The day started off in a not-so-great fashion. I needed to say that right off the bat so you’ll understand. But as I headed to the mailbox at my apartment building (trudged is probably a better word), I discovered a random act of neighborliness:
Someone had gone out of his or her way to leave a little bit of beauty outside the main door. Just seeing that made my day. I couldn’t help thinking, Awwwwwww.
In a day when many of us increasingly feel distant from neighbors due to the transient lives some of us lead, it’s nice to know that people sometimes make an effort to reach out, even in gentle ways, without expecting anything in return.
Speaking of having a nice day, I’m glad to do the neighborly thing by giving away two copies of Bound, a fantasy novel by the delightful Kate Sparkes (see interview here).
The winners, thanks to the random number generator are
Andy of City Jackdaw and Professor VJ Duke!!!!
I can’t argue with the random number generator. It chooses whom it will! Winners, please comment below to confirm. You can also email me at lwashin301(at)comcast(dot)net. Please make a note of the change in email address from my usual blog address. When you email me, please provide the email address you use with Amazon.
Getting back to random acts of neighborliness, back when I wrote textbooks full time, the designer on my team told me that she made a habit of purposely dropping change on the ground. (Not all of the time—just occasionally. And no, I won’t tell you where she lives.) When I questioned her about that (and no, I wasn’t trying to find out when she planned to drop some change), she said she did it to give a kid the thrill of discovering money on the ground. This was another Awwwwww moment for me. Recalling how much fun it was for me to find money on the ground back when I was a kid, I was touched by her desire to make some kid’s day.
We have the power within us to make or break someone’s day. Which will you choose? How has someone made your day with a random act of neighborliness?
El Space--The Blog of L. Marie 