So that shelter that my friend volunteers at, the one that I gave the lip balm to? Well, in addition to accepting and re-circulating clothes in good condition, they separate out the "bad" clothing donations (the stuff too worn, stained, or hole-y to be of use) and sell them by the pound to a recycler who re-purposes them into other things. They don't advertise this because of the fear of getting inundated with things people are trying to dump, but for those that already volunteer or who have donated before, it is brought up as a way of helping clean out additional household clutter.
So while putting away laundry yesterday, I pulled out a few things that have been hanging out in my closet a while: jeans with holes too worn to repair, sweaters that have certainly seen better days. Just 3-4 things for now since I didn't have time to dig through the closet and I was busy with another task. Rather than wait until I can "finish that project" by going through
everything, I decided to proceed with getting rid of what I'd already
set aside, and brought it to my friend today at work. For now, at least, those things will add to the pound weight that the shelter gets money back for, a recycler gets a few more items for their projects, and I have a few less things taking up room in my closet.
This was a RAOK on multiple levels (even one back to myself!) and one I hope to do again before the month is over, so you may see a repeat of it soon. I want very much to be less cluttered and more organized, but I despise throwing things out if they seem even slightly useful still. Anything I can do to re-purpose things and keep them out of landfills where they slowly rot is a plus for me, and this definitely checks that box on my list!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Monday, November 26, 2012
On the third day of...
I knew I was going to the pharmacy today, so I told a friend I'd keep an eye out for discounts. While standing in line to get my prescription at the pharmacy, I spied some lip balms on sale. A two-pack for $1.85. I bought two of them.
That friend of mine volunteers at a local shelter that primarily offers services to women with children. However, they also, when they can, provide items to homeless men that pass through their doors seeking assistance. Because the shelter is known for its assistance to women and children, most of the donations are geared for (and needed for) this population. However, also because of this, any assistance they can provide to the homeless men is limited to what they have on hand, and they don't often have things on hand for men.
I can't even imagine the simple dignity that must be set aside to ask for just a spare bar of soap, or how it must feel on both ends when the volunteer has to look at the asker and say, "I'm so sorry. I don't have one to give you."
For under $5, something I would spend on a cup of specialty coffee, I can offer four men relief from chapped winter lips, at least for a little while. And at least four times, a volunteer will be able to tell someone, "Yes...I have something you can have."
That friend of mine volunteers at a local shelter that primarily offers services to women with children. However, they also, when they can, provide items to homeless men that pass through their doors seeking assistance. Because the shelter is known for its assistance to women and children, most of the donations are geared for (and needed for) this population. However, also because of this, any assistance they can provide to the homeless men is limited to what they have on hand, and they don't often have things on hand for men.
I can't even imagine the simple dignity that must be set aside to ask for just a spare bar of soap, or how it must feel on both ends when the volunteer has to look at the asker and say, "I'm so sorry. I don't have one to give you."
For under $5, something I would spend on a cup of specialty coffee, I can offer four men relief from chapped winter lips, at least for a little while. And at least four times, a volunteer will be able to tell someone, "Yes...I have something you can have."
Sunday, November 25, 2012
On the second day of...
The second day for the Random Acts For Misha is kind of a multi-day project that is being "wrapped up" (so to speak) today. Every year, The Family Giving Tree brings a stack of wish cards that have been filled out by the under privileged in our community---mostly kids, but some special needs and homeless or homebound adults as well. Choosing a tag or two to shop for is an annual tradition for me, but was especially poignant this year. In late April, my mother passed unexpectedly, and though (because of other circumstances) it has not been an occasion of horrific grief, it has made this holiday season a bit surreal. Reminding myself, for example, that I did not need to buy the annual Christmas slippers for mom this year felt really odd.
Having also made the decision that, this year, all gift purchases would be made through local stores and none through the big box chains presented a challenge. Most of the children's wishes involved things that you generally tend to only find at those big chain stores. The smaller ones no longer carry them because they can't afford to compete. I was determined, though, to find a solution and stick to my plan.
Being a believer that mom is still with me, I decided that I wanted to make "mom's gift" the donation wishlist item this year. And she helped find the right wish! My mom always loved doing arts and crafts types of things, and we found a wishlist tag from an 11 year old boy who wanted art supplies.
