Have You Done Your Good Deed For The Day?

Have you ever been know to utter the term, "Well, that's my good deed done for the day"?

We sometimes say this quite flippantly, perhaps even use it as a deflection to a compliment or thanks when we do something nice so that the recipient doesn't make a big deal out of whatever we've done that we may attempt to keep our egos from gaining power.

Today I remembered that I used to make a point of doing and noting a good deed that I performed every day. That is not to say that I no longer do good deeds or that I have a limit of one - and only one - good thing that I do on a daily basis, it's just that I used to make sure I did it and that I noted that it was part of my daily routine.

The only condition that I placed on the good deed was that it had to be something that I went out of my way to do, so for example, picking up a toddlers shoe and handing it back to the mother behind me in the supermarket line wouldn't count because I didn't have to actually go out of my way, whereas leaving the checkout line to help someone with a baby on one hip whose toddler has just knocked over and end stack of cereal boxes would count. That said, having a "daily good deed" focus didn't negate doing good deeds that didn't require me to go out of my way either, it just meant that I still had to do at least one more deed before bed that night.

I particularly like good deeds that didn't result in direct thanks, like picking up rubbish at a picnic area or anonymously dropping $10 in an envelope to someone who I know needs it.

I'm sure there are many different "rules" that daily good deed do-ers have and I think that is another wonderful thing about this in that it is something that you can do on your own terms but that at a minimum contributes to the positive energy of the universe and could, by fate, be a saving grace to someone with an aching soul preparing to loose faith in all humanity. OK, so that's a bit extreme - but it's certainly possible and I know I've been on the receiving end of a good deed several times when I've felt that way so I understand the potential difference these random deeds can make to a person.

It has been many years since I consciously did my daily good deeds, but I think I'm going to make a point of returning to making it a focus in my life. I enjoy noting the increase in opportunities to help (whether they count towards my daily good deed or not) and believe that this is part of being in a community that human beings are hard-wired towards.

It also brings a smile to my lips to still say to myself, "Well, that's my good deed done for the day" (that's the "noting" part of doing the good deed that I was referring to earlier) and if anyone reading this is inclined to start focusing on (either by noting the things they already do or by working towards making them a part of their daily life) then I hope that the same phrase will also run through your mind and that you will feel not only the sense of community from your good deed, but also from the sense of being part of the blogger community as well as the human race - well, the good part of it anyway ☺

OK To Be Me

I'm jealous of people with passions. I actually consider myself to be quite a passionate person, but I'm more, like, you know *generally* passionate. I have strong opinions about things if the mood takes me and I care very deeply about a lot of things, but I don't think that I have a particular passion in my life, the thing that is separate from all other relationships other than the relationship that I have with myself, the thing that I love to do above all else and the common thing that my family and friends associate with me because it is what I live and breathe.

So, that being said, the question now is:

Can one develop a passion or is it something that you are just born with?

I mean, sure, there are loads of things that I like and could probably love if my practical side didn't allow them to become second fiddle. I love the line in The Offspring song All I Want that says, "I'm sick of not living to stay alive".

I don't know what the absolute answer is but I have a feeling that it lays in time. I need to invest time in myself and let that strong-willed and sometimes sheer bloody minded individual shine through. Too bad if I upset the apple cart some times and you better believe that I know it means hard work, but I know that the feeling of this absence of passion is weighing heavily on me at the minute and all I need to do is to look out the window at the moment to see that the winds of change are a-blowing.

It's all good though, people, it's all good - and it's ok to be me!

There's No Place Like Home

Arrived back home yesterday afternoon and got straight into the unpacking and general tidying. Fortunately the house was quite tidy so it was mainly the yard that took up most of the time before we actually got to stop but it was a good hour and a half between The Starchild and I before it was all done.

The lovely outlaws had bought some milk and a few things for our return so we didn't have to shop. The only casualty from our menagerie was one fish, not a bad effort since they were all entrusted to the car of a friends' 13 year old boy.

Back to YAAD last night and it was a really good class: a nice feel with good participation and we covered a lot. It was so good to be back, although I had quite a few cold shivers throughout the evening. I need to get my herb garden started and am not sure what the best location is in relation to sun and ease of access for me and prevention of access for my cats and dog.

I think we all slept well last night and the kids are getting back into routine - for another few weeks until school holidays throws things out of whack again.