Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Make it a Good Day: Stay At Home!

When “366 Good Days” started in 2016, it was all about making yourself feel good by doing good deeds for others.  At the beginning of 2020, it expanded to be about making yourself feel good by embracing the good in the world around you.  After all, we need to fill our own cup with joy until it overflows for others.

Now, 2020 has changed its look.  It changed from being the year of “2020 Vision” to the year of, “We didn’t see THAT coming!”  Yes, “THAT” is the virus…COVID-19.  Life as we know it has changed.  Maybe not as drastically as a dystopian zombie movie, but we’ve endured a pretty a significant disturbance.  We have been asked to become a world of isolated people despite our general nature to socialize and mingle.  How, in these times, do we have a good day?

It’s simple.  Stay at home!

You’ve heard it before, and you’ll read it countless times from others.  Stay at home.  Despite nay-sayers, the science shows that staying at home is our best defense against this novel coronavirus.  Humans do not have a natural immunity (thus the term novel, meaning new or not previously identified).   There is no vaccine approved for use against this disease.

Any treatments against the virus are experimental and not yet proven effective.  The best way to prevent others from getting sick is to stay at home and to not act as an unknowing carrier of this invisible virus.

The best thing to do for friends and family that live elsewhere is to stay at home.

I know it seems like you’re really not doing anything helpful, but you are.  Imagine that you are camping, and the virus is a bear wandering through your campsite at night.  Is it best to leave your tent and go sprinting to another trailer…thus bringing a chasing bear along with you?  No!

Stay put and let the bear move on.

If everyone stays put…and if others stay put, all will be fine!  But one person sprinting to another tent can cause harm to them as well as others.

Just stay put!

Is there any other way you can help?  Sure!

Reach out to others with a phone call or via social media!  Send a letter to a friend…people ALWAYS like receiving a letter in the mail!  Get some rest and relaxation for yourself in advance of the work necessary to get the world back to normal.  There are so many things that you can do for yourself and for others, even when you’re staying at home.

Yes, I know many people are working harder than ever, especially healthcare workers putting their very lives on the line.  There are employees at the local grocery stores and box stores working harder than ever handling “pick-up” and “delivery” orders more than ever before.

I was in Target yesterday for my weekly grocery run, and the amount of red shirt-wearing employees gathering orders and restocking shelves was mind-blowing.   To all of these people working so hard, I send my gratitude and love.  (Hey…there’s an idea.  Just write thank you cards to any healthcare worker or other hard-working person that you know…or that you don’t know!) 

To those stuck at home…remember that you’re not really “stuck,” but you’re “safe” at home.  And you’re keeping others safe as well.  Stay safe!  Stay at home!  Make it a good day for everyone!

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Kindness Campaign


As we enter the meat of the Primary Campaign Season, I decided to participate in a different kind of campaign.  The Kindness Campaign!

The Alossi Renewal Spa in nearby Garner, NC launched a Kindness Campaign for the month of February.   Their goal is to raise money for “Note in the Pocket”…a nonprofit  whose mission is to “Clothe Children with Dignity and Love.”  The money raised through this campaign will give impoverished and homeless children in Wake County a week’s worth of clothing that they desperately need. 

Money is being raised two ways.  First, they are selling the t-shirts (shown above) on their website at http://alossispa.com/ from which 100% of the proceeds will go to the charity.

Secondly, one can visit the spa, take a picture in front of a backdrop, and post it on social media while tagging the spa and including the hashtag #ichoosekindness. 

#ichoosekindness

Alossi will then donate a dollar to “Note in the Pocket” for each such photo.  In addition, two other businesses in Garner and have partnered with the spa and will each match the spa’s donations up to $1000.

That’s potentially $3000 of kindness given to this charity!

Alossi has also partnered with 18 other businesses in Garner whom they call their Kindness Crusaders.  Each of these organizations was a drop-off point to donate underwear or socks of all sizes to help clothe the kids.  I purchased two sets of socks from Target today and dropped them off at the spa. 

I’m happy to say there was a large pile of undergarments ready to be donated!

Unfortunately I didn’t have the chance to meet the owner, Dena McDonald to discuss her campaign further, but one of her colleagues, Stacy, was very energetic and took a much better photo of me than I would usually take.  Thank you!

