Compassion

Friday is my day to volunteer at the hospital for a couple of hours.  People who are there for one day surgery sign in and I call the nurses' station to announce that their next patient is there.
One of the reasons that I enjoy the waiting room is that I run into people and former students from years passed.  That was the case today.
I asked a friendly looking young man if he would please get the top/lid off of my bottle of Snapple. [I have a hard time with that, and I didn't want to pound it on the desk to 'pop the seal' the way I do at home.]  When I looked at his face, I realized that it was a familiar one...a former student.
While he was easy to recall and a wonderful young man as a student, it was his sister who left a profound and lasting impression.on me.  A great kid and a pleasure to teach, she was obviously a very compassionate person even at the age of ten.
She quietly raised her hand in the middle of a lesson and said,
"Please excuse my interruption, but there is a moth caught in a spider web right outside the window, and it is very stressed.  Could I please just let it go so that it won't die trying to get free?"
Well, of course!
She hopped up on the window shelf and her good friend held her waist while I held her feet as she freed that struggling moth/butterfly.
Whew!  What a simple yet grand gesture to another living creature!

So as her brother left, I asked him to say hello to his sister for me, and ask her if she remembers rescuing a moth from a spider's web in 5th grade.
'Cause I sure do!!

Spread Some Glad!

Hallelujah! Back on the computer and happy to be here!!

So many stories, thoughts, ideas, new learning experiences... ups, downs, and all around the roller coaster of life!. And away we go...the first one...

Today I had a 9:30 Mammogram appointment at the radiology center. It's a yearly date for 'the girls' and 'it is what it is'. Annoying...yet necessary.

On the way to hospital, I stopped by the farmer's market and from my favorite vendor, I bought 25 colorful, gladiolas, 2 sets of bloomin' sunflowers, and 3 small bouquets of mixed flowers.

Cradling the 25 glads in my arms, I entered the hospital by way of the emergency room as I do whenever I volunteer at the one day surgery desk. I stopped at the ER window and said to the two women working there,

"Pick out a flower!"
And I explained the 'glad routine' that if you pluck off the bottom flowers as they get past their prime, the gladiola will continue to bloom- flower by flower- all the way to the top! What was the result? Great big smiles and a more scenic ER waiting room!!!

On to radiology, and as I signed in, I had each of the staff members behind the glass window 'pick out a flower!'

As I went back to the x-ray room, I recognized two women who I met back in the 70's and we were on the same softball team. And then a former student, now an x-ray technician, smiled and we chatted about her career as well as her sister and two brothers whose paths crossed with mine in my classroom. I love seeing former '10 year old friends' become adults and venture out in the real world.

"Pick out a flower!"When I was done with the 'mammo', I asked the technician how many women had appointments today while she was there.

"Ten".

"Pick out 12 flowers...one for you...one for the room...and then ten flowers...one for each of the women who would certainly be 'glad' that they were taking good care of their health and the fact that it was over for another year!!! "

What did I see?
Great big smiles!! And I managed to 'squeeze' [get the pun?] a colorful addition to the stark machinery of the x-ray room.

On my way out, I stopped by the CEO's office and also to a doctor who I know is on the committee to hire new doctors, to remind them that we have not one rheumatologist on staff in the entire city and I, for one, will be GLAD when they manage to recruit one...or two. I know they are working on it, but so far no living, breathing rheumatology group has signed on the dotted line to help people who have one of the 100 different kinds of arthritis!! Neither of the two men were there and so I said to each of their secretaries,

"Pick out two flowers...one for you, and one as a visual reminder for your boss to further the cause. "

What did I see? Great big smiles! One of the secretaries said she would bring her flower to her 95 year old mother in the nursing home. Gotta like that!

As I exited the parking garage, I passed the last gladiola to the woman in the booth who collects the parking money for hours. More smiles....This is fun!!

At home, when the man who gathers my recyclables and trash stopped by on his regular weekly stop, I gave him one of the mini bunches of sunflowers to give to his mother [95], and the other bunch of sunflowers went to a friend's mom to keep her smiling while her daughter was away on vacation. What did I see? Great big smiles!

