Day 56: Donated Diapers

It is scary how quickly my daughter is growing. Although it is cliche, it seems like only yesterday she was a newborn that I could easily hold like a football. Now, she is in the 85th percentile in weight and height, and it seems like she doubles in size every week. One of the ways that we have been able to tell how big she is getting is by how quickly she goes through diaper sizes. We have purchased a number of diapers for her, and she has outgrown them before we could ever use them on her. We primarily use cloth diapers for her in an effort to stay Eco-friendly, but have a bunch of disposables left over from the ones that we use at night time and for emergencies. Rather than throw all of these diapers away, I figured there was something we could do with them.

Using disposable diapers for a baby can cost upwards of $100 a month. Although it is a more inexpensive option, cloth diapers are many times not feasible for families that do not have access to a washing machine because many laundromats don't allow them to be cleaned there. Also, for working parents who utilize day care, these facilities typically require disposable diapers. After doing some research on what I could do with our many unused diapers, I came across Bundle of Joy, which is Chicago's first and only diaper bank. It is their goal to make sure that every Chicago family has access to clean diapers. So today's random act of kindness was to donate our unused diapers to a church which serves as a drop off location for Bundle of Joy. I am sure the diapers will definitely be used by a family in need, and my hope is that others will also find a way to donate their unused diapers. And, in the amount of time it took me to write this post, I noticed (actually smelled), that Isla is in need of another diaper, so I must go attend to that.

Day 55: Carried Groceries for People

To me, carrying groceries is an art form and a feat of strength. If I need to make more than one trip to get all of the groceries from our car to our home, I view it as a complete and utter failure. I will have bags all the way up my arms, around my neck and even in my mouth if it means that I only have to make one trip. I may be weird, but I really look forward to carrying the groceries up. So today's random act will not only give me the opportunity to spread kindness, but also give me the chance to show off my carrying skills to strangers. This evening, I am going to stand outside of a local grocery store, carry people's groceries to their car and help them load it up. I will also take the opportunity to return any and all carts to the cart corral. Maybe I will wear a sleeveless shirt while I do this to show off my glamour muscles (or lack thereof).

Day 54: Gave Away Free Wishes UPDATE!!

As a child, if I went past a fountain, I would beg my mom for a coin so that I could make a wish. Anytime I saw a clock that read 11:11, I made a wish. I pretty much cleared my back yard of dandelions because I would blow the seeds away and make hundreds of wishes. Many times, I wanted to blow out the candles at other kids' birthday parties, simply because I wanted the opportunity to make as many wishes as possible. No matter what, I always had the hope that my wishes could come true. Even though I never met Michael Jordan, won all the money on Earth, or gained super powers, I never stopped wishing...until recently. I started thinking about my life and how since meeting my wife and being blessed with my daughter, combined with the rest of my friends and family, that wishing for anything more than the love that I have from/for them would just be selfish.

One of my goals in the mission is to try to inspire hope in others. Hope that the world can be a kinder place, that things will get better, and that, even if they are in ways you didn't imagine, wishes do come true. So today, for my random act of kindness, I want to do something small to remind everyone of the little kid inside of them who wished for big things and always had hope that they would come true. Today, I am going to take a jar full of pennies, stand in front of a fountain in downtown Chicago with a sign that says "Free Wishes" and allow people to take a penny and make a wish. I know from experience that a single Penny can have a huge impact on your life. Maybe the pennies I give out today will have that same impact for others. So even if, like Skee Lo above, people wish they were a little bit taller, wish they were a baller, or wish they had a girl who looked good so they could call her, they will get their opportunity today.

UPDATE: So I learned a couple of things today. First, Chicago's Water Tower Place really hates when people throw coins into their fountain. It apparently clogs the drains and they don't allow it. Second, every outdoor fountain I know of in the city is covered for the winter or has the water turned off. As you could imagine, this somewhat hindered my plans. However, I am not easily derailed and continued with my mission to give people free wishes. I took a jar and my handy "Free Wishes" sign and posted near a busy intersection during rush hour. I then passed out pennies to whomever wanted one, make a wish on it, and place it in my jar. I made each person the promise that I will deliver the pennies to a fountain once they are re-opened. People weren't as receptive to the free wishes as they were to the hugs. I think people thought that it was a creative way to ask for change even though that wasn't my plan. All in all, I was able to get about 30+ wishes that I will surely deliver to a fountain as soon as possible.

Day 53: Sent A Smile

It has been proven that laughing and smiling lowers blood pressure, relieves stress and boosts your immune system. I have always been a person who enjoys joking around to get people to laugh and smile, mostly because I don't like the alternative (I guess I am a health guru by default as well). So far we have told a joke, recorded people telling jokes, and helped someone smile. I intend to find as many things on this journey that are out there that double as both a way to make people smile, as well as a way to make people's lives better at the same time.

