Quickies: #6-#9

I've been very busy lately, so today we're gonna be quick as a flash!

Hey everybody.

I'm going to keep this blog up even as things get crazy, and the best way to do that is to be brief.

Okay, I'll stop now. Sorry.

For my 6th act of kindness, I helped a good friend get an appointment with my doctor, who was not taking any new patients. I don't have super powers (insert another Flash joke here, I DARE YOU), but I took the time to ask and follow up and make it happen. Medical care for all!

For #7, I created something special to celebrate a coworker's 1 year work anniversary:

That's really what she looks like! I swear!

I wasn't going to count this one, but she told me later that she really needed a lift that day, and that I should include it. Paper tiaras for all!

#8 was the referral of a good friend who needs a job. I recommended him for two jobs, and while they unfortunately didn't become realities, I'm not giving up. Hopefully more on this soon. Jobs for all!

For #9, I'm combining two acts into one, since they fall along the same lines: helping the "older generation" with technology. For part one, I helped my lovely aunt change her facebook profile and cover pictures. And then, five minutes later, I fixed them again as she had somehow managed to change them back. All in a day's work.

Part two was helping my parents, specifically my dad (who wanted me to mention that he is, in fact, very tech savvy, just not about this particular tech) create a blog for their upcoming adventures in Paris. You can check out the blog I built for them here. They should have some exciting entries soon!

That's it for now. More adventures ahead, including a requested donation to a very important group of people, and the tale of a wayward action figure that will soon find his way home.

Baked Goods Make the World Go ‘Round: #4 and #5

Let’s get… serious.

No caption needed.

#4 is the biggest act I’ve completed thus far. Last week, I volunteered at the Downtown Women’s Center, which is a homeless shelter for women here in Los Angeles. I was excited. And then I was scared. And then I was excited again.

Questions?

It can be difficult to walk into a situation that’s completely unfamiliar with people you’ve never met. I accidentally left much too early and found myself in a bad part of town 45 minutes before I was expected. Seeing a tent city of homeless people on the street where the shelter was drained my excitement instantly and made me really nervous. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I’m a safety-conscious woman (as many of us are) and my first instinct when facing anything that resembles a dangerous situation is GET OUT!

But of course, I didn’t get out. I found a place to park where I felt more comfortable, and waited it out until I knew someone would be at the shelter to let me in.

Once inside, I found myself in a large room with a fully equipped industrial kitchen. There were a few women here at this point (only women are allowed to volunteer at this particular shelter, as it’s a safe space). The team leader was an amazing woman named Linnea who had put together a menu and emailed shopping assignments out to volunteers a few nights before (I signed up too late to receive an assignment, unfortunately, but as every single volunteer showed up, it turned out we almost had too much food anyway!).

I was immediately put to work chopping onions. After that I joined Team Cookie, as we called ourselves, to make about 150 peanut butter cookies. And I got to know the women around me. I couldn’t have asked for better companions. We ranged mostly from our 20s to 30s. Everyone was friendly, enthusiastic about our tasks (whether it was cooking up what felt like a metric ton of beef for shepherd’s pie, or washing a mountain of dishes at the end of the evening). It helped we had a lot to talk about, as we all work in the same industry. More importantly, we all really wanted to be there, and that made the time fly.

I didn’t get a chance to meet the women we were cooking for, as I imagine they and the Center value their privacy. But it felt amazing to know that our hard work went to people in need.

I’ve never been a part of anything like this before, but I’ll be back as soon as I can. If you’re interested in joining our next round here in LA, let me know! Or simply visit the volunteer portion of the DWC’s website. Not in LA? You can still donate or purchase cool goods made by the women of the DWC on Etsy!

Special thanks to Jillian, who hooked me up with this project and who also makes a mean fruit salad.

#5 was straightforward: I made (healthy) banana bread and brought it into the office to brighten my coworkers’ Monday morning. Recipe here (I add 3 tbs peanut butter and make in a regular loaf pan, none of this “petite loaf” business. Add 15 minutes bake time for full loaf magic).

I Do It All for the Puppies: #1, #2, and #3

Let’s get down to business.

To defeat… the Huns… HWAH!

These first three acts of kindness were sort of a warm-up for me. I want to do big things, small things, weird things, fun things, uncomfortable things… These felt on the small side to me, but general wisdom tells me every little bit helps.

Here they are, in reverse order.

#3. My boss received a request from a colleague to meet with his future daughter-in-law, a young woman who was affected by the recent shutdown of a business in our industry. I set up the meeting and requested her resume for my boss’s reference.

