It's Not Always Convenient

     Time for a little honesty here.  This isn't always easy or convenient.  Sometimes it's even a pain in the neck.  Sometimes I feel some pressure to think of something to do.  Sometimes I want to take a day off.  Sometimes I don't feel like thinking about others - especially when I have my own issues going on.  But that's exactly why I created this challenge for myself in the manner that I did.  Committing myself to do an act of kindness every single day forces me to get outside of my own needs and and consider how I can help others.  And it's that daily commitment that eventually creates a habit, and that habit eventually creates a new way of being.  So in some bizarre kind of way, I almost like the tough days because that's when I learn and grow the most.

     So where did all that come from?  Today I was laid up for much of the day with some severe lower back spasms.  They came on fairly suddenly after my morning run and made it difficult to move around or even to concentrate.  My plans for the day, including a few good ideas for acts of kindness, had to be shelved.  

     Thankfully, I can still work on my computer, and there's no shortage of ways to help people through the internet.  I went to Wish Upon A Hero (a site I talked about earlier this year) and selected a person who needed help.  It was a woman in North Carolina whose husband is on disability and couldn't afford to pay their utilities this month. I contributed some money to at least close some of the gap and hopefully others will do so as well.  It didn't take long before I had a heartfelt thank you e-mail from her.  It's truly hard to imagine what it must feel like to be in that position.  That's no doubt worse than back spasms.