"Things are easier said than done, or so the old adage goes, and we couldn't agree more. That's why we do The GOOD 30-Day Challenge, a monthly attempt to live better." September's 30 Days of GOOD challenge was to connect with people.
1. Send someone a postcard
The one person I still consistently use snail mail with is my roommate from freshman year of college. Every couple of months we send each other hand written letters. Hers have always been written on more interesting things than mine... the first one I received was written on what I assumed was a torn piece of a paper grocery bag. Along with the note, was a postcard from her recent trip to India. Her boyfriend drew the picture on the back. The last letter I received was at the beginning of the summer, so I have been meaning to write her back for a while. This time I sent her a postcard with a picture of hand painted mailboxes from a gallery in Santa Fe and wrote my letter on the bag from the store where I bought the postcard.
2. Have a conversation with a service employee
My mom and I had lunch today at Java Joe's, a place we go to frequently. The owner, Michael, served us our food, and we struck up a conversation about the coffee we bought recently and how good it was. We couldn't remember where we had gotten our last bag, then mentioned something about buying coffee at various shops around town. When we finally remembered that it came from JJ's, Michael's response was quick, and it stung: "That's great to hear, I almost blocked out the part about you buying coffee at other places." We were immediately shamed.
3. Share an old photo with a friend
My best friend from middle school is going to disown me for a little while for sharing this photo, but I keep threatening to blackmail her with it anyway. At my 6th grade birthday party she decided she couldn't get enough of the chocolate ice cream. Can you tell who was the more timid one? In some ways this is still the case. I sent her a copy via the US Postal Service along with postcard with a similar image. The day she received it I got a phone call and we talked for nearly an hour; it made her day.
4. Ask a relative what they did today
On September 4th I was at at the Four Corners Folk Festival in Colorado with my parents. What they did that day, I did. We went to soak in the hot springs, then headed back up to the festival, where we proceeded to meander between the music tent, the beer tent, and the dancing space.
6. Get coffee with a coworker
I didn't get coffee with one of my coworkers, but I did buy one of them coffee and bring it to the office. My coworker Adam has been helping me out with some updates to the back end of my portfolio site. Of course he said I didn't have to, but I made sure that I did. I think he was humbled when I showed up with his requested drink and a little shocked that I had actually followed through.
8. Email someone you follow on twitter.
Thankfully, in my opinion, I don't have a twitter account. So instead, I called my best friend Hannah, whose aunt recently passed away. Her aunt meant as much to me as she did to Hannah. We didn't talk for long that night, but we planned a call for the weekend. I also sent a text to her cousin, telling him to let me know if there was anything he needed.
9. Video chat with a faraway friend
I'm stretching the boundary here a little bit because the friend who is the furthest away from me right now is actually my brother, who moved to Vietnam back in January for his job. My parents and I have been Skyping with him every couple weeks or so since then. It is always more of an interview process than a real conversation when we talk with him. I get the overall feeling that he is homesick and misses everything he left behind. As of now, he'll only be there for a few years, then it's back to Portland, Oregon (he hopes).
10. Give food to a homeless person
In the last fews weeks I have noticed one particular homeless person standing at the intersection of the off-ramp I get off on every day to go to work. She looks to be in her late 20s or early 30s. Her thin dark brown hair is pulled back in a loose ponytail. Both times I've seen her she has been wearing the same fitted powder blue t-shirt and brown pants. The look on her face tells me she is tired, not the kind of tired that can be cured with more sleep, but the look that says someone has been through and is still going through some very tough times. If I see her again, I will give her my lunch. I did spend part of the day at a family friend's house who's mother recently passed away (see #8).
13. Call someone you haven't talked to in years
I've seen and talked to more of my high school friends recently than the friends I made in college. I can count on one hand the number of people I really connected with and consistently hung out with during those four years. One of them was Branwen. I hadn't talked to her since graduation over a year ago, except via Facebook, which doesn't really count.
14. Say hi to three strangers
I had lunch today at one of the food carts outside the international grocery store Talin. A stranger sat down at my table, and when I was getting ready to leave I said "have a great rest of your day." I also struck up a conversation with the woman who's cart I got my lunch from. We talked about the baguettes she gets from the Vietnamese bakery, Vietnamese sandwiches and the surrounding shopping center.
15. Make something for someone
This morning I made french toast for my mom and I before I left for work. For dinner we did a team effort in making calabacitas burritos.
18. Cook dinner for someone
I didn't cook dinner for someone, but I made this incredible peach and plum crisp for a potluck. I bought the peaches at the downtown growers market the day before; they were the size of small grapefruits and tasted like heaven.
19. Send a friend three links they'll love
I have been a vegetarian (with the exception of fish) for almost three years now. My best friend Hannah decided recently she too was going to stop eating meat, so I sent her a few links to my favorite recipe blogs. Some are purely vegetarian, some not. Her favorite thus far has been Sprouted Kitchen.
23. Thank an old teacher
I've encountered a few extraordinary teachers throughout my schooldays, and have kept in touch with many of them, one being my high school art teacher and college counselor. From the moment I walked into her Art I class in 9th grade she smothered me in her compassion, unconditional support, and love, just as she did with every one of her students. She cheered me on in my pursuit to attend the Kansas City Art Institute, her husband's alma mater, determined whole-heartedly that I was destined for greatness not only in the arts, but in life as well. A few months ago she thanked me for everything I had done for her the past few years. I responded with the following: "It would also be appropriate for me to thank you for all you have done for me - without your guidance and support I would not have the level of confidence and strength that is going to propel me into my future."
24. Go to a neighborhood business you've never been to
I went to the St. James Tearoom today for a friend's birthday party. We had afternoon tea, which included savories and tea sandwiches, two different types of scones, and a variety of desserts, all with a corresponding pot of tea.
25. Call someone instead of texting or posting on Facebook
I called my friend Jen, who has been one of my closest friends since 6th grade.
29. Settle an outstanding argument
As Oscar Wilde once said, "I dislike arguments of any kind. They are always vulgar, and often convincing." Thankfully I haven't had any serious arguments with anyone recently. When I do get upset with someone I try to resolve what are most often misunderstandings.
30. Have a conversation with someone 20 years older or younger
I have conversations with people 20 years older than me pretty much every day. Most of the people I work with are at least that much older than me. Most of them have kids, so when we are not talking about work-related stuff that is the next topic. In the past fews months I've heard everything from when they start school to who got a black eye during baseball practice the night before. I went to the library later that day and ended up eavesdropping on an older man's conversation with a guy who probably wasn't much older than me. He went on for about five minutes telling the young man a story about an experience in the Vietnam War. It didn't matter that the person he was talking to could obviously care less; he was as animated as he could be in a library. The one thing I remember about the conversation is when he told the kid: "It is always better to walk away, just walk away, instead of starting a fight," or something to that effect.
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