So from the choosing of the tag, to the shopping, to the assembly of it, it's been a few days, but today I've put together the gift that I will give to the drop off location in the morning:
Having also made the decision that, this year, all gift purchases would be made through local stores and none through the big box chains presented a challenge. Most of the children's wishes involved things that you generally tend to only find at those big chain stores. The smaller ones no longer carry them because they can't afford to compete. I was determined, though, to find a solution and stick to my plan.
Being a believer that mom is still with me, I decided that I wanted to make "mom's gift" the donation wishlist item this year. And she helped find the right wish! My mom always loved doing arts and crafts types of things, and we found a wishlist tag from an 11 year old boy who wanted art supplies.
So from the choosing of the tag, to the shopping, to the assembly of it, it's been a few days, but today I've put together the gift that I will give to the drop off location in the morning:
I hope he'll love it. It's from me, and my mom.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
On the first day of...
Inspired by several folks in the fandom of Misha Collins and Supernatural, I'm launching my December giving a few days early. #RandomActsforMisha is a hashtag being used on Twitter for fans to help share their Random Acts during the month of December, to help motivate that holiday spirit in each other that seems to get sucked away by the crazy madhouse that is the "holi-daze" season.
My first random act isn't so random this time around since it's something I do every year anyway, but perhaps by writing about it/blogging it/Tweeting it, it'll spark an interest in someone else to do the same and that can also be a random act.
Today is Small Business Saturday. As soon as I'm done posting this, I am heading out to support local businesses and craftspeople with my money rather than spending it at the large corporation stores. Sure, it means thing might be a little more expensive, or I might have to make a few more stops to get what I need. But it also means that the money goes back into the economy through the spending by these small store owners, rather than sitting in a big bank account collecting dust. It means that my family and friends will receive gifts made by the hard working hands and imaginations of men and women crafting in their garages, their kitchens, or at the sewing machine after the kids have gone to bed. It means helping one more family stay in business instead of seeing one more empty storefront.
And after I've done my shopping, I'll head downtown for some lunch at a local restaurant, and a cupcake at the local sweets place (which was broken into on Thanksgiving Day...boo, Grinch, boo!) Not that I need an excuse to go get a cupcake...
From replacement bulbs for your tree to gift wrap for under the tree, consider supporting your local businesses this year. They need us!
My first random act isn't so random this time around since it's something I do every year anyway, but perhaps by writing about it/blogging it/Tweeting it, it'll spark an interest in someone else to do the same and that can also be a random act.
Today is Small Business Saturday. As soon as I'm done posting this, I am heading out to support local businesses and craftspeople with my money rather than spending it at the large corporation stores. Sure, it means thing might be a little more expensive, or I might have to make a few more stops to get what I need. But it also means that the money goes back into the economy through the spending by these small store owners, rather than sitting in a big bank account collecting dust. It means that my family and friends will receive gifts made by the hard working hands and imaginations of men and women crafting in their garages, their kitchens, or at the sewing machine after the kids have gone to bed. It means helping one more family stay in business instead of seeing one more empty storefront.
And after I've done my shopping, I'll head downtown for some lunch at a local restaurant, and a cupcake at the local sweets place (which was broken into on Thanksgiving Day...boo, Grinch, boo!) Not that I need an excuse to go get a cupcake...
From replacement bulbs for your tree to gift wrap for under the tree, consider supporting your local businesses this year. They need us!
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
GISHWHES 2012: The Aftermath
Even before the submission deadline loomed, I knew that I was going to blog about the experience, that I'd want to share the accomplishments and frustrations that came from participating in GISHWHES. Now that the time has come, though, I find myself somewhat at a loss for words. Not entirely, of course, but I find that, nearly 12 hours after the final submissions and closure of the challenge, there is a feeling inside that I can't fully articulate. It's composed of elements of wonder and sadness, exhilaration and awareness, and some other things that I can't name, I can only feel. I can tell already that blogging will never come anywhere near to living; it's a pale reflection of the experience.
So why blog about this here on my December giving related blogspace? While it's not related to my annual December giving, it is connected to my choice for this year's December focus so here we are.
