't love a good Todd Parr book?? 

A Minnie Mouse fan and his new stuffie

-          A man who I never met volunteered to sew MASKS for the sale!  Someone had donated really pretty fabric, and this man said he would make masks with it.  We required all shoppers to wear masks (and were glad that people respected that rule).  So even though people already had masks ON, they still wanted to buy the pretty handmade new ones.  It was great.

Great handmade masks

-          A couple of nights before the sale a group rode by on bicycles.  They asked if we could use CDs for the sale, and bookends.  Ummm, sure!  Why not!  Off they rode, only to came back an hour or so later with almost every cd known to mankind!!  They had spied a dumpster full of TREASURES and rescued some for the sale!  Isn’t that fantastic??  And you know what?  So many people wanted those CDs!  There was music of every genre!  And lots of the book ends sold, too.  Thus proving, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

-          Many people involved their CHILDREN in the sale this year.  Some kids came with their own money (little kids!) and the assignment of choosing something to buy.  One brother and sister duo had the sale concept explained to them before arriving, then the mom asked me to explain it, too, so that they clearly understood what the money was for, how prices were decided, etc.  Then they set about perusing games, toys, jewelry, and clothes.  When they came up to pay the mom asked them how much THEY thought the price should be.  Each child carefully considered the items.  One said, “Umm, I think $21.”  The other said $24.  So the mom and I decided to split the difference - $22.  But as the mom was pulling the money from her wallet, the little girl said seriously, “Mom, wait.  I think it should be $25”.  So that is exactly what they paid.  I loved that those children learned about so many things – kindness, generosity, value… 

-          Sooo many families donated this year.  It was INCREDIBLE.  And trust me, this yard sale had the widest variety of items of any sale ever!  There were cat beds, bundt pans, sleeping bags, a Scarlett O’Hara doll, a grown your own avocado set, books on a very wide variety of topics, Easter decorations, a food truck for kids to play with, furniture, a huge selection of jewelry, even a SQUATTY POTTY!!  But here are a couple of MY favorite donations (and yes, of course I bought them!)

Hey look - a wrestling singlet!  Can't pass that up!

Wait a gosh darn minute...  Did whoever donated this know that I am a MERMAID??

-         And so many people helped.  The general consensus is that next year, we need to schedule people to work in shifts.  But even without that, I had TONS of help this year.  Neighbors who came with their kids to help put merchandise out.  A neighbor who bought us dinner after the first day of the sale (and stayed super late the night before the sale to help finishing putting things out).  Neighbors who loaned tables.  A neighbor who stopped by almost DAILY for 10 or so days before the sale delivering finds – tables, clothes racks, etc.  Neighbors who delivered bottles of wine!  Neighbors who did not complain when I repeatedly begged for more hangers.  Seriously too many people to thank.

We still have a LOT of items left.  We miiiight open up again this weekend.  You will for sure see me auctioning off more items during the year on my Facebook page.  I might sell a few items online and put the money in the Kindness fund.  And I will for sure pack some things away for sale at the Kindness Yard Sale 2021.

Here is what you likely have been waiting for – THE GRAND TOTAL….  This will go up after we close out 3 auctions tonight, but for now, the grand total of the Kindness Yard Sale 2020 is….

(DRUM ROLL….)

$5,543.69!!!!

Can you believe it????  We almost TRIPLED the amount that we raised last year!

That money has been safely deposited in the bank.  And pretty soon, after we are no longer stiff and sore and the house has been tidied up, I can start to mull over ideas for KIND WAYS TO SHARE it.  I can’t imagine how much kindness that amount of money will spread!  It makes me giddy to think about it.

THANK YOU.  Thank you shoppers, online auction bidders, people who donated, people who helped, people who shouted out encouragement as they drove by.  THANK YOU.

Be on the look-out for KINDNESS coming your way.

Chalk It Up To Kindness

One of the primary purposes of Kindness Activist is to show how KINDNESS RIPPLES.  When people talk about kindness – share it with others – it ripples…  I believe that the people who hear about the kindness are subconsciously affected.  Kindness moves more to the forefront of their mind, and therefore, they are more likely to DO something kind.

