Congrats to the winner of the Fall Stamps: Linda please email me your address. Woot!
I have been thinking a lot lately about how one good thing turns in to another and then it becomes like chain of happy things gaining steam. I am trying to remember that concept in every way that I can so that my actions can bring about some good.
It is that happy time of year where things turn absolutely crazy in preparations for the second CHA show of the year. I was so stoked to hear that my new stamps from Hampton Art/Limited Edition are in the HOUSE! Well, how often does that happen that product is around before the show...well, not often that I know of, wish that weren't true. Hampton is just the best. Love them.
So..when I was given a set of my brand new designs BEFORE THE SHOW, I thought about how fun it would be to just GIVE THEM AWAY. Yes, that is right. Just give them away before I even use them. Honestly and seriously how happy would that make someone to have them now??? As I said...giving is far better than holding on to (a great lesson I have learned from a good friend). So it was decided. I had to give them away.
So in deciding how to do that I knew that I wanted it to involve other [Good Things] and a happiness chain effect. So...here's the scoop:
I'm going to share one of my sets of stamps tonight being released at CHA Summer, never before seen. With that I'm also offering up my [Good Things] challenge. The winner will receive THESE STAMPS...I am so excited for the winner.
The challenge is for Monday to execute "1 random act of unsuspecting kindness outside your home to a stranger." Comment here and explain briefly what you did sometime during the day on Monday. From all the comments, I will randomly draw one winner. You can enter as many times as you like, each time with another "unsuspecting RAK outside your home and not at your computer." I will announce the winner below the comments.
Each night this week, I will offer a new challenge here with a brand new "not in stores" set of stamps as the prize. Tell your friends to join us, let's extend this [Good Things] chain as far as we can.
The first set of stamps I'm giving away are these new Fall Designs, the two sets of clear, not the wood.
I am a Fall FREAK. So I am dying to play with these, but I will be sending someone this new set of Art Warehouse Interactive Circle and mini words for the name I draw from comments for the above [Good Things] challenge. So check tomorrow to read all those happy things here.
Tomorrow night a new[Good Things] challenge will be up with another NEW prize. BTW, I am joining in. I won't enter my name for the drawing, but I can't wait to participate also. Spread the word...and let the [Good Things] chain begin.
Tired. Cranky. Just got back from vacation and work is a disaster. Can't even THINK about how to RAK someone...so I figured if I just SMILED at everyone today. People I work with, people I don't know. A smile is better than the cranky grouch I felt like inside!
Posted by: Rene | July 10, 2006 at 07:01 PM
I helped someone who was just in need of someone to talk to - so my part was easy, just listening. Tanya :)
Posted by: Tanya | July 10, 2006 at 07:39 PM
I did one more thing this afternoon. I took my daughter to cheerleading practice...so cute she is in Kindeergarten and they are so darling learning these little cheers! Anyway, a mother sitting next to me (One I don't know)was upset because she left her bag of groceries at the store. I told her to use my cell phone and call the store so it would be there when she could return.
Danelle, Thanks for doing this!! It lifted my spirits today and hopefully the spirits of the two people I RAKed.
Kristen
Posted by: Kristen Nave | July 10, 2006 at 08:12 PM
Thanks so much for inspiring these acts, Danelle.
My little sister is in the hospital. The past few times I have visited, I noticed that the people on her unit tend to just sit, staring aimlessly, and appearing lonely. I asked my sister why they aren't reading or looking at magazines, and she told me that nobody visits them so they don't have anything to read. When my parents went to visit today, I sent along some magazines and books to give to those who want them.
Posted by: Colleen Stearns | July 10, 2006 at 08:18 PM
I have tried to teach my children about the good feeling that you get when you give of yourself to someone else - whether you know that person or not - and we try to do something nice for someone every time we go out. We had lunch with some friends at Chuck E. Cheese today, and there was one very frazzled Mom with two kids who wanted to play some more, but they were out of tokens. I had been behind the woman in line ordering lunch, and she had gotten just a small pizza for the three of them and a small handful of tokens. So I asked my girls if they would like to share some of their tokens with those other kids, and they immediately said "sure!" So we gave each of the kids a bunch of tokens. That meant that the girls were almost out themselves, but they got the good feeling from giving something away, and from helping someone and didn't seem to mind. The smile we got from the Mom was all I needed to keep smiling myself for the rest of the day. :)
Posted by: Linda A. (elendae) | July 10, 2006 at 08:56 PM
My RAK for Monday was to drive to a doctors office (and make myself late for work) and wait 20 minutes to pick up 2 prescriptions and then later in the day drive in a pouring rain and sit at a pharmacy drive through for 20 minutes to drop off the RX's for pick up tomorrow...just so my fiance wouldn't have to do either one. He is disabled and was really feeling bad today so driving and waiting would have been difficult. Taking care of these little trips saved him from a week of feeling awful.
This may not count as a RAK since he is my fiance and I do these things out of love, but it was the biggest thing I did today. I let people get in front of me on the highway when they were trying to get on from a side street and let people go ahead of my car when they were walking across the parking lot. I usually do that sort of thing so not sure it will count either.
Thanks for putting the RAK thought in everyones head. My favorite new saying is "What have you done today, to make you feel proud?" I try to live my life that way.