For those who haven't been in the loop on this weird artsy charitable thing, GISHWHES is an acronym for (the) Greatest International Scavenger Hunt (the) World Has Ever Seen. Hosted by actor Misha Collins and a tribe of minions representing his non-profit, TheRandomAct.org, GISHWHES is not a typical scavenger hunt where teams run down a list and find miscellaneous items. Instead, it takes that basic concept and then flambes it on the backyard barbecue. GISHWHES is about imagination, breaking routine, creating random out of ordinary, letting go of regimentation and trying to make yourself and those around you see something different in their day.
We've been asked not to share our entries until scoring and a winner has been determined, though many teams seem to already be doing so on their blogs and across social media platforms. My team doesn't want to risk being deducted points for sharing before we're supposed to, so I'll save those revelations for a second post once the contest is officially called. In the meantime, though, on the "day after", I'm feeling a bit bereft and decided that doing a write-up of some thoughts and experiences will help the separation anxiety, provide some information for the curious, perhaps resonate with others who participated and who are feeling a little lost on this first day without GISHWHES. And also, it's helping to keep me awake at my desk so that I can get through this workday because my brain is at a level of tired it hasn't experienced in years.
I first heard about GISHWHES in early September, when someone posted about it in a local online forum. She was soliciting members for her team, and after reading about it (and despite being an introvert by nature and nervous because I had no idea who this girl was), I sent her a note asking how I can join up. I love games and puzzles and crafting, and I can be competitive with those kinds of things. Plus, the prize was a trip to stay in a haunted castle in Scotland, which is also entirely up my alley. The girl never responded but I wanted to play badly enough that I decided to register anyway; I signed up as an individual participant. A sliding scale registration fee funds the prize, with the remainder going to projects sponsored by TheRandomAct.org, and while participants had the option of finding and registering as a team of 15, teams absent members were to be combined and then filled in with the individual registrants so that, when the list was released and the game began, all teams would have 15 members. I was really worried about this. What if I got put into a team that had, say, 12 members that all knew each other already? Would I feel alienated, excluded? Would they think I, at age 38, am too old to do anything helpful when so many of the people who had been talking about it were in their teens and twenties? My desire to participate was greater than my fear, but I was still concerned. It brought up a lot of schoolyard feelings.
I was really lucky, though. The team I was added to was a small one, three gals from Sweden who dubbed themselves Teenage Superhero Werewolf Marble Hunters in an attempt to squeeze in nods to all their various fandom participation and who called themselves TSWMH to make things a bit easier. I found myself mentally referring to us as "Team Marble" for the rest of the competition. Along with these three ladies, we were joined by other individual participants: two from Australia, one from India, four more from the United States (including a later substitution to replace someone who had mistakenly been placed on two different teams), one from Finland, two from the United Kingdom, and one from France who remained forever unknown to us. She never replied to any of our messages, so we're not sure what happened. We hope she's ok. But the 13 of us (and eventually 14 when the replacement was established), along with a few unregistered but willing minions, quickly formed a private Facebook group, chattered about skills and connections that we might have that would be useful for the as-yet-unknown list, and hovered expectantly around the GISHWHES log in page, waiting for the countdown clock to reach zero.
What happened when it did, up until this morning, is a bit of a blur. A mad rush of excitement and crushing disappointment and pats on the back and virtual high fives and weird mistakes and funny looks and global laughs and the experience of cementing 13 friendships with people I most likely would never have had an opportunity to meet otherwise. Every one of them younger than me. And none of them making me feel, even once, that I wasn't where I was meant to be.
So what have I gained from this experience? What have I learned? Again, I'm not sure I could articulate everything, but perhaps a short list is a start:
* Not having someone participating with me locally was a bit of a challenge, especially given that most of my local friends who would be able to help were away for the weekend at another event. However, having a team with members all over the world was a HUGE plus; people were working on things 24 hours a day and had access to all kinds of connections.
* The importance of having team members who are really invested in getting things accomplished cannot be undervalued.
* There's only so long one can go with limited sleep and food before crashing, so it's probably a good thing that GISHWHES as an event is only for a certain time frame. However, GISHWHES as an experience lingers even when the dash is over. I feel internally changed.
* It's not just about finding what you're passionate about. It's about investing passion into what you find.