One funny small-world side note is that I actually met Dena previously.  Her spa not only provides kindness and incredible relaxation services, she also gives free chair massages at a local car dealership every Thursday to help ease the stressful wait of car owners waiting on their maintenance to be complete.  I happened to be one of those customers that she attended to when I took my car in for an oil change 3 weeks ago!  I knew she was a kind person when I met her then…little did I know she was organizing an entire campaign of kindness!

If you live in the Garner, NC area, stop by the Alossi Renewal Spa to have your photo taken, donate some socks or underwear, and get yourself a t-shirt!  You’ll be glad you did!





Monday, January 6, 2020

Let's Try This Again! 366 Good Days...the 2020 Edition!


Four years ago, I attempted to start a Facebook page and this blog called “366 Good Days.”  The premise was that I would suggest and possibly attempt one good deed every day of the year.  The deeds didn’t have to be extravagant, but needed to be helpful to others.  I would put quarters into vending machines so that the next person would get a surprise discount.  I would return stray shopping carts in the parking lots to the proper corrals.  I would give compliments to complete strangers.  This idea was inspired by a friend who had vowed to do a good deed for 40 straight days in honor of her 40th birthday, so I figured, why not?  However, after only a couple of weeks, I learned that it was much tougher than expected.  If I recall, we had some bad snow storms that winter and I wasn’t able to even leave the house, let alone do a good deed for others.  Even when I was able to get out and about, an opportunity for a unique good deed wasn’t as available as I had imagined.  Sure, I could present compliments or a smile to others, but it’s difficult to build a Facebook page or blog based solely on “I smiled at a stranger today…tune in tomorrow!”  Try as I might, I just wasn’t able to pull off 366 “Good Days.”

I never closed that Facebook page.  In fact, I would get the occasional message reminding me that I hadn’t posted in a while…almost as if it were taunting me and reminding me that the page was a failure.  Well, perhaps not a failure, but just a mere nonentity.  Ironically, I received one of those reminders on January 1, 2020.  Once again, we were entering a leap year, another year with 366 days.  To be honest, 2020 is going to be a HUGE year of change for me for reasons that I’ll share over time.  I wondered if this reminder was an omen to me.  I wondered if it was a reminder to make each day of 2020 a “good day,” and also a reminder to share my thoughts with others on the topic.

My original goal back in 2016 was to share an idea or experience of helping others in some way each day.  There was no better way of making a day good than making it good for others.  But as I started to think about the concept in this new year, I realize that sometimes a good day is defined by being good to yourself as well.  On those days four years ago when I was snowed in, I certainly had good days by reading a book or tackling a long forgotten project.  I had a good day by just admiring the beauty of the snowfall.  I had a good day by realizing I was fortunate to still have power and heat while many others did not.   Yes, helping another is an excellent way to have a good day, but helping oneself is also important.

I’m not talking about truly selfish acts of helping oneself over the detriment of others.  I’m talking about acts that make a person better…things such as enjoying one’s surroundings, appreciating life with all senses, having an unexpected laugh, and, yes, seeing the joy in others.

Today is January 6, 2020 and I can tell you that I’ve already had five good days.  I rang in the New Year with family and enjoyed a traditional New Year’s Day dinner of pork and sauerkraut.  I also received delivery of a new refrigerator as our old one has been struggling a lot lately.  I texted greetings and shared a few jokes with some former coworkers the next day.  On January 3, I ran some errands but also helped a lady find the apple sauce at Target and received a pleasant “thank you” in return.  The next day I fixed my washer which has been on the fritz and leaking water for the last couple of weeks.  Just getting that accomplished successfully, without dropping any tools or creating any additional flooding made my entre week good.  Yesterday I noticed three deer grazing in the wooded area behind my house.  This is a sight I’d not witnessed in all my 22+ years in my house, so I really cherished this moment.  And now today I sit here and begin my newest campaign, venture, or whatever you want to call it. 

I do not plan to turn this into a personal diary.  In fact, I’ll probably mention very little about my family.  My intent is to convey to you my experiences, thoughts, and observations on how each of us might be able to have 366 good days in 2020…and beyond!  I’ll probably share a blog post every week or so and try to share some positive “Good Day” links in my Facebook page.  Hopefully, this will inspire you to have a good day and share your experiences and thoughts with others.  By sharing good vibes, this can only make life a little better for us all!

