Be Kind

Today was a long day to add to my last few long weeks.  I've been delving into my writing, escaping reality in so many ways, and creating reality in others.  I've been goal oriented and driven, but I've also been dealing with some tough facts about people I care about.  One of my friends received some bad news, and it has just thrown me for a loop.  I wear my heart on my sleeve, and sometimes I have trouble sifting through my emotions as they crop up. 

Today I had to work late. I decided to go to Costco afterwards, get gas, and buy the flat of water that I have to provide to Number One's gym for the Girl's Meet this weekend.  When you have three kids, it's always something.  Turning out of the shopping center, instead of accelerating my car started decelerating.  Now this has happened to me before.  I apparently have the magic touch for making car problems appear.  This particular car is my old Camry.  I've had it since 2000.  Yes, that makes the car 13 years old.  It has ALMOST 200,000 miles on it.  I love my Camry, but it may be time for it to retire soon.  My Camry has been through so much with me, and it almost feels like it is a part of my family.  I digress.  So anyway, luckily I realized the Camry was about to stop, and I was able to pull over onto the right side of the road. 

I called Hubby.  He answered, and we talked as the kids screamed in the background.  He said he'd get them in the car and come help me.  I sat there, hazards on, windows rolled down on the side of the road.  I don't know how many people passed me in the 20 minutes I sat there, but it was a lot, as I was stopped on the side of a busy road.  Not ONE person stopped to help me.  Not one!  I mean if someone had stopped, I would have told them to go on because my husband was coming, but it's the thought that counts, right.  Practice random kindness, and it will come back to you.  You never EVER know what the person next door is going through, and one act of kindness could change their life in ways you never imagined.

Maybe it's because I'm in a funk, and "bad things" keep happening to good people around me.  Maybe it's because I EXPECT too much from the fellow human beings in my life, but if I saw a woman stranded on the side of the road, then I think I would stop to help.  Remember when I did 26 things in remembrance of the victims of the Newtown shooting?  If everyone just gave a little bit of themselves to help other people every day, then the world would be a better place. 

I know that if just one person stopped today, it would probably have lifted my mood. 

Maybe something good will happen tomorrow that will give me a renewed faith in humanity. 

#26Acts of Kindness #13 for Noah Pozner

Yesterday, I didn't feel like doing much of anything.  I was sick.  I hate being sick.  I'm a huge baby when I'm sick.  I happened to get on blogger though and blog, and then I decided to catch up on some of my blog reading, which I needed to catch up on big time!

I found out one of my friend's granddaughter's was born with Apert's Syndrome.  I had no idea what Apert's Syndrome was, so I researched a bit and found out it is a dominant autosomnal trait, meaning only one parent has to have the gene to pass it on.  It is genetic, and it causes cleft lips, facial weakness, webbing of the fingers and other defects.

Of course, when you have a child you expect the world for them.  And when a child is born with a genetic defect, it alters your expectations, and sends you reeling.  I wanted to do something for this first time Mom, who is currently suffering, and for her baby girl. 



Nicholas Graves, Apert Syndrome Poster Child

So my Act #13 was a small donation to the Little Baby Face Foundation.  I could only give $10 at this time, because money is so tight for Hubby and I right now, but I know that small donation of good will can help someone, some child, and it's what I can give right now.  Every little bit helps. 

The Little Baby Face Foundation provides corrective surgery and medical services, family support, physician education, and research. 

I know as time passes, this new mother will begin to accept the different future for her sweet daughter.  She'll look at her with new eyes, and she'll see her inner and outer beauty.  Dealing with alopecia areata has taught me that sometimes acceptance comes slowly, but it almost always comes.

Consider Donating to the NAAF

Today my act of kindness (#8) is very near and dear to my heart.  I committed to donating $8 per month to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation.  This small donation will only be $96 a year, but it's what I can afford.  All I have to do is give up eating lunch out once a month.  $8 per month to help fund research and find appropriate treatments for this disease.

As a child, I suffered to accept myself.  I hated my bald spots.  I was so embarrassed by them.  One year at camp when I was 11 years old, I kept my hair in a ponytail for 5 weeks, because I didn't want anyone to see that I had bald spots.  I think I pulled out my rubber band once and washed it.   I hated being different.  I hated when people stared and ostracized me.  It's hard to be different when you're a kid, because kids just don't understand.  Plus, I didn't understand when I was little that by educating people they'd begin to accept me. 