But the recent ripple I witnessed was much faster and more intentional than I remember seeing!  It was a beautiful, sweet, ripple of KINDNESS!

Photo of original chalk art in the community (not the artwork that was washed away).  Photo credit unknown.

It all started with CHALK.  A family in my community (Arlington, Virginia) had chalked Black Lives Matter statements on their driveway.  Someone in the neighborhood was apparently offended by the chalk art, and they called in to report it and ask that it be removed. 

That someone would be offended by a child’s CHALK ART speaks volumes to how tense our society is right now.  Anyway, the county sent workers out and told them that they HAD to remove the drawings.  To add insult to injury, this all happened on June 19^th (Juneteenth), th holiday that celebrates the day the slaves in Texas finally received the news that they had been proclaimed free 2 and a half years earlier.  And even worse, the county employees who were dispatched to erase the work were African American…  (Link to the story about the incident here: Washington Post story on this incident)

Chalk art on a sidewalk in Arlington.  Photo credit unknown.

As word got out throughout the neighborhood, people were livid.   Arlington is a very diverse and progressive community and this type of hatred and intolerance are not in tune with “the Arlington Way”.  So, neighbors reacted in an amazing manner – they went to the girl’s neighborhood and chalked and chalked and chalked!  Her artwork doubled, tripled, grew into many many many times larger than the original pieces as more and more families added to the messages.  People throughout Arlington joined in and chalked their own sidewalks and driveways.  It was a glorious show of support.

A simple and sincere message.  Photo credit unknown.

I wanted to help out, so we went to Target to buy some chalk sets to share.  I hosted a Kindness Yard Sale last summer where all proceeds raised went to spread kindness, and I had a little bit left in the “Kindness Bank”.  I bought all the sidewalk chalk Target had left – 3 sets.  I am guessing they had a big run on it after the Juneteenth incident!!

This was the only sidewalk chalk I cuold find at Target 2 days after the drawings were destroyed

Then I posted in a Facebook group asking who would like some chalk to write their messages of support.  I delivered the 3 sets of chalk – one to a neighbor I know who asked for some, and 2 sets to people I do not know.  At one house the mom told me it was going to be her daughter’s 6^th  birthday soon.  She sent me this sweet message:  “Any chance you would be inclined to do sidewalk art with us on Wednesday?  Our girl is turning 6 on Saturday and we’re looking for creative ways to teach her some community members want the best for everyone."  I couldn’t join them in their drawing because I had to work, but was so honored to be invited.  At another house, the three little girls had come up with what they wanted to chalk, “We are all children of God” and draw a bunch of people holding hands.  More positive messages of equality!!

Let FREEDOM ring indeed!  Photo credit unknown.

But that is not the kindness I wanted to write about here.  What happened NEXT is what I love.  A person who I only know through a Facebook group sent me a message saying that she would like to help me spread the chalk messages.  She asked for my address and today, THIS CHALK ARRIVED via Amazon!  Isn’t that fantastic?  It was an immediate ripple!!!  Giving away chalk resulted in having MORE chalk to give away!  And that is perfect because tomorrow has been declared Chalk for Justice in Arlington and people are going to hit the pavement with chalk!!  I can’t wait to see the drawings and quotes.

(Edit - after I wrote and published this story, ANOTHER Amazon delivery came!  The kind stranger sent 3 sets of sidewalk chalk!!)

MORE CHALK TO SHARE!  Sent from a kind stranger.  

See how quickly the ripples can happen??  It doesn’t take tons of money (I only spent $30.74 on 3 sets).  It doesn’t take a lot of time (I just bought the chalk, posted about it, and delivered it to 3 houses).  It doesn’t take a lot of effort.  What it takes is heart.  Small acts of KINDNESS can cause big ripples.  Ripples that can reach out into the community and spread…  Spreading kindness everywhere they touch.

What can YOU do to start a ripple today?

