February 18-25

February 25 - Make a difference, one post-it note at a time - From the editor, Caitlin:

 "I began Operation Beautiful by leaving positive messages on the mirrors of public restrooms — at work, at the gym, at the grocery store.  I scribble down whatever comes to mind — "You are beautiful!" or "You are amazing just the way you are!"  My personal goal is to leave as many Operation Beautiful notes as I can. Maybe some people read them and just smile, but I bet some people are truly touched by the effort of a random stranger."

 February 24 - Be an organ donor - I'm not sure if there is an organ donor awareness day, but there certainly should be.  A few years ago my husband's niece died in a car accident.  It was a very sad tragedy to have a 24 year old girl killed during what should be the prime of her life - sadder still that she wasn't an organ donor.  Since her family didn't know her wishes and they didn't have any prior views on what it means to be an organ donor they opted not to donate.  As I watched the medical staff unplug all of the machines that were keeping her alive I wept not only for her but for the life giving organs that she possessed that were dying at that moment as well.  If you have not checked off the 'organ donor' box on your drivers license or made family members aware of your wishes, please do so today.

For more information on organ donation here are some websites:  LifeSharers.org
OrganDonor.gov   Alliance for Paired Donation (living kidney donations)

February 23 - Share Dr. Wayne Dyer -  I was 16 years old when I broke up with my first boyfriend.  The world was coming to an end (isn't it always when you're in high school?).  I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep and I didn't want to engage in life.  I wonder if my parents thought they were going to have to put me into therapy for depression.  Not to worry, help was on the way!  As luck would have it I was enrolled in a psychology class with a wonderful and dynamic teacher, Mr. O'Neal.  He had us read Dr. Dyer's book called 'Your Erroneous Zones' and it changed my life for the better.  I learned how to not let my thoughts and emotions run away from me and how to create positive mind shifts and thought patterns.  Dr. Dyer's writing has matured over the years, as have I, and I continue to use his writing and teachings as a source of inspiration in my life.  He is truly one in a million.

February 21 - Let someone jump the queue - Whenever I see an opportunity I am more than happy to give up my place in line and let someone go ahead of me.  What a nice surprise it was today when I found myself with a handful of frames at Micheal's Arts & Crafts store and the lady in front of me invited me to go ahead of her in line.  I, and my strained arm muscles, thank her. 

February 20 - Fill out that survey - We all get tons of surveys in the mail, on the phone, via internet or email.  If I only had a dime for every person that has tried to extract information from me!  But, if we take the time to think about it, company's are using these surveys to help serve us better.  I haven't yet done a formal survey for La Muse but when I do it will be to help fine tune the products and services I offer so that I can do a better job of making my customers happy.  Admittedly we can't take the time to fill out every survey that comes across our desk but if we view providing our opinion as an act of kindness we might take the time out to share information with the companies we support and trust.  I received a survey from Intuit today.  I happen to love Intuit products and services.  What has sold me most about them is their customer service, it's hands-down the best I've ever experienced.  So when a 'very brief' survey from them arrived in my email today I happily took the time to fill it out and ad my comments.

February 19 - Pick up street trash -  Lord knows there is no shortage of trash on the streets, we could spend every waking hour on this good karma activity.  Instead of driving yourself crazy perhaps you'd like to try this strategy instead.  Pick a trash can you walk by each day and make it a point to throw something in it.  I walk to get coffee at Misha's most every day.  As I walk over I pick up one or two pieces of trash that is lying on the street and dump it in the trash can I pass.  No my neighborhood is not a dump, it's actually very nice, but I can always find a scrap of paper or a cigarette butt that can be put in it's proper place.

February 18 - Brighten up your neighborhood - This was a great one and I wish I had my camera with me to take a picture of it.  On Valentine's Day morning my husband and I were walking around town.  We came up to King St., which is the main shopping street, and as we turned the corner we began to notice printed hearts on 8.5" x 11" pieces of paper taped to the store windows.  At first I thought it was a promotion by one of the stores but as we walked block after block and kept seeing the hearts I realized that it was a random act of kindness.  Someone, or a few someones, printed out all of these hearts and got up bright and early Valentine's Day morning and taped them to all the business windows on King St.  What fun!  It made me smile and was a perfect way to start the morning.