Yesterday, one of our Facebook friends suggested that I send an eSmile. As we continue to collect our pop tabs to donate for the Ronald McDonald House, there is a way that we can compound the amount sent the this great charity. HP has made a pledge to donate $1 to the Ronald McDonald House for every eSmile that is sent through their website. So for today's random act, my daughter "volunteered" to send an eSmile to assist the Ronald McDonald House in helping the families of children hospitalized with very serious diseases. It is 100% free to anyone who wants to participate, so please visit the above site to send a smile, well wishes, or a sketch of someone smiling. Oh, and here is a picture of my daughter's smile. She means no offense by sticking out her tongue, it is simply a reflex of her happiness.

Day 52: Will Have No Negative Words or Thoughts All Day

One of the drawbacks of all of the attention that 366 Random Acts has been getting is the anonymous posters on this blog and other media outlets that think I am doing my kindness mission for personal gain or benefit. Luckily, I am able to laugh at the comments because I know in my heart why I am doing this. I wish that I had the ability to find every person who has written a negative comment and perform a random act of kindness for them. This way, rather than spreading negativity, they can pay it forward and help to promote kindness and positivity. I will say, though, that I am not guilt free when it comes to making negative comments or negative anonymous posts. Until I was in this position, I never really thought of the impact that my internet comments could have on people. So from this day forward, I am not going to comment on any story unless it is positive and/or constructive. However, for today's random act of kindness, I am going to take it one step further. For the whole day, I refuse to allow negative thoughts to come into my mind or negative words come out of my mouth. If any sort of cattiness, disparaging remarks, or overall negativity comes into my mind, I am going to think about my family and friends to immediately change my tune. I refuse to allow myself to make anyone's day worse due to my words or actions. Sarcasm and cynicism be damned too. Today, my world is going to be 100% positive, and I challenge everyone reading this blog to do the same. Let's all try to make the world a more positive place by eliminating the thoughts and words that bring us and others down.

Day 51: Gave Away a Free Sandwich

I am sure most people have a frequent buyer/diner card to some place in their purse or wallet. One of those deals where if you buy 9 of something, you get your tenth one for free. Maybe it is just me, but I get really excited when I earn my free item. When I get that final stamp or hole punch, I feel like I won something (even though I'm only winning more calories and higher cholesterol). There are so many of these types of cards or free giveaways that I come across, and I always am so pumped when I am able to use them.

Recently I was watching an awards show with my wife and I started complaining when they showed the free gift bags that all of the celebrities received. I said to her, "Why do they get all of this free stuff when they could easily afford it?" The very next day, I went to a local place here in Chicago to eat, and I got the stamp for my free sandwich. When I got the stamp, I kind of felt like I was a hypocrite for ragging on the celebrities because I knew that paying for my next sandwich wasn't really outside of my means, and that there are those who could really benefit from a free meal.

So today's random act of kindness will be to give my free sandwich meal card to a homeless person near the restaurant. Moving forward, any time I get something for free as a result of my previous purchases, I am going to make sure that I give the free item to someone in need. I think it will provide a little more excitement for the person receiving it than I could ever get from earning that final stamp.

Day 50: Sat On A Roof

Today is the last day of National Random Act of Kindness Week. My theme of this week was to bring awareness to those who are dedicated to spreading good and kindness throughout the world (and in my wife's case, throughout my world). This past Thursday, one of our Twitter followers reached out to me to let me know about someone who is BEYOND dedicated to making our world a better place. Pastor Corey Brooks of the New Beginnings Church on the South Side of Chicago is that someone.

More young people are killed in Chicago than any other American city. Since 2008, over 500 youth have been the victims of homicides. Unfortunately, this is a statistic that has been on the rise as of recent months. Pastor Brooks has seen this trend, and he has had enough of it. He knew typical methods to bring about change weren't enough so he came up with a plan to both shine a broader spotlight on the problems in the neighborhood as well as a way to help bring about change within it.

Since late November 2011, Pastor Brooks has been living in a tent atop an abandoned motel across from the New Beginnings Church. This motel was known as a place that fostered prostitution, drug dealing, and violent crime. After being a part of the successful movement to shut down the motel, Pastor Brooks knew there was more to be done. So he set up his tent on top of the motel with a mission and a goal. His mission, Project H.O.O.D (Helping Others Obtain Destiny), is to live on top of that motel, braving the elements, in order to raise money to purchase it, demolish it, and build a community center on top of it. He is going to be living in his tent until he reaches his goal of raising $450,000 to complete his mission. This community center is going to have mixed income housing, commercial space for businesses to spark the local economy, sports and recreation areas for people to utilize, and a performing arts theater. So for today's random act of kindness, I visited Pastor Brooks on top of the roof, and vowed to bring awareness to his cause. He is within striking distance of accomplishing his goal (only $93,000 away!), and is hoping to get there soon. I know times are tough for many, but if you have the means to even donate a dollar or two, the 366 Random Acts community can have a big impact on helping Pastor Brooks reach his goal.

Although this is the end of Random Acts of Kindness week, we are just starting to hit our stride. These past 50 days have been incredible to say the least, and I can't wait to keep on this journey!