Black Lives Matter.  Photo credit unknown

Cards of Kindness

Look, I am not naïve enough to think that a little kindness can put a dent in solving what is happening in our country right now.  It feels as if the world is on fire and no amount of kindness can put it out at this point.  Only equality and justice can begin to right these wrongs. 

But today is the first time in over a week that I have been able to focus.  It is the first time I have been able to think of action instead of anger.  Of fighting instead of crying.  So, I thought maybe a tiny dose of kindness was in order and that it might shine a little candlelight in this dark world.

This is a kind act done by a Facebook friend of mine, Katie.  I have met her a couple of times in person, she and I are both interpreters (American Sign Language/English), but mostly we know each other from social media.  A while back she messaged me and ask for my mailing address.  She said she wanted to send me a “Covid Card”.  Curious (and a lover of mail), I replied with my address.

Katie and her dog Collins ("Rent" fans will recognize that name!)

Fast forward a couple of weeks and I found THIS in my mail!!!!

Isn’t it fabulous????  It brightened my day so much!  I asked Katie if I could write about her project here, in the hopes that it might inspire someone else to do something as cool as she did.  Here’s what she told me.

“I love mailing and receiving cards and letters. It can connect you with people you’d never imagine connecting with. I have been struggling with my anxiety and mental illness since the stay at home orders began a couple months ago. I thought it would be helpful for me, and hopefully others, if I were to reach out on an individual level to the people in my life.”

Ok, yeah Katie.  I adore mail.  Like, I literally used to walk down 3 or 4 flights of stairs twice a day just to check and see if I had any mail (and I rarely did).  But that doesn’t mean I thought, “Hey, Susan, why don’t you mail out over 500 Covid cards to people….”.  Yes – you read that right.  She sent out over 500 cards!!  She said she sent 503, but with the stragglers the total will be closer to 505 or 510.  She sent them all over America (Alaska, New York, California, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, and all around the east coast). A few lucky people in in England, Ireland, and Australia got them, too!

A playful side of Katie at Niagara Falls

Katie likes to send cards to her friends and family for their birthdays, so this project sort of grew out of that.  She was writing out the birthday cards for March and April, then, “…I remembered how fun it is (to send cards) and how much I enjoy it. I also happened to find a BUNCH of stamps and friendship cards just that month, so I had a lot to get started on without much investment up front. It began as mainly the people I write to on their birthdays. I enjoyed it so much and people were responding SO kindly to the idea, I reached out to as many people as I could on Facebook. I’ve reconnected with a ton of people from my high school!”.

Of course I asked Katie the obvious question, WHY DID SHE DO THIS GRAND GESTURE??  “Partially for my own mental health, but more so for those around me. I thought about doing it for strangers, but the closest I got to that was making one for each person in my apartment building; I don’t know all of those people very well. But I’ve realized what I was really looking for was connections through kindness.”  That’s profound…  And, in the end, I think it is what all of us are looking for – connections through kindness. 

One thing I so admire about Katie is her honesty about mental health.  She doesn’t cloak her mental illness, she talks about it.  Her diagnoses are Bipolar 2 and ADHD.  I think openness like hers is so needed.  If more people were willing to be frank, there would be no stigma attached to mental illness.  When I asked her how she has been doing during Covid 19 she said, “To be honest, not that great. I’ve had a number of mental and physical side effects due to the increased anxiety and stress from being quarantined. My psychiatrist has had to change my meds, which did help, but I’m extremely extroverted, so I need those connections to be more present in my life.”  Isn’t it great that she found a way to make those connections without endangering her health??  US Postal Service to the rescue!!!

The newest Kindness Activist - Katie

But gestures this grand don’t come free….  So, how much DID she spend??  “Oh gosh, I’ve honestly been trying NOT to calculate it, because I’m afraid it’s a good bit, and I haven’t been able to work (the unemployment office thinks it’s paying me, but they haven’t started my payments from when I set it up in April!). But it’s $0.59 per stamp, and in averaging out the MANY sets of greeting cards I had, I maybe spent $1-$2 on each card for each person. So, that’s like almost $800. But as I mentioned, I found a bunch of cards and stamps for probably close to 100 people, so I (hopefully) spent less than that.”