Posted by: Cheryl Cox | July 10, 2006 at 09:21 PM
Well, first of all - this doesn't count, but there was a very hungry looking "strange" cat in front of my house this morning. I went out to see if it had been hurt (the dogs were barking at it) and it was okay - but it meowed at me and loved on my leg etc (I'm allergic to cats - can't own one) and I felt so sorry for it, I went inside a got a chicken breast from the fridge from dinner the night before and placed it by my mailbox for the starving thing. (thankfully it didn't hang around after that..poor thing.)
Now - for a person... a scrapbook friend who is getting ready for a loca SB convention came over to pick up some clear bags for class kits. She was teaching sewing, so I.. "surprise" ..loaned her my spare sewing machine (yes, I have a spare) so her students wouldn't have to all share just one machine.
All this and I didn't leave home. : - )
Thanks for doing this!! LOVE the new stamps!
Posted by: Melanie Douthit | July 10, 2006 at 09:24 PM
What a great idea!!! Wonderful RAKs everyone!!!
I looked through a person's gallery and noticed she used a lot of stamps. I sent her 10 sets of alpha & number sets. I wanted her to know that I love her layouts and it brings great inspiration to me! I hope she enjoys them.
Thanks for the idea!
Posted by: Pam Mayhew | July 10, 2006 at 09:39 PM
This was such a wonderful idea and it makes you feel good. After being so upset this weekend because my husband lost a large amount of pictures from my computer because he didn't back them. Doing RAKs today helped me to forget about the loss of graduation etc pitures. I started and just kept going.
1. I helped a deaf girl finish a project today that no one else felt comfortable doing.
2.I convinced a very depressed friend (many personal & medical problems)to get out of the house this week to scrapbook.
3. I called everyone and planned the event for her so all she has to do is show up.
4. I invited an older lady to come,I will pick her up and bring her home, she was very excited.
5. Helped another friend to plan a few hours out of the house from her terminally ill brother and aging mother. I felt she needed a break and to be cheered up.
6. Let another friend talk about some family problems for a long time because I felt she just needed to tell someone.
I did call a local charity to come pick up several bags of clothes but they could not come today.
Posted by: Dawn B | July 10, 2006 at 09:54 PM
Hmmmm...........I don't see my post here? What I said was...........Thanks Danelle for doing this. My daughter and 3 yr old grandson and I went to our favorite Mexican restaurant today for lunch since it was on the way to a local LSS.We go there often enough for me to know the waitress was new. She did fine but I could sense she was a little uneasy so I gave her a 30% tip so hopefully by the time she served her next table, she was feeling pretty confident about herself !!!! thanks for this great idea Danelle. it looks like lots of nice things happened today all over the world thanks to you!!
Donna
Posted by: Donna Bettencourt | July 10, 2006 at 10:13 PM
I went to the local shops to grab some milk and as I was pulling out of the carpark I noticed an elderly lady had tripped over a crack in the footpath so I stopped my car in the middle of the road with the hazard lights on and went to help her get back up, I made sure she was ok, parked my car then helped her to do her shopping.
I'd like to think if it is was my mum or grandma who had fallen that someone would stop to help them.
Kate :)
Posted by: Kate | July 11, 2006 at 07:22 AM
We found out a close friend is having heart troubles, and it looks pretty bleak...we bought tickets for the Red Sox game on Friday for a little R and R for him!
Posted by: Renee | July 11, 2006 at 08:53 AM
I just found out about your challenge and wanted to share something I did yesterday that I am pretty proud of.
There was a man driving down the road at the speed limit and his right rear tire seemed to be losing air rapidly. I pulled up alongside him and motioned to him that something was wrong. He pulled over and was grateful I let him know. I was about to get in my truck and leave, but something was nagging in my mind. I turned around and walked back towards him and offered to help him change his tire. You wouldn't believe the look of relief in his face. He was just pondering what he was going to do, as he had just left his Dr.'s office and was told to avoid strenuous activity and he didn't have AAA. So I changed his tire for him.
Not really a big deal, but it was to him and made me feel pretty good the rest of the day.
Posted by: Jeannie | July 11, 2006 at 10:22 AM
Hi! I just wanted to add something about my post last night. The hungry stray cat. The one in front of my house. The one I gave a cooked chicken breast to (well, I put it by the mailbox so she'd find it). I know it's a SHE b/c she just repaid my kindness - with 3 kitties in my carport. ROFLOL. I'm a temporary foster parent now. I just went to the store and did something I've never done before - bought cat food. ~melanie~
Posted by: Melanie Douthit | July 11, 2006 at 03:08 PM
Inspiring challenge! I entured out with my baby and todler to goand buy some bread downtown. As it's summer every bakery in turn is closed for the holidays. We came across the one which was closed for this week and an old lady who clearly had had a difficult time to get there by foot was shocked to find it closed as it meant walking even further down town. So we suggested that she'd take a rest there and then, have a cup of coffee and we offered to bring her bread with us as we went to get our own a couple of streets further along. So we did get her a fresh loaf, had a nice talk and feeling all good, had a wonderful stroll home with our own loaf of bread.
Posted by: Himiko | July 11, 2008 at 05:22 PM