The Manner of Giving is Worth More Than the Gift

29 Random Acts of Kindness for My 29th Birthday

Typically when my birthday comes around, I'm the first one to plan a huge bash for myself, buy myself a brand new outfit, and take advantage of the entire month of May by using my birthday as an excuse to do whatever I wanted...and more importantly, EAT whatever I wanted.
Raw cookie dough for breakfast? It's my birth month, you can't judge me.

For my birthday this year, I decided to do something a little different.

I love seeing people smile. Even more so, I love being the reason people are smiling. 
I've come to realize that making people happy is one of my core missions as a human being.

I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate my birthday this year than to act on that! 

 
So, I completed 29 Random Acts of Kindness for my 29th birthday!

Here's a list of everything I did: 

 1. I Volunteered at Habitat for Humanity
Not only did they trust me with a caulking gun, but they trusted me to climb a ladder and caulk the soffit on the roof. I was so excited for this job that I may or may not have mentioned to them that I am the biggest klutz in the world and tend to be accident-prone.

 
 Luckily I finished without any incidents. 
I am, however, still finding caulking underneath my fingernails. 


2. I Crashed a Baby Registry
I jumped on the Babies R Us website, searched the registry, picked one at random, and bought them something off of their wish list.

Congratulations to the Thompson family in York, PA! I hope your new baby enjoys the sound machine. 

 3. I Left Money in a Purse at the Thrift Store
I wrapped cash in a little note that said something along the lines of Today is my birthday and I'm paying it forward - enjoy this cash and have a great day!
I put the cash in a random purse that was for sale and walked away. Adrenaline rush!!
I really want to go back to the thrift store and see if someone bought that purse yet. 

4. I Bought Someone's Clothes at the Thrift Store 
I went up to the counter, handed them cash, and explained to them that I'd like to help pay for the next person's items. I also asked that if there was any cash left over afterwards to please use it for the next person, and so on and so forth. 
I jetted out of there, but looked back just in time to see the next person go to the counter. 
I think I pulled a muscle I smiled so hard. 

5. I Cleaned Up My Neighbor's Yard 
My neighbor is trying to sell his house and his landscaping is typically immaculate. Our properties are lined with jungle-like tropical foliage, and some large palm frawns had started to gather on his lawn. I picked them up and moved them to our brush pile for him. 

6. I Left Cash at the Gas Pump
Sometimes filling up can make you cringe. Hopefully this made someone cringe a little less. 

7. I Sent a Nice Greeting Card to a Random Address 
 I picked up the phone book (you know, those antique books you have stacked in your garage holding up a wobbly work bench), flipped to a random page, closed my eyes, and put my finger on an address. Hope it brightens your day, Ms. J. Moody! 

8. I Brought In My Neighbor's Trash Can
If you leave them out there for too long, the city will ticket you. Ain't nobody got time for that.

9. I Left Money at a Vending Machine
I taped a dollar bill to the machine - enjoy a cold one on me, random stranger! 

  10. I Left Quarters at the Laundromat 
Nobody likes doing laundry. Hopefully this made it a little less daunting.

 20. I Left Inspirational Notes on Car Doors 
Who doesn't love a little surprise inspiration?!

 

12. I Returned Grocery Carts at Target...and Publix..and CVS...and Home Depot
Some people are lazy, it's a fact of life. I took some of the carts people left out in the parking lot and put them back in the cart return. 

13. I Left a Publix Gift Card...In Publix
I stuck it in next to the baby formula with a note that it was a legitimate gift card and to please use it. I hope some new mommy out there got a little relief!

14. I Bought the Person's Order Behind Me at the Dunkin Donuts Drive Through 
Have a great day, Ms. Medium Iced Mocha with 2 Donuts!


15. I Was a Meter Fairy
Parking tickets downtown are the worst. Hopefully I saved this car from having a bad day. 


16. I Took Plastic Bags to the Dog Park
There's nothing worse than getting to the dog park and realizing they're out of poop bags. These spare bags should save some dog mom or dad out there from being "that owner". 

17. I Donated Designer Clothes To a Shelter
I have a closet full of clothes that I rarely wear, some of it brand new with tags still attached. 
I took a bag full of brand new items, some of them designer, and dropped them off at a shelter. 
I hope whoever ends up with that Burberry shirt wears it with pride! 


18. I Took Balloons to the Children's Hospital 
I wasn't certain what to expect, as I didn't have a particular patient to visit. They didn't let me in to see individual patients, but I was allowed to give them to the nursing supervisor to give out to kids who may need a little extra pick me up. 

She was so excited, and then told me about this great charity event of sorts called 10,000 Balloons, which is part of the Monday Morning series led by Yazmany Arboleda. They've taken to the streets of Nairobi, Bangalore, and Yamaguchi so far, giving away balloons to the citizens of those cities that need a little extra hope. Talk about being right up my alley!

  More photos:
Nairobi, Kenya
 Yamaguchi, Japan
 Bangalore, India

The next one will take place in Kabul, Afghanistan. 
I, of course, bought a balloon for the next release in Kabul.
Balloon number 3,821 to be exact.
 And now my photo is on their virtual mural, too! 

