What Are You Thankful For?

I know I usually publish posts on Wednesdays, but the last few weeks have been busy, and last night, I just wanted to chill. In honor of Thanksgiving, I wanted to post about a wonderful day date I had with my spouse a few weeks ago. He is the person I am the most grateful for, not only today but every day.

Dating my Spouse

About six weeks ago, my husband and I took a day trip to Frank Lloyd Wright's iconic Falling Waters and the surrounding area of Ohiopyle. Visiting Falling Waters has been on our "date list" for a while. And to my surprise, my husband took it upon himself to plan the day and purchase the tickets. Not only was the house/tour worth the sixty-minute drive, but it was a perfect Autumn day. Cool and crisp but also sunny. The drive was beautiful! Watching the leaves changing colors is one of my favorite times of the year and one of the best parts about living in Pittsburgh.

After the tour and a walk around the property, we headed to a local pizza shop for lunch. There was a festival happening, so we walked around the downtown area and took in the sights. After lunch, Doug wanted to take me to see the waterfalls. We stopped at Cumberland Falls and climbed around on the rocks like we were little kids. While I was gung ho to make my way down the hill to sit by the river, I was also praying I wouldn't slip or miss a rock and end up soaking wet or injured. We made it out to the river with no issues, took in the beautiful scenery for a few minutes, and then headed back up the hill to our next stop.

Our next and last stop was the natural water slides at Meadow Run. It was way too cold to take a run down the slides, but it was fun listening to my husband tell me some stories of him and his buddies coming here when they were in college. I played around with the slow-motion and time-lapse features of my iPhone camera. Then it was back in the car to head home.

We decided to take the back roads home so we could enjoy more of the rolling hills and changing leaves. It was a fantastic day with my husband. And it got me thinking about the importance of taking time to plan special dates with your partner. It's easy to be all blissed out and lovely the first few years you are together. But when you've been together six years, it's easy to fall into routines and fail to plan special moments and experiences together.

Doug and I made a list a while back of all the things in Pittsburgh we would like to see or experience. While we can cross this one off the list, there are still so many dates to be planned. Now we have to take the initiative and actually plan to do them. I like the idea of a weekly or even monthly date night, but we never seem to make it happen. I'm so grateful Doug made an effort and planned a wonderful day for us. It looks like I'm up next!

What are some ways you and your partner "date" each other?

Not-So-Random Acts of Encouragement

Yesterday I happily mailed out the third installment of a ten-card kindness program in which I am participating. My cousin-in-law is a school teacher in Ohio, and she, along with her co-worker, created the "Spreading Kindness One Letter at a Time" project. This initiative pairs an adult with a student from their fourth-grade class. The participant writes a positive and encouraging letter or card to their student each month for the entire school year.

Volunteering for this program has me thinking quite a bit about how small acts of kindness can impact someone's life. When I published my pregnancy journey post a few weeks ago, I felt so appreciative and thankful for all the positive and inspirational comments and messages I received. So many friends, family members, and total strangers shared their personal stories with me and offered their encouraging words and hopeful prayers. It was heart-warming and humbling to receive so much encouragement in an area where I am struggling.

But in thinking about this Kindness Project, both the receiver and the giver are impacted. I always feel happier and inspired after writing out a card for this project. I am making a difference in a child's life, and that feels good.

Selfish or Selfless?

It may be a little selfish, but those feel-good feelings have inspired me to think of more ways I can interject some acts of encouragement into my life and continue to spread the good vibes. My first idea was to make a list of family, friends, and acquaintances and then commit to sending one card per month. I could work my way through the list until everyone was crossed off.

But after sitting with that idea for a little while, I decided I wanted this practice to be organic and thoughtful, requiring me to be more mindful and attentive in my relationships. I'm not thoughtless, but I tend to move quickly through my interactions. Much like how we scroll through social media feeds, I don't take much time to pause and reflect about the person with whom I just had a connection.

Just One Minute of Your Time

All it takes is one minute to think, "Hey, he seems to be struggling with x,y,z." or "Wow! I don't know how she does it all? What a superwoman!" or "I haven't heard from her in a while. She must be really busy?" While each scenario is different, a struggling friend, someone inspiring, or a co-worker who's really busy. I bet each person would be thankful and feel loved to get a card with a few encouraging sentences. A little, "Hi. I see what you're doing in the world, and I think you are amazing." How great would that feel to be the person making them feel amazing, even if only for that day?!

So instead of a random card each month, I want to be more intentional and not-so-random with my encouraging words. I want to not only make that person's day, but also live in the moment and be more thoughtful in my relationships. And the good vibes it puts out into the universe couldn't hurt either.

Are You Ready to Put Good Vibes Out in the Universe?

I wanted to share this project to hopefully inspire you to start a not-so-random acts of encouragement practice of your own. And at the very least, maybe get you thinking about all the times you've been on the receiving end of kindness and bring a smile to your face. :)

If you need somewhere to start here are a couple of options. A co-worker of mine shared them with me today. What perfect timing!

• Cards for Hospitalized Kids - This organization accepts handmade cards and distributes them to hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses across the nation.

• Operation We Are Here - This website has great resources for groups that coordinate distribution of cards and care packages for deployed military. This site also has suggestions of quotes and topics for the cards. A co-worker shared them with me today.

Why not start a new family tradition this Thanksgiving and get the entire family to make cards for a hospitalized child or a deployed service member and get them in mail just in time for the holidays.

And if you are a school teacher, take note of the "Speaking Kindness One Letter at a Time" project and consider implementing something similar at your school. Image all the lives that could be affected just by sending one positive letter a month!

Remember: Kindness is like glitter. Sprinkle that shit everywhere!

What have you implemented in your life to spread good vibes and kindness? Let’s share ALL the ideas!!!