A helping hand

Driving home from work yesterday I saw a wonderful act of kindness between strangers.  Sitting at a light in the 97 degree heat I noticed the car next to me had its hazard lights flashing.  I let out a sympathetic “bummer”.

My sympathy soon turned to awe as the car in front of me pulled ahead of the stalled vehicle and stopped.  The driver and passenger got out, the passenger got in the driver’s seat and the driver came back to the stalled vehicle and said something to the people in it. The passenger of the stalled car got out and the two men stood behind the car until the light turned green, then they began to push. They got the car through the light and off to the side of the road, where the first car was waiting for them.

It made me feel so good I couldn’t help but smile and wave.  And quickly take this photo with my phone.

It’s so nice to see a kind act between strangers.  And it reminded me that such kindness is more common than we think.  In fact, it happens all the time.  We just aren’t always right there to see it.  When we are fortunate enough to witness kindnesses in the moment it’s a really good idea to pay close attention to them, and soak up all the goodness you can.  I truly believe it has more anti-oxidant powers than blueberries and acai combined, squared and then squared again.

Wheatgrass, step aside.

Bejeweled heart cast

While getting my son’s arm in a more permanent cast than the ER version that allowed for tissue swelling, we saw all kinds of broken limbs move in and out of the casting room. We saw purple casts and pink casts and orange casts. And then we saw this one. Pink with purple hearts and accented with bling.  I almost fell out of my chair rushing over to look at it.

“I had to do pink and purple for her,” said the woman pointing to her 9-ish-year-old daughter. I oohed and ahhed and gasped when I saw the purple hearts were not painted on, but were actually made of plaster. “They weren’t this busy when I came in here the first time,” she said.

I told her how much I loved it, and how joyful I thought it was. She didn’t mind a bit when I asked to take a photo of the happy artwork that was helping her leg heal.

How absolutely wonderful.

I have no idea how she broke her leg, I never asked her. And she never hinted at how it most likely was making it difficult to keep up with two young children under the age of 10. We just reveled in the beauty she created out of what I’m sure caused a great deal of pain.

No rain, no rainbows. No broken bones, no bejeweled pink and purple heart casts.

Life is good.  All of it. If we let it be.

Spreading love in Portland

Graffiti is a word that carries a negative connotation in our society. But sometimes graffiti can be good.

Just a couple of days ago I was walking around Portland and saw this trash can had been tagged with a heart. “Yes,” I thought to myself, “love.”

Who would have thought you could spread love through garbage? Certainly not me, but there it was. Plain, simple, clear as day. Love. Love thy brother. Love yourself. Love your life.

Love.

Bumper Sticker

I saw this on a vehicle parked outside East West Martial Arts as I was taking my daughter in for her karate class and it brought me joy.

We take Taryn to karate because she enjoys it. And also because it’s good for her physically and mentally. As her mother, the confidence I know it’s building in her body image is incredibly important to me.  She’s learning about what her body can do, and that she’s so much stronger than she knew. She’s learning about mental discipline and strength, about what it takes to be the person you want to be. And she’s learning that everything begins with a thought: making that high kick, respecting herself and others, maintaining good posture, breaking a board, keeping a positive attitude…

She’s learning that what she thinks and the actions she takes are much better indicators of the person she is than the shape of her body or the color of her hair.

All of which is summed up nicely on this bumper sticker on a car parked right outside her karate class.

Cards from my kids

There’s something extra special about a kid-made card. I find buckets full of joy in the cards my children make and give to me, especially when they’re so excited about the great artwork they put on paper that they have to walk me through it. “And see right here? That’s me and you…”

Bonus points for misspelled words–that’s a sure sign the kids created these all by themselves. (Ya for mom is really Yay for mom.  Yay!)

Love it.  L. O. V. E.  love it.

I’d pick these hand-made notes over a 3 carat diamond any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

My cup runneth over.

The truth is that we are already everything. – Alan Cohen

I think this quote from Alan Cohen should be posted on every mirror in every bathroom. We really are already everything–we are whole and complete and every single thing is inside of us.

Whenever I’m feeling discontented it’s usually because I’m searching for something outside myself, looking for more than what I think I am. Driving home tonight it occurred to me that my life is pretty darn awesome. And in realizing that, really realizing that–you know, like in your bones–I felt amazingly joyful and at ease.

I have everything because I am everything.

And, my friends, so are you.

License plate spreading joy

I saw this great license plate on the way home from work today.  Nearly stopped traffic to take a photo of it.

Be happy.

Words to live by.

Leap of Faith

I was going through the saved photos on my camera and came across this lovely image. I can’t recall where or when I took the photo, but I think this might be a painting in the window of a store front. I vaguely recall something like that. Maybe.

The image alone is eye-catching to me. But I am also struck by the quote from Margaret Shepherd:  Sometimes your  only available transportation is a leap of faith.

Sometimes your only available transportation is a leap of faith.

The older I get the more I believe that faith is incredibly important. It is essential for the growth and development of the human soul to believe in something–to be able to believe and trust in something outside of ourselves–whatever you choose that to be. That belief, that faith, can act as an anchor.

I have faith in kindness and love. I have faith that there is good inside every single living thing, even if it’s really hard to see. I have faith that every experience we have can make us better, if we let it. I have faith in our ability to create meaningful, joyful lives. I have faith in the healing power of laughter and that a smile can work magic. I have faith that if we remain true to that which we believe in, miracles can happen.

Portland, OR - SE 82nd Ave, 100 ft north of Ogden St

As you’re driving to work or a board meeting or a dentist appointment today you might see a big yellow billboard reminding you to choose joy. Or maybe one nudging you to believe in yourself. Or maybe one boldly declaring You are totally awesome!

Believe your eyes. You can choose joy, you can believe in yourself, and yes, you really are totally awesome. Totally.

There are 8 bright yellow billboards boasting positive messages going up in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, sometime today through Friday.  They’ll be up for 4 weeks. In that time over 2 million sets of eyes will have seen them. That’s 2 million impressions for joy.

The Joy Team is spreading joy, optimism and inspiration to millions. Want to join us?

Bumper sticker

I saw this bumper sticker today and thought, “how wonderful!”

God bless the whole world. No exceptions.

What a fabulous declaration of unconditional acceptance. It’s true. It’s kind. And it feels warm and cozy. You know, the broken-in-soft-and-fuzzy-Sunday-morning-sweatpants kind of cozy.  Love that.