“For my next project,” Katie told me, “I’m going to frame all the cards I’ve received in return and put them on my bedroom wall to remember that there are lots of people out there that I’ve had an impact on.”  Well Katie, my return card (which will include your official Kindness Activist pin and a donation for stamps) will be mailed soon!!!  Thank you for being a source of KINDNESS in the world.

And to everyone else reading, let’s take a tip from Katie.  Maybe we won’t mail 500 cards, but even 3 or 4 would brighten people’s days.  And we all need a bit of kindness these days.

Kindness During Covid (Kindness Yard Sale update!)

It is easy to get down these days.  Watching the news for any length of time means confronting the sad statistics of how many deaths have happened due to Covid-19, how much longer we are all going to be social distancing and/or stuck in our homes, and that a vaccine is a ways off.

So, instead of focusing on the sadness this evening, I am going to focus on KINDNESS.  Namely, how more funds from the 1st Kindness Yard Sale were used!  We raised a total of $1905.76 from the yard sale last summer (items were donated, shoppers paid whatever they wanted to with the understanding that every penny raised would be used for kindness) and from donations that came in after the sale.  I have given updates throughout the year on where all of the money has gone because I am want to make sure it is completely transparent, well accounted for, and that YOU read about the kind actions and get inspired to do some of your own!! 

So - here is the latest report:

·         $125 was used to buy $5 Starbucks gift cards for 25 people working on the front lines:  TRADER JOE’S EMPLOYEES!  Grocery store employees have had to work so hard during this pandemic to keep the shelves stocked, and the ones at our local Trader Joe’s do it with a smile (that you can’t see due to their masks…).  One afternoon in April I called to ask how many employees were working.  On the way to do our shopping, we bought the gift cards.  And before shopping I dropped them off in a bag with a thank you card at the customer service desk.  It was very fun!!  Lots of employees came and found us while we shopped to thank us for the gifts.  One employee even said the kind gesture had made her cry.  These are the awesome little kindnesses that can happen because of the yard sale!!

Ready to DELIVER GIFT CARDS and do a huge shopping trip!

·         $34.20 was used to help a homeless man get a fresh start living on his own.  My friend Kristi works at a homeless shelter and I was honored to volunteer there one night for their annual Christmas gift giveaway.  As we talked, she explained that as the people get housed, they should get a basket of goodies to help them begin their new lives.  But the shelter had run out of the supplies, so people getting housed were no longer getting them.  Well, I couldn’t imagine getting a brand new start in life and having NOTHING but the clothes are your back.  How successful can living on your own be if you have nothing – no plates, cups, salt, pepper, silverware, laundry detergent…  So, I went to a cheap store and filled up a cart with things I imagined would be helpful.  It was a very fun shopping trip!!!  I delivered the basket to Kristi, who later reported she had given it to a client and they were very happy to have the gifts.  Fingers crossed that they are doing well in their new home.

·         $36.15 was used to mail 2 packages.  I saw a woman in a military uniform in the Post Office parking as I was walking in.  She had 2 boxes that she was arranging.  After I paid for my items, I stepped aside (social distancing) and waited for her to tape up her boxes and have her turn.  As she was almost finished, I asked if I could use Kindness funds to pay for her shipping.  I couldn’t see her expression since we were both wearing masks, but her eyes glowed and she was very happy.  At first she thought it was too much, but as I paid she thanked me very much and said that her sister and the other recipient of the gifts she was mailing would be VERY HAPPY.  I took the opportunity to THANK HER FOR HER SERVICE.