And I know that... as the flowers went to the many women whose smiles I didn't see firsthand...there were still smiles happening. And that little bit of encouragement goes on to influence their family's lives. On and on and on...And that is my motivation. My flower shower would not be considered normal [whatever that is!]

I share this only as a means of getting others to think of different ways to help generate some smiles. Bring a bag of Hershey Chocolate minibars to your next doctor appointment for the office people. I witnessed a man do this, and let me tell you...the smiles are big. Unexpected gifts are the best!

I don't want compliments for me. I want to know that you will join the wave. And how?

Glad to be back!!

Mellow Yellow... Socks Rock!

Feeling a little blue? Need a lift?

A little background first...

When I was in college, not only did I learn about life from the courses that I took, but also from the newly formed friendships that resulted from spending time together... especially during the summers at the Jersey shore!! One of my 'sisters' [Sigma Kappa Phi] had her own personal formula for chasing the blues away. Kathy called it "Happy Food." What was it?

It was toasted pound cake with vanilla ice cream. It never varied in any way. Always pound cake that you toasted and then put vanilla ice cream on the top...'happy food'.

Well, now I have begun a newer version and you can get right in step: happy feet.

Happenstance: While shopping and always on the lookout for socks that are easy on/ easy off with loose tops that will not leave marks on my mother's legs, I noticed 'Bonnie Doon' crew socks on the rack. What a blast from the past! We had to wear 'Bonnie Doon' grey knee -hi socks as a part of our high school uniforms. I had not thought about them in forty [!!] years! They are everything I was looking for as well as they were yellow!! [the color of sunshine: bright and cheery]. I bought all of them. And sent a pair to my high school friend as a 'happy-gram' [ a surprise with no calories that can be put into service more than once].

I wrote, "When things are lookin' down, put your yellow socks on, and things will be lookin' brighter!"

I just mailed a pair to my niece who is on a business trip and is working away from her family and sounding sad. When she gets home, they'll be there!

Yesterday as I was still trying to get Mom healthy[ she's had a respiratory thing going on], I put on my yellow striped socks to keep me smiling and awake. 'Cause when she wakes up four times during the night, so do I, and I needed a lift: yellow socks!

Try it. You'll like it!

Works for me.

Get going. Put them on your shopping list. Put your best foot forward. Give them out for Christmas!

Spread some sunshine. You'll see the light.

Yellow socks rock!

Ring- ring-a -ling!

Today was my annual 'Red Kettle' event. The Retired Teachers' Association volunteers two people[at a time] for a two hour shift , and today it was at our local mall. It has become a yearly tradition to schedule a spot with 'Holy Communion Helen'[ my mom's nickname for her], and it is actually a good time. Helen and I taught together, and we both can be a bit entertaining without trying. After my first stint a couple of years ago where I froze while realizing that I had some difficulty standing for two hours, I got smarter. So now I bring my [turquoise] walker that doubles as a seat and have 'way more fun' sitting through the experience as we joke and talk and thank people for their donations. It was a pleasant surprise to see how many shoppers shared their change as well as paper money with The Salvation Army's cause. Maybe the economy has hit close to home, and people are willing to help out those who are in more dire straits. Some have no job, no health care, no reason to be particularly hopeful that better times are in their future... All the while listening to some [???] expressing that all they really need to do is to 'pull themselves up by their bootstraps' ! It's just not as easy as that.

On a lighter note, we decided to move inside the double doors because two hours seem much longer when you are in the wind and/or chilly outdoors. Helen took my bag of ' donated books' to the exact location in the mall that collects them all year long for a GIANT book fare in July. And when she came back...she acted surprised that there was a box of Gertrude Hawk Peanut Butter Smidgies in her hand!! They must have flown into her hands when she passed the store. Wahoo! I went to the Pepsi machine and got us each a drink. When did it go up to $1.25 for a soda??? Imagine the mixed message to our body...the best in chocolates [ a gazillion calories...actually 4 pieces were 245 calories] and a diet-Pepsi chaser. Helen was tossing the bell into the air and trying to catch it by the handle. To which I said, "Hey oh Science Guru!! There must be a scientific reason it isn't happening very often."

And she began explaining, " Actually, the bell's bottom is..."

