Keeping Records

I consider myself to be very organized and sometimes keep track of more than I likely need to such as lists of gifts given and received for birthdays and holidays, lists of adult education classes taken, and lists of road races run.  I have friends that also keep track of things such as miles driven between gasoline fill ups, so I know this habit is one many people have.  The variable is what each person keeps track of.

It is so rare that I go back and look at all these records, but occasionally I do and am happy I have the notes.  As an example two weeks ago I started running 5k road races again after a 10 year absence.  I was glad I could refer back to my times and see the progress I made in the past that I hope to repeat in the future.

It is always helpful to have notebooks to write down the things you keep track of in or to doodle during the day. 

A Side Note

While I do think of myself as organized I don't always get to things as early as I would like to.  At any given time on the side of my desk I have a stack of papers and notes of things I keep meaning to get to.  This morning I sorted through the list and took care of a two memorial donations, two baby gifts and a going away present.

It is such a feeling of accomplishement to take those post-it reminders and be able to toss them in the bin.  While none of these items took too long sometimes it is just a matter of getting myself focused.  Fall and the back to school season always seems to jumpstart my organization.

Maybe someone else can use a reusable post-it to help with their list too.  It is perfect for the side of a desk or refrigerator.

Color

This past week I was driving and noticed the leaves on a few trees have already started to turn.  It is still August and yet those yellow, orange and red leaves were already peeking through the sea of green.

I will certainly have to get my camera out this fall and take some photos as I am working on my photography skills and look forward to new seasons and settings.  In fact I just went to a college bookstore to buy myself a photography book to teach myself a bit more before finding a new class on the subject in which to enroll.

Walking through a store a couple days ago and seeing all the school supplies out on display the colored pencils caught my eye.  Maybe the finders can use them to sketch or draw or just to write in a fun color or they can always add them to a child's back to school bag.

Chicago

Traveled to Chicago this week for work.  One of my favorite cities to visit with arts, culture, restaurants and architecture!  What's not to love!  I was mostly in meetings but grabbed the chance to walk through the city a bit. 

Saw the new faces at Millenium Park....

and the Bean

and left a few $5 Starbucks gift cards at the Art Institute...

on a bench next to a metal man.....

on a set of chairs next to the building

 

and on a bench in the peaceful garden

 

 

 Hope the finders enjoyed!

Friendly Toast

So today began a much needed and very rare 5 day weekend.  Yes 5 whole days!  So what better way to start it than with a random act of kindness.

I decided to head out to breakfast in Portsmouth NH this morning and after eating my favorite meal of the day, I treated a man and three children to breakfast.  The waitress was excited to be a part of the surprise and was the one who broke the news to them!  Hope they enjoyed and spread the kindness! 

Ice Cream

Earlier this week I received an e-mail from J.  It was a lovely note telling me that her father had found one of my gifts a couple months ago by the elevator in the parking garage near his work.  He used it recently to take J and her sister C out for ice cream when on their way to a nearby lake. 

When you leave gifts around as I do, it is so rewarding and exciting to hear from a finder but something about J's note was very special to me in that it reminded me of many happy times getting ice cream with my sister and Dad (and my little brother too) when going to the lake. 

Whether it be small ice cream stands, the local Friendly's or even my mother's own "ice cream window" where my friends, siblings and I would line up to order from the kitchen window while standing outside on the deck, ice cream and good summer times seemed to go hand in hand.

So on a drive yesterday I picked up four $5 gift cards for Friendly's and four $5 gift cards for a small ice cream stand near the lake.  I am hoping the eight finders get themselves a yummy summer treat and enjoy some time with their own siblings and friends!

J, thank you so much for your e-mail!

The Toad Under the Stone Wall

There is a stone wall that I drive by all the time.  It is an amazing work of art built over a series of years over a decade ago by a craftsman named Kevin French.  I remember driving by during the years he worked on it and seeing it come together piece by piece.

It marks the driveway and property along the road to a home that cannot be seen from the road.  The owners take amazing care of the wall and there are woodchips all around with any weeds quickly pulled up so as to not detract from the wall.  People are constantlystopping to look at it or take photos of its twists and turns.  In the center it has a twist that water can flow under.

Then at the very end the wall loops up and over creating an enchanting little space that has a toad tucked inside it.  I decided the top of the toad was a perfect place to leave a gift and had a pack of recipe cards and a note that seemed just right.