·         $20 was used to support the My Job Bags campaign, which I read about on Facebook.  Here is the site’s description of the amazing project: “While the Coronavirus pandemic has closed schools in Arlington, children across the county continue to learn from home. Unfortunately, not all families are able to provide their children with the resources that they would have in a classroom setting. That's why we've established the My Job Bags campaign. A child's 'job' is to imagine, create, learn and play. We're working to assemble bags for children in need and to provide them with supplies to learn and be creative while at home. We're accepting monetary donations as well as donations of the supplies below that will be included in the bags. All money collected will be used to purchase supplies and the bags will be assembled and distributed by volunteers. Each bag will contain: crayons, pencils, pencil sharpener, spiral notebook, construction paper, blunt tip scissors, glue stick, dry erase board, marker and eraser, children's book, Legos, and bubbles.  Through bulk purchasing we've been able to lower the cost of supplies for each bag to approximately $6.50 per bag.”   So, the Kindness Yard Sale donation of $20 should help 3 kids get their Job Bags!!  If you would like to donate to this campaign, visit Go Fund Me - My Job Bags

The right supplies are essential!

·         $17.02 was used a couple of months ago to buy dinner for a family.  We landed at Regan National Airport very late one night.  Everything in the airport had closed and we were the last ones picking up our bags.  But a woman and her 2 children were sitting in the lobby, the kids watching a movie on a device that was plugged in and charging.  As we waited for our bags I went over to talk to them.  It turned out, they were CAMPING there for the night!  Their flight had been very delayed so they missed a connection and there were no other flight options, which left them stuck in DC for an ENTIRE DAY.  They had taken the metro (subway) into the city during the day, but now that it was night everything was closed.  They didn’t have enough money for a hotel room.  I offered to bring them home and let them stay at our house, but their morning flight was super early and only a few hours after we met them.  So instead of housing them, we got them dinner.  The McDonald’s near the airport was open and they were excited to have a hot meal.  We took the order, went and got it, and delivered it back to the airport.  I think that was Kindness money well spent.

The golden arches

·         $20 was used to buy dinner for a homeless man in a parking lot.  My partner and I were traveling and had just eaten at a tasty little place in the south that had amazing biscuits.  As we were getting in the car I noticed a man with a backpack.  Attached to the backpack was a MAT made by weaving together plastic bags.  I had read about the mats but never seen one, so we asked him about it.  He said he had made it himself and that it was very helpful in keeping dry and more comfortable when lying on the pavement.  He was really sweet.  We told him the restaurant was delicious and gave him $20 to go in and eat.  He was very thankful.  If you would like to learn more about the mats made from plastic bags, here is an article with instructions:  Turn Your Plastic Bags Into Sleeping Mats

·         $25 was used to buy a grocery gift card for a family whose mom, one of the primary earners, was out of work because she got Covid-19.  She was on the recovering end of the illness but was still not able to work and they were running out of food.  Luckily, the community rallied around them and made sure they got through.  They were so appreciative of the gift card.

I have a couple of other kindness projects in the works – funds have been used to get supplies but because of the pandemic I cannot carry the plans out yet.  (For example, one is for a Department of Motor Vehicles office, and I don’t think this would be a good time to spread kindness there, even if they are open!). 

We have $103.89 from the Kindness Yard Sale left to be used.  I would like YOU to choose where the next $50 goes!!  Please comment below with an idea that is $50.  Voting will be by how many “likes” “loves” or other reactions each idea gets.  I will count the votes and use the $50 at 10:00 pm EST on May 9^th.  So please, comment with your ideas!!

$50, waiting to be used for KINDNESS!
(And yes, that IS Harriet Tubman's face on that $20.  I fixed it.)

I am starting to dream of the 2^nd Kindness Yard Sale.  I hope that things calm down in our community before too long and that there are items left to be donated (everyone seems to be cleaning out closets and basements and attics while they are stuck at home!).  If you live in Arlington, VA and have things to donate for the sale I would LOVE them.  I would love it even more if you could store them until we know when we can have the sale 😊 .

Thanks so much for being a part of this grand experiment.  It brings me joy, and I hope it does you, too.   Now get out there and be KIND.  But social distance!  And wear your mask!!!  #KindnessActivist  #ALittleKindnessCanGoALongWay  #KindnessDuringTimesOfPandemic

Holidays in Times of Turmoil

Holidays are usually fun times.  But it seems like this year St. Patrick’s Day is going to be a bit of a downer.  I mean, how much can you celebrate if you are self-quarantining, or keeping your “social distance” from others to try and curb the spread of the Corona Virus?? 