"Huh? [I'm laughing] :You decide how to explain that the bell went sailing through the double doors!!!" Imagine the headline: Retired Teachers Shatter Mall Doors as they Red Kettle Sit!!

We had many, many laughs...quite often recalling the funnier experiences that we had as teammates over the years. It was a good two hours. And people put dollar bills in the Red Kettle! It has to make me think that maybe they were counting their blessings as they made a donation for those more in need of basic life help.

So when you pass those annoying [Helen] bell ringers, think of me [ not as heavy handed with my bell] and be a part of those who are helping others who could certainly use it!!

And the Gertrude Hawk chocolate...oh yeah...I would recommend it!! Mmm-mm!

Flowers just make ya want to smile!

I am happy to share the latest in "Spread Some Glad!!"

The farmer's market is where I buy my flowers to pass along to random people, and it is where I saw Emily, fellow teacher and friend. When I mentioned that I buy the flowers to bring on surprise smiles, she mentioned the many flower gardens at her house that could join the cause'.

This morning, Emily called and said that the storm over the weekend had knocked down many of the flowers in her gardens, and would I be interested in stopping by to get them. Would I? Oh Yeah!!!

On my way to volunteer at the hospital, I stopped by her house. There was a basket of flowers arranged into many little bouquets of colorful flowers, secured in coffee cups with some water...and ready to share... Mother Nature's bounty via Emily's loving care and attention, given a boost along the way by the thunderstorm...and delivered my me...the messenger. Here they are lined up on the counter awaiting a home! So where did they go?

1-to the woman in the parking garage booth[cubicle]

2-to my former student Lauren who happened to be the emergency waiting room clerk[!!] I'm thinking she brought me flowers when she was in 5th grade.

3-to Gertrude, the volunteer, whose place I took at the desk at 11:15.

4-on the counter of the one day surgery desk

5-to the windowless volunteer office

6-through the retractable drawer at the drug store drive-thru window [This one was really fun!]

7-my 88 year old neighbor, Betty

8-my 97 year old mother Flo [ of course!]

And one of my commentors stopped back [on my July 28th post] to say that she passed out flowers to the people in the highway toll booths. So, join the grassroots cause..and help 'spread some glad'. Flowers come in all sizes, shapes, and colors. All beautiful!

You're going to like the smiles!

Spread Some Glad!

I went to the Farmer's Market last Saturday, and bought fresh fruit and colorful flowers...sunflowers and glads. I had St Nic take a couple of sunflowers home with her on Sat when she left for the day. On Sunday when my friend Debbie stopped over, I encouraged her to take a couple of flowers with her when she left. On Monday, after my surgeon's appointment was done, my 'doctor appointment shopping partner' and I went to Marshall's and TJ Max. Not enough time for The Christmas Tree Shoppe on this trip.We always find unique treasures, and enjoy ourselves since we both like the same stores. When she left my house, I had her take a couple of flowers home. All of these friends had big smiles as they left the house with a couple of flowers. But the gift of a flower that was the most fun was...

I had 3 gladiolas in the car with me to bring to the doctor's office. I've done this before, and it never ceases to amaze me how surprised they always are..."These are for us?? Why??"

" No reason, just because.."

But it wasn't the dr's office that was the best...they got 2 glads. When Kate and I went through the McDonald's Drive-thru to get the standard 'breakfast on the road' Egg McMuffin, I arrived at the window where the money is collected. The woman said, " That's $8.59, please". I thought to myself that she probably stands on her feet for hours, it was a Monday morning, and 'what the heck'...I reached over and pulled out one of the gladiolas and handed it to her along with the money to pay for our order. Well, Holy Mackeral, Andy! She was so surprised, excited, amazed, and a great, big beautiful smile spread across her face.

"This is for me? No one has ever done this!! Thank you! Thank you!"
It was a flower. What a wonderful thing!

I had experienced this impromptu "Wow!"smile when I gave out a flower to the person standing in each toll booth on the ride from NJ to NY. The men were just as 'glad' as the women! So, the moral of the story is...

SPREAD SOME GLAD.

You never know the domino effect it might have on people's lives when they are in a good mood and it transfers from them to others.

And the world could certainly benefit from more people in good moods!!