As the adrenaline is fading, my quiet self finds that I'm actually looking forward to returning to a bit of normal this afternoon. I'll begin working on the house chores that were completely neglected during this past week, tidying up that place we call a sanctuary from the world. I'll return to my nighttime habit of reading an hour or so before bed, and writing/blogging book reviews. I'll finally have a real dinner, one I make instead of buy ready-made or cobble together from whatever I can eat raw and one-handed from the fridge (I'm thinking baked lemon-pepper chicken and some roasted potatoes and zucchini in garlic and herbs). I'll probably settle in on the couch with my kitties who have been putting up with my crazy for a week; maybe we'll turn on the news and watch a bit of the election results come in as I slowly tune myself back into reality.
But within my quiet self, creativity has been rekindled. It was never a fire that fizzled entirely, but over the years of routine and taking care of "the business at hand", it became one of those things occasionally tapped into but mostly relegated into that "someday" pile that seems to do nothing but collect dust as time passes. So tonight, while I'm snuggling with the kitties and watching normal TV in my normal living room, I suspect that keeping me company will be the coloring book and colored pencils I pull off the dusty bookshelf. And I think some gardening is in order this weekend. And perhaps, just perhaps, I'll bedazzle a flowerpot or two while I'm out there.
A lot can change in a year's passing; it's not known yet if there will be a GISHWHES 2013, and who knows what life circumstances may come along between now and then? But if you've seen all this discussion about this thing called GISHWHES and wondered, if you've heard people talking and find yourself wanting to do it yourself, don't wait for an official event: make something, bake something, take something to someone who needs it more than you. Offer to help a neighbor instead of waiting to be asked. Approach the inevitable with more patience. Give yourself permission to blur the lines between childhood and adulthood. Better yet, contribute to exploding the myth that being a grown-up requires that you become boring and/or a lemming. The world, the people in it, and the possibilities are so much more, so much larger, than any one person can explain.
And if you find yourself bubbling internally with the thought of participating in the actual scavenger hunt come 2013, start opening your eyes and your brain to the universe around you now, take it all in, let the anticipation grow. When registration time returns, Team Marble may have a slot or two available.
Coming Soon: The visual evidence that is the Team TSWMH - GISHWHES 2012 experience.
So why blog about this here on my December giving related blogspace? While it's not related to my annual December giving, it is connected to my choice for this year's December focus so here we are.
For those who haven't been in the loop on this weird artsy charitable thing, GISHWHES is an acronym for (the) Greatest International Scavenger Hunt (the) World Has Ever Seen. Hosted by actor Misha Collins and a tribe of minions representing his non-profit, TheRandomAct.org, GISHWHES is not a typical scavenger hunt where teams run down a list and find miscellaneous items. Instead, it takes that basic concept and then flambes it on the backyard barbecue. GISHWHES is about imagination, breaking routine, creating random out of ordinary, letting go of regimentation and trying to make yourself and those around you see something different in their day.
We've been asked not to share our entries until scoring and a winner has been determined, though many teams seem to already be doing so on their blogs and across social media platforms. My team doesn't want to risk being deducted points for sharing before we're supposed to, so I'll save those revelations for a second post once the contest is officially called. In the meantime, though, on the "day after", I'm feeling a bit bereft and decided that doing a write-up of some thoughts and experiences will help the separation anxiety, provide some information for the curious, perhaps resonate with others who participated and who are feeling a little lost on this first day without GISHWHES. And also, it's helping to keep me awake at my desk so that I can get through this workday because my brain is at a level of tired it hasn't experienced in years.
I first heard about GISHWHES in early September, when someone posted about it in a local online forum. She was soliciting members for her team, and after reading about it (and despite being an introvert by nature and nervous because I had no idea who this girl was), I sent her a note asking how I can join up. I love games and puzzles and crafting, and I can be competitive with those kinds of things. Plus, the prize was a trip to stay in a haunted castle in Scotland, which is also entirely up my alley. The girl never responded but I wanted to play badly enough that I decided to register anyway; I signed up as an individual participant. A sliding scale registration fee funds the prize, with the remainder going to projects sponsored by TheRandomAct.org, and while participants had the option of finding and registering as a team of 15, teams absent members were to be combined and then filled in with the individual registrants so that, when the list was released and the game began, all teams would have 15 members. I was really worried about this. What if I got put into a team that had, say, 12 members that all knew each other already? Would I feel alienated, excluded? Would they think I, at age 38, am too old to do anything helpful when so many of the people who had been talking about it were in their teens and twenties? My desire to participate was greater than my fear, but I was still concerned. It brought up a lot of schoolyard feelings.
