The Best Birthday Gift

I'm actually blogging! Whaaa?! 

Yes, it is true. I wanted to share something wonderful. 

Today is my birthday! WHOOOO!

 Getting older makes me a lot more contemplative about each August 29th. I mean, I'm not going to go to Chucky Cheeses, or have a Frozen themed party like I might have if I was turning 5. I have a family now, so I'm not going to go all crazy with the spending either, just because "it's my party, and I can do what I want to." I mean, lets face it, 30 is coming like an endorphin-spiked Kenyan runner zooming around the track. I'm not getting any younger--and that's why I want to make every moment count. 

The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to make my birthday special...but not special in the "please spoil me, because I was born" kind of special...special in the life changing way. 

I decided to dedicate my day to serving others. Since I turned 27, I decided to do 27 random acts of kindness. 

It was so fun! First, it stopped me from thinking about myself. I'll be honest, I've had some real Pity Party/Whoa-is-me birthdays in the past, but this was the best antidote. 

It became like a quest: "I wonder who I can help here?"

"Can I do anything for that woman?"

It really has been one of my best birthdays yet! I am so grateful for this opportunity to excitedly look outside myself. Maybe I'll do this once every few weeks.

My 27 Random Acts of Kindness:

1) I woke up early (NOT easy for me! I was actually sleeping well!) and made my husband lunch before work.

2) I wrote a "Thanks for giving birth to me" card to my mom. (Mom, I hope you don't read this post until AFTER you get it :)  )

3) I gave my little guy A LOT of laundry basket rides. (Okay, let me explain. These are his fav. He sits in the basket, and I sprint, pushing him around the house. It is A WORKOUT, so I usually can't do it very long...but I did today!)

4) Picked up 57 pieces of litter while on my run. (Seriously. I actually counted that as three 'random acts.')

7) Picked up garbage that had fallen out of neighbor's car.

8) Wrote a thank you note to the mailman.

9) Had a great conversation with a lady at Ross. It was fun and genuine.

10) Complimented a random person's shirt.

11) Got Max all buckled in and ready to run to the store, when he fell asleep. Normally I would have gone anyway, waking him up, but I drove around the parking lot, parked back in my spot, and carried him up to bed.

12) Shared a scripture that I read this morning with a friend.

13) Gave a comforting text to a friend in need.

14) Wrote a comforting e-mail to a friend in need.

15) Contacted a friend I haven't talked to in over a decade.

16) Found an ancestor named Nancy Tate on Family Search who needed her temple work done (Follow links for more information about temples and temple work for the dead. In a nutshell, as  member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we believe that we are all able to make choices for ourselves, and that is a wonderful gift from God. We also believe the family is central to God's plan and that through covenants, or promises we make with God, we can live in God's presence with our families forever. For our ancestors who have passed away before they have had the opportunity to make these covenants, we do proxy work, such as baptism, in their behalf in our temples. They then can accept or reject what we have done).

17) Found another ancestor named Caroline Haas who also needs her temple work done.

18) Complimented Walgreen's employee's hair, and had a great conversation.

19) Filled the car up! (I usually forget...)

20) Gave a $5 Starbuck's card my husband got from a student to a homeless man.

21-27) Wrote handwritten letters to family and friends!

I am certainly not trying to boast about all the acts of kindness I did, I just want to share the committment I made that made my day so special! I challege everyone to do the same on their next birthday. Give a gift to everyone around you, and to yourself in return! 

DO IT! I triple-dog-dare you!