19. I Took More Balloons to a Local Rehab / Assisted Living Facility
 I had to leave them with an attending nurse in the activities area, but got lucky and was able to peek behind me as she passed them out. It was both heartwarming and heartbreaking. I wanted to hug all of them.

20. I Took Even More Balloons to Kids Playing in the Park
Balloons are so magical, especially when you're a child. I loved watching their eyes light up as I bent down next to them and asked if they wanted a balloon. It was like Christmas morning. I might turn this into a weekly ritual. It was so simple and easy and just plain wondeful.

21. I Handed Out Cold Bottled Waters

I took a cooler full of water and walked around downtown. There was a group of older women who were practicing what looked to be a "Gangnam Style" dance routine/flash mob. No lie. And they were awesome.
I left waters for all of them-it was so hot out, and they were breakin a sweat!

22. I Left a Very (Very) Generous Tip for my Server

I've been in their shoes, and I know what they go through every day. Hopefully that made their shift go by a little faster. 

23. I Bought a Stranger a Drink

I looked around the restaurant and spotted a woman with a very delicious looking Strawberry Daquiri. I told the server I wanted to pay for it, and to not tell her who bought it.
I just loved watching her look around to try and find out who ordered it. 
Another pull-a-muscle-smiling moment. 

24. I Left a Bus Pass at the Station 

I bought a bus pass, good for all day unlimited rides, and taped it to the side of the bus stop.

25. I Left Cookies, Cold Water and a Thank You Note for the Mailwoman

The houses in my neighborhood don't have mailboxes on the street- they're all attached to the sides of the houses. Which means the mail people have to walk from house to house, lugging the mail. I can't imagine how hot it must be for them in the Florida summers.

26. I Was a Human Pooper Scooper

There is a great grassy park area on my street where people tend to sometimes not pick up after their dogs. I cleaned up their messes.
I decided against a photo op here. You're welcome.

27. I Painted Over Graffiti Downtown

I actually had a hard time finding some to paint over, which is a good thing!

Before                                    After

28. I Left Coupons Behind 

I'm good at clipping them but not so good at using them. Hopefully someone will take advantage of these!

29. I Left a Few Dollars at a Redbox

Hopefully it made someone's night-in a little more exciting!

It was a fantastic day full of giving back and paying it forward and making people smile, and hands down the absolute best birthday I have ever had. 

March Madness

Remember back in October last year when I had every weekend crammed to the top with all sorts of activities, from FlugTag to running a marathon to meandering around New York City to building a giant Mau5 head? 

Yea, that's my March. But this time, with more palm trees.

This weekend kicks off Phillies Spring Training in Clearwater. You know how Prateek is with his Philadelphia sports, and we wouldn't dare miss the Spring Training opening day, decked out in Phillies gear lounging in the outfield grass with a bucket of beverages.

The following week it's off to the Port of Miami, where I'll be walking down the aisle of a cruise ship in a pretty blue bridesmaids dress, helping celebrate a dear friend's wedding! We'll be cruising to Mexico for some fun in the sun aboard the Celebrity Millenium.

The weekend after that it's back to Miami for what I've been looking forward to since last April. The time when my inner rave child comes out to play. The time when nothing in the world matters except the music being made from surrounding turntables.The epitome of the pop culture revolution.

Three words:

Ultra. Music. Festival.

After I recover from Ultra, I'm headed straight for the movie theater to watch Katniss show the Capitol what she's made of.

 Prateek's birthday rolls in after that, and then it's off to Las Vegas a few weeks later to celebrate in style!

Tired yet? 

That doesn't even include my rigorous running/training/get-myself-into-shape routine and busy workdays. 

I will single-handedly keep Starbucks in business this month.

Thank goodness I have my Gold Card so I get free add-ins! 

A Day Older Only Matters if You're A Banana

Typically I’m the one that always plans my own birthday party – get the invites out early, plan a big extravagant night on the town with friends, the whole bit. This year was different. I was at odds with what I wanted to do, if anything, and waited until the last minute to decide. Plus, 27 isn’t that fun of a number, and to be honest I was a little freaked out that I was going to “officially” be in my late twenties! Shouldn’t I have my long-term future kind of planned out by now? Financial independence, a set career path, raising a family? I had a slight quarter-life-crisis moment, even though I would never admit it face to face with anyone.

It just so happened that the Tampa Bay Rays had a game on Saturday night, and it also happened to be that Darius Rucker was doing a post-game concert! It was the perfect solution to a birthday celebration. I love Darius, with his unique baritone voice and easy cool attitude, from Hootie and the Blowfish all the way to his current country career. Plus, Cracked Rear View was the first CD I ever owned, so Darius and his songs will always have a special place in my heart. 

We told a few people what we were up to, just in case they were in the area, but I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it since it was so last minute. 
As it all turns out, it was one of the most fun birthdays to date!The game was fun, the concert was awesome, and dinner and drinks afterwards was the perfect mix of chill and celebration.

It’s amazing what a great time you can have on an impromptu night with good friends, and this weekend made me realize that I don’t have to plan a lavish event in order to have an awesome birthday. It also helped me focus less on what I haven’t experienced yet at this point in my life, and turn it into an appreciation of what wonderful experiences I have had so far, and acknowledge the abundant life I already live!

My birthday wish this year -- that nothing will let me forget that :)