Hospitals are never fun places to be, but they often provide the setting for unexpected gestures of kindness.
I just visited my stepmother in the cancer ward of a hospital in a nearby city. She was having a rough day, so we let her rest and waited nervously and silently in the lounge. A white haired [...]
Entries from June 2008
June 30, 2008
Day 21: Have you heard the one about…
June 29, 2008
Day 20: Strawberry fields forever
I spent some of the best years of my life in uniform — a Girl Guide uniform, that is. In my day, we sold cookies, lots and lots of cookies. To do so we had to pound the pavement making cold calls at strangers’ doors, and greeting us at these doors were often barking scary [...]
June 28, 2008
Day 19: Parking it forward
A few months ago I parked at a municipal lot and was heading for the meter to pay when a woman in a tailored suit and heels offered me her ticket, which would be valid for two more hours.
I was thrilled. Free parking — what’s not to like? Since there was 90 minutes to [...]
June 27, 2008
Day 18: Food, glorious food
My local grocery store keeps a large receptacle for non-perishable Food Bank items near the exit. I realized today that, other than at Thanksgiving and Christmas, I’ve never put anything into this bin.
I keep meaning to, of course, but by the time I checkout, I’ve usually forgotten to buy the non-perishable items. I then [...]
June 26, 2008
Day 17: Anger management
If there’s someone in your life that sets your teeth on edge when they enter the room, you’ll appreciate how much of an effort today’s good deed was for me.
One of my neighbours is an outgoing, friendly sort — until his temper transforms him into a churning ball of rage who routinely screams and yells [...]
June 25, 2008
Day 16: Waiting game
The first time I dropped off my mom for her physiotherapy appointment, I couldn’t help but notice the sorry state of the magazines in the waiting room. One of them was so out-of-date, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were the power couple on the cover.
My mom had another appointment this morning. So I gathered up [...]
June 24, 2008
Day 15: Jazz-ercise
My favourite radio station right now is JAZZ.FM91 in Toronto. It’s an independent station supported by donations and plays all my favourite jazz tunes from Thelonious Monk to Michael Bublé to Stacey Kent.
Today, as I started filling out the cheque for my regular contribution, I suddenly got a brilliant idea. Why not send in more [...]
June 23, 2008
Day 14: Driving Miss Andretti
As I set off in my car this morning, ferrying my mom to various appointments and errands, I decided to approach the drive with “good deeds” in mind. So I kept my speed in check, signalled every move and let in other cars ahead of mine (if safety allowed, of course).
This sounds simple, doesn’t it? [...]
June 22, 2008
Day 14: Click power
For today’s good deed to work, I’ll need the e-Gods to smile upon me so I can insert a few links on this page. All three link to charitable websites that get their funding from each site’s sponsors. It’s a great idea. You click through for free but can’t help but take a look at [...]
June 21, 2008
Day 13: Phoning it in
My neighbour gave me the idea for today’s good deed – putting change in the coin return slots of random payphones. This isn’t as easy as it sounds.
(a) It’s hard to even find a payphone these days; and
(b) Does anyone actually use them anymore?
As a kid, I remember my sister and I routinely checking the [...]