Wearing a sailor's cap to cover my spots

I'll never forget in 2nd grade, when I had a lot of uncoverable spots and my Mom bought me two wigs: one long and one short.  I used to interchange them all the time, so I know most people knew they were wigs, but apparently not all the kids caught on.  We had a substitute that day, and we were working on something.  Darryl came up to me to ask me something, and his hand caught the side of my wig pulling it off.  Rebecca shouted, "Lauren's head is falling off!"  I was mortified, and the substitute had no idea what to do.  She put my hair in a paper bag and sent it home with me that day, instead of calling my parents or taking me to the Principal's office.  I can look back on this and laugh now, but as a child it traumatized me. 

Knowledge is a powerful thing, and as I grew older I learned this.  When I lost all my hair recently, I was upset.  I was embarrassed again, almost reliving my childhood.  I just want eyelashes and eyebrows and for my head not to be cold when it's 20 degrees out.  I want to fit in, like everyone else does, even if they won't admit it.  But, I began to accept myself and spread my knowledge of alopecia areata to everyone I knew.  I began telling people about the disease, including my children and their friends and my nephew (who insist that I am not a mammal because I don't have hair!). 

With a little more research hopefully they can find a definitive cause of this disease and begin working on a cure.  To be a child with alopecia areata is so hard socially, but it shaped who I am so I wouldn't change it.  I'm just happy I can give back to the NAAF, as they have inspired me to embrace myself and my hair loss and educate those around me about it.  





With my Adorable nephew this year.

Four Out of 26 Ain't Bad

I haven't done my weekly weight loss tips this week, and I'm fairly sure it won't be returning until next week.  I think next week I'll try to focus on what you need to do when things get crazy hectic and it's Christmas time and all you want to do is stuff your mouth with cookies, brownies, and oh yeah, my favorite rolos melted inside of two pretzels.  Yeah, we'll start there next week.

Today I focused on my 26 Random Acts of Kindness that I'm doing in honor of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting, especially Emilie Parker.  I woke up this morning thinking about it, and I had this major dilemma: We have absolutely no money right now.  I mean NONE.  We just spent all our money on Christmas and paying a fortune to Caden's gym, oh not to mention daycare, and then there's Number Two's private preschool.  So I really needed some cheap alternatives.  Non-money giving, non gift certificate giving ideas.  Some of mine did involve money, but it was a nominal amount.  Oh, and I only did 4 today, and here they are:

1.  I wrote cards to my children's teachers, and I put photos of the kids in them with their names, ages, and the year.  I told the teachers how much I appreciated what they did every day, and that I understood how hard being a teacher must be, but that the difference they are making in our children's life is huge. 

2. I went through the drive thru at Dunkin Donuts today, and I paid for the person behind me.  I wrote a little note for the man at the drive through to hand to the lady with her coffee about doing 26 acts of kindness and passing it on.  This was probably the most rewarding thing I did today for some reason. 

3. One of my co-workers seemed a little down in the dumps today, so I bought her a Twix bar, wrapped it up and had another co-worker secretly deliver it to her.  She figured out it was me, and she is going to do 26 Acts of Kindness too!

4. I sent Christmas cards to the First Responders in Conneticut.  I actually grabbed this idea from a post on MSNBC today.  The addresses are:

Monroe Police Department
7 Fan Hill Road
Monroe, CT 06468

Newtown Police Department
3 Main Street
Newtown, CT 06470

Connecticut State Police
Public Information Office
1111 Country Club Road
Middletown, Connecticutt 06457

Pay It Forward

 

In Honor of Emilie Parker: 26 Acts of Kindness

I've been attempting to process what happened in Newtown, Connecticut on Friday, December 14. The truth is, there is no way to process it.  There's no way to accept what happened to those 26 people in Sandy Hook School and to Adam Lanza's mother.  There is no way to accept that someone could go into a school and kill Elementary School children: children waiting for Santa to come, children who hadn't even lost their first baby tooth, children who's whole life lay before them just waiting to make a difference in our world. 

Over the weekend, I read about Emilie Parker.  Her image struck me, with her blond hair and blue eyes.  She looked like she could be one of my children, giggly, wiggly, and excited for Christmas right around the corner.  But Emilie's short life ended on December 14th, because of one random act of violence.  Emilie Parker's Dad made a statement about her death, expressing sympathy EVEN for the killer and his family.  I was amazed at this, so shortly after his daughter's death, that he could begin to forgive the person who took this precious gift from him.  He has something to teach each and everyone of us about forgiveness in this tough time.   Every time I thought about Emilie's little face this weekend and her father's statement tears would brim in my eyes.  But tears don't solve problems.

So, I'm going to take on the challenge that many across America are and perform 26 random acts of kindness in honor of the 20 children and the 6 teachers who died at Sandy Hook Elementary on December 14. 

Emilie Parker can't be here to spread her spirit, her love, and to draw cards when people are feeling unhappy or down anymore, but by performing 26 Acts of kindness, we can help her spirit live on.