Today's Random Act of Kindness was me speaking very cheerfully & politely to my former next-door neighbor. She's as sweet as she can be, and very very kind. But she is elderly, and like many other persons of her particular generation, she deems me as far beneath her solely because of my age. It's not the words she says. It's not the tone she uses. It's just the air about her and her body language. I feel like she expects me to feel grateful for the opportunity to learn from her wisdom. And honestly.... she is a SUPER nice lady. But I am somewhat solitary in my living preferences, so I don't necessarily appreciate the uninvited conversation of my neighbors. You leave me in peace, I leave you in peace. I know that's not exactly "nice" of me. But it is what it is.
Anyway - when she came over today as I was hurriedly moving boxes and furniture into my car and the bed of a co-worker's truck, I was VERY polite to her. And I talked to her with a smile on my face. And I said "Thank you" to her as she left.
Yes, I do agree with you, that this is simply commonplace good manners. And this is how I should treat ALL of my conversational partners. However, if you know me at all, you know that talking to me while I am in the middle of strenuous physical activity is NOT the time to expect me to be Susie Sunshine.
And therefore, I declare my display of extreme good manners to be a wonderful Act of Kindness.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010
i hate moving
I hate moving so much. It's such a pain the rear. And doing it all by yourself makes it a thousand times worse. I have had some help in moving the big furniture items. But I mean, as a single person, it sucks to have the entire burden on my shoulders. The only reason I had to move was because my landlord/property owner let the duplex I was renting go into foreclosure. She's had an incredibly tough year, so I'm not angry with her for falling victim to her circumstances. What pisses me off is that I continued to pay my rent every month, and she didn't even have the decency to let me know there were any kind of issues. The only reason I found out is because the attorney's notice of foreclosure auction got addressed to "Tenant" & the mailman placed the envelope in my mailbox. Needless to say, I was freaked out when I read it. I immediately called my landlord (who did not answer her phone) looking for answers. She had none for me. Great.
A month later, I attend the "auction" in the hopes of pleading with the new owner to let me stay as a tenant - guaranteed income, right? I even went to the trouble of making up a nice little one-page bio sheet about myself that included my picture, employment history, salary info, and character references. All for naught. Because I was the ONLY person who showed up. So the duplex went to the bank. And the bank told me to get out.
Luckily, the local Realtor who was contracted to handle the eviction & subsequent listing of the property has been extraordinarily kind to me. My official deadline to be out of the old place is January 11th, which is swiftly approaching. I am trying my best to hurry up and get everything out, but I am in poor physical condition to say the very least, and I just can't do much at one time. It's been difficult.
Anyway. My new year has started in a new dwelling, and I am praying that that is a good omen for things to come... a fresh start, a new day, a second chance.
RAOK of the day: I yielded to a harried-looking driver trying to turn left onto the busy highway that I was driving down. He waved and seemed very appreciative. Day 2 of Resolution a success!
A month later, I attend the "auction" in the hopes of pleading with the new owner to let me stay as a tenant - guaranteed income, right? I even went to the trouble of making up a nice little one-page bio sheet about myself that included my picture, employment history, salary info, and character references. All for naught. Because I was the ONLY person who showed up. So the duplex went to the bank. And the bank told me to get out.
Luckily, the local Realtor who was contracted to handle the eviction & subsequent listing of the property has been extraordinarily kind to me. My official deadline to be out of the old place is January 11th, which is swiftly approaching. I am trying my best to hurry up and get everything out, but I am in poor physical condition to say the very least, and I just can't do much at one time. It's been difficult.
Anyway. My new year has started in a new dwelling, and I am praying that that is a good omen for things to come... a fresh start, a new day, a second chance.
RAOK of the day: I yielded to a harried-looking driver trying to turn left onto the busy highway that I was driving down. He waved and seemed very appreciative. Day 2 of Resolution a success!
Friday, January 1, 2010
2010 Resolution
In 2010, I resolve to perform one act of random kindness every day. Surely, I can manage to keep up with that. And in the end, I will feel like I have contributed to the world in a meaningful way. Maybe some good karma will find it's way back into my life one day. In the meantime, I want to take all focus off of myself and instead put my energy to use for others. That's what makes me happiest. Being of service to others truly fulfills me. Here's to 2010!!
Today's random act of kindness (henceforth RAOK):
I took my neighbor's newspapers out of the box and placed them on his front step. I think he's out of town this week, and his paper box was full. Didn't want the paper delivery person to keep stuffing them in there to the point that they would hang out & get wet if it rained.
Today's random act of kindness (henceforth RAOK):
I took my neighbor's newspapers out of the box and placed them on his front step. I think he's out of town this week, and his paper box was full. Didn't want the paper delivery person to keep stuffing them in there to the point that they would hang out & get wet if it rained.
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