I was really lucky, though. The team I was added to was a small one, three gals from Sweden who dubbed themselves Teenage Superhero Werewolf Marble Hunters in an attempt to squeeze in nods to all their various fandom participation and who called themselves TSWMH to make things a bit easier. I found myself mentally referring to us as "Team Marble" for the rest of the competition. Along with these three ladies, we were joined by other individual participants: two from Australia, one from India, four more from the United States (including a later substitution to replace someone who had mistakenly been placed on two different teams), one from Finland, two from the United Kingdom, and one from France who remained forever unknown to us. She never replied to any of our messages, so we're not sure what happened. We hope she's ok. But the 13 of us (and eventually 14 when the replacement was established), along with a few unregistered but willing minions, quickly formed a private Facebook group, chattered about skills and connections that we might have that would be useful for the as-yet-unknown list, and hovered expectantly around the GISHWHES log in page, waiting for the countdown clock to reach zero.
What happened when it did, up until this morning, is a bit of a blur. A mad rush of excitement and crushing disappointment and pats on the back and virtual high fives and weird mistakes and funny looks and global laughs and the experience of cementing 13 friendships with people I most likely would never have had an opportunity to meet otherwise. Every one of them younger than me. And none of them making me feel, even once, that I wasn't where I was meant to be.
So what have I gained from this experience? What have I learned? Again, I'm not sure I could articulate everything, but perhaps a short list is a start:
* Not having someone participating with me locally was a bit of a challenge, especially given that most of my local friends who would be able to help were away for the weekend at another event. However, having a team with members all over the world was a HUGE plus; people were working on things 24 hours a day and had access to all kinds of connections.
* The importance of having team members who are really invested in getting things accomplished cannot be undervalued.
* There's only so long one can go with limited sleep and food before crashing, so it's probably a good thing that GISHWHES as an event is only for a certain time frame. However, GISHWHES as an experience lingers even when the dash is over. I feel internally changed.
* It's not just about finding what you're passionate about. It's about investing passion into what you find.
As the adrenaline is fading, my quiet self finds that I'm actually looking forward to returning to a bit of normal this afternoon. I'll begin working on the house chores that were completely neglected during this past week, tidying up that place we call a sanctuary from the world. I'll return to my nighttime habit of reading an hour or so before bed, and writing/blogging book reviews. I'll finally have a real dinner, one I make instead of buy ready-made or cobble together from whatever I can eat raw and one-handed from the fridge (I'm thinking baked lemon-pepper chicken and some roasted potatoes and zucchini in garlic and herbs). I'll probably settle in on the couch with my kitties who have been putting up with my crazy for a week; maybe we'll turn on the news and watch a bit of the election results come in as I slowly tune myself back into reality.
But within my quiet self, creativity has been rekindled. It was never a fire that fizzled entirely, but over the years of routine and taking care of "the business at hand", it became one of those things occasionally tapped into but mostly relegated into that "someday" pile that seems to do nothing but collect dust as time passes. So tonight, while I'm snuggling with the kitties and watching normal TV in my normal living room, I suspect that keeping me company will be the coloring book and colored pencils I pull off the dusty bookshelf. And I think some gardening is in order this weekend. And perhaps, just perhaps, I'll bedazzle a flowerpot or two while I'm out there.
A lot can change in a year's passing; it's not known yet if there will be a GISHWHES 2013, and who knows what life circumstances may come along between now and then? But if you've seen all this discussion about this thing called GISHWHES and wondered, if you've heard people talking and find yourself wanting to do it yourself, don't wait for an official event: make something, bake something, take something to someone who needs it more than you. Offer to help a neighbor instead of waiting to be asked. Approach the inevitable with more patience. Give yourself permission to blur the lines between childhood and adulthood. Better yet, contribute to exploding the myth that being a grown-up requires that you become boring and/or a lemming. The world, the people in it, and the possibilities are so much more, so much larger, than any one person can explain.