Monday, January 4, 2016

Good Day Deed Diary and Suggestions

I told a friend that I planned to perform one good deed each day in 2016.  They immediately asked me how I was going to prove it.  I mentioned this blog and they responded, “Al, you can barely stay awake at night!  Do you expect to type a new blog post every day?”

Good point.

It’s not my intention to write a separate post for each good deed performed.  Four days have already past and while every deed is important and helped someone out in some capacity, neither were probably worthy of a full wordy blog post.  And I have a tough time keeping my words to a minimum.  J

My friend then asked another good question.  “You’re asking other people to do good deeds as well.  Are you going to assign a good deed for them to perform each day?  What if they don’t encounter sweet elderly ladies dressed in purple?”

I explained that while I intend to post a Good Day Deed suggestion every morning via Twitter and Facebook, it was by no means a demand that THAT deed had to be performed on that day.  She suggested that I compose a list of suggested deeds that others could refer to for inspiration.

So I based on this discussion, and my friend’s unintended good deed towards me, I decided to add a couple of pages to this blog.  If you look on top, your see a link to two pages.  One is “Good Day Deed Diary” and the other is “Good Day Deed Suggestions.”

The diary will be an account of what my good deed was for the day.  If I have an experience that’s worthy of special mention, I’ll definitely write a blog post devoted to such.  Otherwise, I’ll summarize in the diary.

The suggestions will be a list as I come up with them or as I am presented with suggestions by others.  You’ll note that the first suggestions actually came from my friend Maureen Churchill’s blog post, “40 Good Days,” which I’ve already referenced enough times to make Ms Churchill blush.  Still, it was a good list of suggestions and certainly worthy of heading up my list.

I encourage you to keep your own diary and share with me some of your experiences and suggestions.  Your efforts can be inspiring to others.  Remember that inspiration is not meant for one person only…but for one person, then the next, and then the next.


You can email your stories or suggestions at GoodDayDeed@outlook.com.

Thursday, December 31, 2015

Let's Practice 366 Good Days in 2016!

My 13 year-old daughter recently asked me if I thought 2015 was a good year.  I told her that there was a lot of bad news in the media regarding terrorism, bigotry, and negative politics, but overall, it was a good year.  She asked why and I told her that we had certainly had some good times.  She pondered for a moment and then asked, “But, did we do anything good for anyone else?”

A day or so later, I mentioned the conversation to a friend.  She made me aware of a blog written by Maureen Churchill in the Carolina Parent website called “40 Good Days.”  The author stated that she chose to celebrate her 40th birthday by committing to do “one kind thing or good deed each day for 40 days.  The idea being to directly or indirectly touch the life of another person to celebrate the number of years (she’s) been on the planet.”  The good deeds ranged from simple to involved, from donating clothes or toys to building a bird feeder.  Ms. Churchill stated that the experience was incredible and she made sure to involve her young son in the activities.

My next birthday is several months away, but I got to thinking about the original conversation with my daughter.  If there was doubt about whether or not 2015 was a good year, why don’t we ensure that 2016 will indeed be a good year?  What better way than to practice not only 40 Good Days…but to practice 366 Good Days during this coming leap year?

And this is the challenge.  I will strive to do exactly that.  As the blog stated, I will perform one good deed or act of kindness each day to directly or indirectly touch someone else’s life.  Now, this won’t include “going to work” or “helping around house.”  Those are responsibilities and expectations that one should abide by already.  My “Good Day Deeds” should have an end result of a person smiling, or feeling good, which in turn will most likely cause me to smile and feel good.  That’s the thing; performing such a task not only does the world good, but it makes you a better person.

I challenge each of you to do the same thing.  Each day, I will tweet out a suggested Good Day Deed.  I will also share my deed of the day.  In some instances, they may be one and the same.  I also encourage you to share your Good Day Deed, or perhaps an idea for others to act upon.  Share your ideas or experiences on my Facebook page.  Send me a tweet @366GoodDays and make sure to add #366GoodDays.  If you'd rather, send me an email at GoodDayDeed@outlook.com.

I do this for myself and for my kids.  If you do the same and others do the same, it could result in a very good year for all of us.  Let’s all practice #366GoodDays starting January 1, 2016.