I’ve spent a lot of time helping people with their resumes as well as digging through hundreds of job applications to find candidates for very selective positions. So when this young woman (we’ll call her Lucy) sent her resume as a word document instead of a PDF, I took a moment.

A note to all jobseekers and people in general: do not send your resume as a word document. Word docs can be easily altered, unintentionally or intentionally, by the person who receives it. It shows that you don’t know how a resume should be submitted, or that you weren’t willing to take that extra step to make it look professional. In harsh terms, it makes you appear stupid and/or lazy. Oy vey, Lucy. Oy vey.

Now, my boss would never know that she sent her resume thusly, as I would print it out for him and it would sit just as nicely on his desk as a PDF or a .doc. But Lucy lost her job that day. She could be sending out her resume to dozens of places that week. And she could be rejected instantly, without ever knowing the reason why.

So Lucy got an email back from me, explaining (nicely) why it was a good idea to always send her resume as a PDF. And when she thanked me (even more nicely) for the advice, I offered to refer her to my temp agency, since it’s a great way to gain experience and be considered for jobs before anyone else. I can only hope she sent her resume in as a PDF.

#2. Here there be puppies. Walking to the grocery store this last weekend, I stumbled upon a dog adoption event, where I met these little fellows:

Yes, that's my pink shoe making a cameo

I wish I could rescue a dog, or a cat, but A) my building doesn’t allow such things, B) my significant other, R, would have words for me and C) yes, Mom, I know you (think you) are allergic to cats I HEAR YOU and D) my building doesn’t allow such things.

So instead, I donated some of my time to puppy play, and two of my dollars to the group organizing the adoption event, The Forgotten Dog Foundation.

#1. My first act was the most uncomfortable of the three, though I doubt it will rank among the toughest things I’ll have to do to make my goal.

On the 4^th of July, R and I left a friend’s BBQ on our way to the next BBQ, holding a box of cookies. Walking back to the car, we passed a homeless man sitting at a bus stop bench. It was an incredibly hot day, and this poor man was weathering it not in the shade. As I walked by, I couldn’t help notice the truly terrible smell he was emanating, and I thought how awful it would be to live that way. It’s the same thought I have whenever I walk by someone who is clearly in need of care that they can't provide themselves and may never receive.

I kept walking, even though I thought to myself, I should give him a cookie. Or something. But I didn’t— honestly, I can be scared of people, especially men, who are potentially addicts, mentally ill, homeless, or any combination of the three.

When we got to the car, R looked at me thoughtfully (he’s known about my 30 before 30 plan awhile now) and asked, “Do you want to give him a cookie?”

(One of the things I love about R is sometimes he thinks the same way I do, but with fewer hangups).

“Will you go with me?” I asked. “Of course,” he said. So we backtracked. I brought a cookie, held it out to the homeless guy, and asked if he wanted it.

The hardest part: he didn’t. He politely refused it, so I wished him a happy 4^th of July and went back to the car, cookie somewhat shamefully in hand.

“You tried,” R said. “It still counts.” At first I wasn’t sure if it did, but the more I thought about it, the more I believed that an act of kindness isn’t nullified just because it isn’t received the way you want it to be. 

It’s important not to be discouraged.

An Introduction

Turning 30 is a big deal. I’ve tried pretending that it’s not, and while I may have convinced myself that 30 isn’t old, it’s still a landmark birthday. Like 13 (bat mitzvah), 16 (drive a car), 18 (I’m an adult), 21 (drink up), and 25 (a quarter of a century). Point is, these landmark birthdays get fewer and farther between, starting, specifically at 30. After 30 is 40. After 40 is 50. And then 60. Oh, and then 65, because retirement (assuming my generation gets to retire). But you catch my drift.

So I’m not going to just let 30 happen. Sure, I’ll have a party and celebrate with my friends and loved ones and it’ll be fantastic. That’s just not quite enough for me. I’m going to make 30 matter.

With this goal in mind, I’ve decided to launch a ridiculously optimistic operation: 30 before 30. 30 acts of kindness that I will record here, in the next two months. To be honest, I’ve already started, and you’ll be reading about my first endeavors soon.

I’d like to include anyone who’s interested in my journey, both by inviting you to read this blog, and by asking for your suggestions. Is there a cause that’s important to you? Do you know someone who needs help? Do you need help? Let me know! You can either comment here or send me an email.

My financial resources are limited, but I believe every dollar counts, so some of my acts of kindness will include donations. But most will be gifts of time, skills, creativity, emotional support— whatever is needed.

This is my way of choosing to embrace aging rather than fear it. I’m really looking forward to turning 30 in style. 

—E