And if you find yourself bubbling internally with the thought of participating in the actual scavenger hunt come 2013, start opening your eyes and your brain to the universe around you now, take it all in, let the anticipation grow. When registration time returns, Team Marble may have a slot or two available.
Coming Soon: The visual evidence that is the Team TSWMH - GISHWHES 2012 experience.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
How it started
Ask most of my friends and family and they'd tell you that I've always had a "thing" for spontaneous giving: making things for people, leaving random, anonymous gifts behind, etc. It was partly this nature of mine that inspired a friend of mine to nominate me for a makeover and photography session, which I ended up winning. It was an awesome feeling to know that I inspired someone.
But in Dec 2010, actress Kellie Martin challenged the Twitterverse to join her in a month of Extreme Giving (#extremegiving), during which participants were to find one thing to do, every day, to take care of someone or something else. Had I been smarter back then, I might have started the blog already, but hindsight is always the smarter part of me.
At least I was able to go back and capture images of my Tweets during that month:
I really enjoyed the challenge of finding something every day to do, figuring out ahead of time what I could imagine next.
When Dec 2011 rolled around, I knew I wanted to do something like it but not exactly the same, and thus The Friendly Beasts project was launched (inspired by one of my favorite holiday carols!)
Now, Dec 2012 approaches and I'm challenged yet again. I'm taking the RAOK inspiration from author Erin McHugh and actor Misha Collins, but what can I do with it? Will it be too similar to the Extreme Giving challenge? Do I jot down ideas as they come to me and put them in a Kindness jar, and then draw them "randomly" come December? Do I follow Erin's steps and wait to see what each day brings, looking for opportunities that present themselves? What if the "only" thing that presents itself on a given day is opening the door for someone? Is that enough to count??
Oh the dilemma. At least I have time to think about it. How delightful is the imagining!
But in Dec 2010, actress Kellie Martin challenged the Twitterverse to join her in a month of Extreme Giving (#extremegiving), during which participants were to find one thing to do, every day, to take care of someone or something else. Had I been smarter back then, I might have started the blog already, but hindsight is always the smarter part of me.
At least I was able to go back and capture images of my Tweets during that month:
I really enjoyed the challenge of finding something every day to do, figuring out ahead of time what I could imagine next.
When Dec 2011 rolled around, I knew I wanted to do something like it but not exactly the same, and thus The Friendly Beasts project was launched (inspired by one of my favorite holiday carols!)
Now, Dec 2012 approaches and I'm challenged yet again. I'm taking the RAOK inspiration from author Erin McHugh and actor Misha Collins, but what can I do with it? Will it be too similar to the Extreme Giving challenge? Do I jot down ideas as they come to me and put them in a Kindness jar, and then draw them "randomly" come December? Do I follow Erin's steps and wait to see what each day brings, looking for opportunities that present themselves? What if the "only" thing that presents itself on a given day is opening the door for someone? Is that enough to count??
Oh the dilemma. At least I have time to think about it. How delightful is the imagining!
Friendly Beasts: The Post-2011 post
I had great ambitions to complete the full 31 days of blog posts about animal organizations, but sadly ended up very ill in early 2012. Just as I recovered myself, my mother passed unexpectedly. Life certainly has a way of intruding on life sometimes, doesn't it?
While I did not have the chance to finish off this 2011 project, I'm looking forward to doing something special again this December (it'll be my third in a row!), using this traditional month of love and generosity as an opportunity to share both with my community.
This year will be focused on RAOK (Random Acts of Kindness), borrowing pages from both Erin McHugh (author of One Good Deed and the website/blog by the same name) and Misha Collins, co-founder of TheRandomAct.org.
Stay tuned!
While I did not have the chance to finish off this 2011 project, I'm looking forward to doing something special again this December (it'll be my third in a row!), using this traditional month of love and generosity as an opportunity to share both with my community.
This year will be focused on RAOK (Random Acts of Kindness), borrowing pages from both Erin McHugh (author of One Good Deed and the website/blog by the same name) and Misha Collins, co-founder of TheRandomAct.org.
Stay tuned!
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