But a creative neighbor (Caitlin) just forwarded THIS to me:

BRILLIANT!!!!  Let’s DO IT!  Make a shamrock (or 2 or 3 or 10….) and hang them in your windows, or your doors, or on your porch.  Then kids and their parents can take a walk or ride around the neighborhood and see how many they can find!  I mean, most everyone is home schooling these days due to school closures, and this activity could count as several subjects:

1.       Obviously, ART.  😊  Have your children make shamrocks and hang them.

2.       No brainer, MATH.  Count how many you find!  For more advanced students, make up some   word problems based on the hunt.  Here are some examples:

a.  If Joe finds 5 shamrocks in his neighborhood, and Kate finds 7, how many shamrocks did they find all together?

b.  If Kelsey finds 12 3 leafed shamrocks and 3 4 leafed shamrocks, how many sides total are on all of her shamrocks?

c.  If Jarod finds 28 shamrocks, but 6 of them were YELLOW and he was only counting GREEN ones, how many green shamrocks did he find?

3.  History – study St. Patrick’s Day, how it came about, and what it means.

4.  PE - if you WALK around the area on your hunt, your kids will also be getting exercise!

I will be making some shamrocks tonight and putting them up for passersby to count in my neighborhood.  Here is a pattern I will use, feel free to use it or to Google “shamrock patterns” to find others.

If you decide to participate, make sure your neighborhood knows so they can join in the fun!!  Share, share, share away.

Let’s make learning fun and do a little something special for St. Pat’s 2020!

Wipes of Kindness

The world is in a state of panic.  Covid 19, the Corona Virus, is spreading at a very rapid rate it what seems to be every corner of the world.

But I don’t need to tell you that.  Newspapers, television, emergency alert texts, and social media are covering the illness and the repercussions of it extensively.  The markets are crashing, there are not enough test kits, flights are being cancelled, people are being quarantined, and “social distancing” is the new norm.  Trying to keep up on it all feels like trying to drink from a fire hose.

But one thing is clear – people are panicked.  And when people panic, kindness often goes by the wayside.   Humans are hard-wired to take care of THEMSELVES and their FAMILIES/FRIENDS first.  It is why wars happen.  It is why people say, “blood is thicker than water”.  And, I guess ultimately, it is why many are hoarding essentials at the stores – toilet paper, dairy, eggs, fresh produce, hand sanitizer, etc.  Seeing someone push a cart loaded with the last 20 packages of toilet paper down a grocery aisle, refusing to share even one roll with another shopper, appears to be self-preservation in a comically absurdist extreme.

So, in this time of fear and panic, when an act of kindness appears it seems extra special.  I will be highlighting some of those kind acts in this blog so that you, too, can read them and be inspired that there is still kindness in the world.  And who knows, you may be so inspired that you spread a little kindness yourself, even if it is spread from the confines of your quarantined home.

Here is today’s installment of Kindness During a Pandemic.  This one is called, “WIPES OF KINDNESS”.

My sweetheart and I have been on vacation in St. Kitts (an island in the Caribbean).  We were there 7 days and tried to semi unplug ourselves from the news.  Of course, since the situation with the Corona Virus is so serious, we DID watch a bit of news while there and read some articles. 

It was while we were there that the situation became very serious in the US.  Universities and schools started to close.  Social distancing became a thing.  And all hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes disappeared from the shelves.  Actually, I guess the run on hand sanitizer and wipes happened right before we left, because I couldn’t find any of those the night before our flight to bring with us (and ended up bringing the only alcohol wipes we had at home, which we POSTAGE STAMP size 😊 ). 

When we were preparing to fly home (which included considering staying THERE…), I realized that since St. Kitts was just NOW starting to feel the impacts of the disease, I might be able to score a bottle of hand sanitizer and some wipes to bring home in our luggage.  So, we ran to the little grocery store.  They had wipes, but the hand sanitizer was already sold out.  We bought one container of wipes and packed them.

