Daily dose of awesome x 3

Little awesome moments happen every day. They just don't always become headline news...
Daily Dose of Awesome highlights the awesome little things that don't make headlines (but should).

Daily dose of awesome #1

Last weekend I went for a run near a popular city park, Bayview Park. The sun was shining. The tennis courts were buzzing with activity. As I rounded a bend to walk down the hill to the bayou, I stopped because a mob of kids -- easily three dozen teenagers -- had taken over the sidewalk.

My first thought, sadly, was "What kind of trouble are these kids up to?!?"

But, on closer inspection, I realized that they were all hanging out and having a grand ol' time racing their scooters and skateboards down the hill. They were laughing, and playing, and enjoying a gorgeous day.

No property damage. No bullying. Just a (huge) bunch of kids having a good day.


Daily dose of awesome #2

My blog-buddy Kim was the recipient of a random act of Paying it Forward!
(Free lunches do exist, and they restore a little bit o' faith in humanity!)


Daily dose of awesome #3

A friend found out that I landed a new job in DC.

One morning this week, when I went into my office for office hours, I found a congratulations card tucked under my keyboard...

That one sweet gesture brightened my whole week!

Daily dose of awesome x 2

Little awesome moments happen every day. They just don't always make headline news...
Daily Dose of Awesome highlights the awesome little things that don't make headlines (but should).

A little bit of awesome...

On Saturday I was out for a run. It hurt. I wanted to throw in the towel and try again another day. (Given the crunching, pinching pain in my right foot... maybe that would've been a wise choice? *cough* plantar fasciitis *cough* But I digress...)

A few miles in, I passed another runner who was bundled up in a black and hot pink outfit, topped off with a black fleece vest. She seemed focused on the music streaming from her earbuds. We nodded a brief greeting and moved on.

Half an hour later, as I was headed for home, I passed the fleece-clad runner again.

This time she gave me a big smile, a thumbs up, and a huge WOO HOO!

That made me smile (and made the last couple of miles far more pleasant).

I'm sure my fellow runner had no idea how much I needed that nudge, but it made a huge difference for my run and for my day.

Thank you fleece runner!


... and a BIG dose of awesome

While watching the local news last night, I couldn't help but be stunned by the story of 9-year-old Alyssa Cravatt, a young girl who has spent many long nights in the hospital undergoing treatment for severe asthma.

Rather than let her medical condition dampen her spirit, Alyssa decided she had a mission in life. She started asking friends and family to give her gift cards for her birthday...

She uses those gift cards to buy trunk-loads of toys, and then she personally delivers the toys to other children in the hospital.

(Ok, the Alyssa story did make headlines, but only here in the local press. And a nine year old giving up her birthday toys to cheer up children in a hospital? That story is too good not to share!)

Daily dose of awesome

Little awesome moments happen every day. They just don't always make headline news...
Daily Dose of Awesome highlights the awesome little things that don't make headlines (but should).

I love the beach. I enjoy long walks on the beach. Occasionally I'll even run a couple of miles along the water's edge.

But 80+ miles? On soft sand? Running the same mile-long-loop for 24 hours?
Hmm... All I can think of are blisters, swollen ankles, and chafing from the sand.

The Emerald Coast

Thankfully (for one national charity) not everyone sees things that way...

On Saturday evening, six endurance runners will line up on the beach in Destin, Florida. They will run on the sand for 24 hours to attempt to break the world record for "greatest distance run on sand in 24 hours." The current official record stands at 83.04 miles.

The runners’ goal, in addition to a world record attempt, is to raise funds and awareness for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Early reports indicate that participants have already raised more than $35,000 for the charity.

$35,000 in fundraising isn't bad for a day's work!

Best wishes to the runners!

For more information, see my article on the world record sand run Examiner.com

Daily dose of awesome

Little awesome moments happen every day. They just don't always make headline news...
Daily Dose of Awesome highlights the awesome little things that don't make headlines (but should).

Today's feature: 9 days of nice.

"...what if we devoted nine days to showing the world (and everybody in it) that we loved them?"
Yes and Yes

Starting today Sarah Von of the blog Yes and Yes is coordinating a get-out-the-nice effort. Each day, Feb 4-14, has a proposed do-gooder task including: write a positive yelp review for a small business you love, pay off someone's layaway plan, or clean up a public space...

Closer to home, I've learned that the Florida Trails Association organizes weekly work crews to do trail maintenance. (Trail runners rejoice!)

What good things could you do this week?

Daily dose of awesome

Little awesome moments happen every day...
Daily Dose of Awesome highlights the awesome little things that don't make headlines (but should).

Not Awesome: Last Tuesday morning I locked myself out of the house. Still in my pajamas. With no phone. No wallet. Covered in dust and cleaning products.

It's a long story to explain how the lockout happened.
The short version is: Blame. The. Cat.

Sure, she looks cute and innocent...

Awesome: The kindness of neighbors.

One of my neighbors is often home during the day. (Oh, the joys of retirement!) He's the de-facto neighborhood watchman. He was the first person to greet Hubby and I when we moved into the neighborhood, and he's the first person all the neighbors call when there's an emergency.

So.

Pajama-clad and all, I went and knocked on my neighbor's door.

He welcomed me in, let me wash the grime and dust off, and handed me his phone so I could make the long-distance call to Hubby's cell.

Then my neighbor turned his computer on so I could send an SOS message to Hubby at work. (In this day and age email gets a response FAR faster than voicemail.) Once we knew help was on the way, my neighbor offered me a place to rest (read: not locked outside in my pajamas) while I waited.

The keys... which were inside the house when the latch clicked closed behind me.

Had my neighbor not welcomed me in, I'd have been up a creek without a paddle (or stuck outside with neither cell phone nor wallet). I'd probably have languished out there for hours, with no food and only the garden hose for drinking water, 'til Hubby came home from work. Goodness knows walking to the nearest convenience store in flip flops and pajamas - then begging to use their phone - was not an attractive alternative...

What awesome stories do you have to share?

Daily dose of awesome

Little awesome moments happen every day...
Daily Dose of Awesome highlights the awesome little things that don't make headlines (but should).

This week I was at a checkout counter picking up a couple of necessities... apples, dish detergent, a bottle of vitamins, and a few other odds and ends. When the transaction was nearly complete, the cashier riffled through a stack of coupons beside her register, but I didn't pay much attention.

I swiped my card, and started collecting my bags, expecting to go on my merry way.

Just as my credit card cleared, the cashier handed me a slip of paper with one hand while she scanned my receipt with the other. She said: "Didn't you buy supplements?"

The paper was a $1 coupon for the multivitamin I had just purchased.

With a couple of clicks on her keyboard to account for the newly-found coupon, the cashier popped open the register and handed me a crisp $1 bill.

I handed back the coupon, a dollar richer, and a whole lot happier thanks to customer service that went more than the extra mile.


What good news story do you have to share?