Think about that last paragraph.  How self-centered could I be???  “Since St. Kitts was just now starting to feel the impacts…”.  Basically, that is me saying, “Since I know how important these wipes are already and how I will not be able to get them in my home country, I will buy THEIRS here, precluding them from getting some”.  It’s so embarrassing seeing it spelled out here, but that is exactly what I did. 

But wait, my behavior gets worse…

I packed the wipes in my carry-on with a plan of wiping down our airplane seats, hand rests, and tray tables.  And when we got on board our first flight, we did just that.  I considered, for a brief second, asking our seatmate if he would like a wipe, but my brain said, “NOPE!  Think of yourself first!  Susan, you need these wipes!!  All of them!  You won’t be able to find any at home!!!”.  So, I followed my head and quietly repacked them in the carry-on before take-off.

Lucky for the rest of the plane, a woman 2 rows ahead of us was not so selfish. 

She had a package of wipes the same size as mine.  She took one or two out, wiped down her area, then said in a very loud and cheerful voice, “WIPES!!!  I HAVE WIPES HERE!  DOES ANYONE NEED A WIPE TO CLEAN THEIR AREA???”.

People.  Were.  Shocked.  I heard a guy behind me say, “Why is she doing that??  She could sell those things and make a lot of money!!”.

At first, people didn’t really understand or believe her generosity.  She had to clarify, “No!  Seriously!  We all should wipe down, here, take some and pass this back.  Everyone – feel free to use these wipes!!”. 

She was so kind!!!!!  “Thanks!” rang out as people took a wipe and passed the container back.

And just like that, I was reminded. 

Even in times of chaos.  In times where it seems like self-preservation is the only thing we can do.  There are other choices.

We can be kind.

I will use that woman as a model for my behavior in the coming weeks.  Things with the virus will very likely get much worse.  But if we can keep our heads clear and remember that KINDNESS MATTERS, we can help one another get through it.

It Takes A Village To Keep Warm

The last five years I have put up what I call “Project Warmth” on the front gate of our house.  We live on a very busy corner – cars drive by all hours of the day and night, and there are often people on foot and bicycle who pass, too.  I learned through experience that some of those who walk past are homeless.  And many who walk by, though they may have a roof over their heads, are barely making ends meet.  So, things like thick coats, warm sweatshirts, cozy hats and scarves, and a nice pair of mittens or gloves for themselves or their children are sometimes not possible.  They make do with what they have, even in the middle of a cold winter.

So, to try and help out with that problem, for “Project Warmth” I hang cold weather gear on our front gate.  There are signs (both in English and Spanish) telling passersby that the items are free for the taking, and that they should pass them along to someone else when they no longer need them.

View of Project Warmth from our front porch - every morning when I wake up the first thing
I do is see if there are still items hanging out there!

The first couple of years I did this project I worked from a large box full of sweaters that my dad had cleaned out of his (huuuge) sweater collection.  I also had some coats and hats I had collected to give to homeless people in DC.  Those items, coupled with a some of our own things that we wanted to give away, got us through the cold weather giving season.  But this year, even though I cleaned out my closets and baskets full of hats and gloves, I didn’t have enough to keep the gate supply going.

So, I leaned on my neighbors.  I posted in a neighborhood “Buy Nothing” group and asked if people had items to contribute.

And boy did they!  I have received donations of very, very warm coats.  Of brand-new hats and mittens.  Of scarves and gloves and every color and size.   There have even been gorgeous HAND KNIT pieces donated!!  And, unlike the normal set up in the Buy Nothing group, instead of me driving to the giver’s house to pick the items up, many people dropped them off right at my house!! 

It has been incredible.  Instead of having just 1 item on the fence at a time, this year I have been able to put out 3 at a time!!  Usually the gate gets cleared off twice a day (sometimes I put items out at midnight and they are gone when we wake up!).  I am so grateful to my neighbors for being kind and generous.  With the community’s support, we have helped people stay at least a little bit warmer this winter.

The bin of warm donations for the front gate is OVER FLOWING, and that is after
giving many, many away already!  

It takes a village.  And I am honored to be a part of mine.

(Here is a piece I wrote about Project Warmth in 2016:  Project Warmth - Warm Kindness