March 2012
1 post
BUSY.
You know when you ask people how they’ve been or how their day is going and their answer is almost always the same. Busy. I feel like I hear this word over and over again. Every time I ask, I know I will get the same answer. Busy. My life is busy. And while I realize we all have things going in our lives, schedules to keep, commitments to commit to, I also believe that we really aren’t...
February 2012
4 posts
“The things that you do when no one is looking are the things that define you.”
FORTY DAYS.
We’ve been waiting for this day to come all year. We’ve counted the days and circled the date on our calendars, but alas, it is finally upon us. The question we’ve been asked for weeks leading up to it, “what are you giving up for Lent?” can finally be answered. And before you close out of this post, hear me out. This is not some religious plea to get you all to give...
A HEARTY AFTERTHOUGHT.
It’s officially been a week after the day devoted to love and if you are all stuffed with chocolate and nursing toothaches from all of the sweets you’ve consumed from leftover candy like I am then I think it is safe to assume that we all enjoyed our day of l-o-v-e. In true form, this day had mixed reviews for many. It was a day filled with pictures of hearts, flowers, and candy (oh...
SMALL ACTS=BIG IMPACT.
Sometimes I think we get caught up in measuring the size of the act instead of seeing each act of kindness that we are able to provide to someone as a positive contribution. We are so focused on larger acts have more impact, more recognition. But, I don’t think that is necessarily the case. I was thinking about this as I was exiting my apartment complex the other morning. I exit the same...
January 2012
1 post
BE REASSURED.
I’ve been thinking a lot about reassurance lately - what it means to each of us and why we need it so badly to feel like we are making an impact or doing something good with our lives. I think about this a great deal when I first begin a semester. Since I’ve started teaching, I seem to feel that maybe I am not the best suited to be speaking in front of an array of students, hoping to...
November 2011
1 post
SOMETHING WORTH WATCHING.
There is something amazing that happens when a five minute video comes together with a powerful piece of music to showcase the positive or beautiful sides of something we may overlook. Five minutes of the simplest shots of a city we all love but maybe forget about? And it’s not the passing views of the skyline or the shots of graffiti on the walls that makes this video so powerful -...
October 2011
4 posts
AN ACT OF KINDNESS.
A few days ago, a pretty important set of my keys suddenly went missing. Between my random panic attacks, calls to the locksmiths and searching every nook and cranny known to man, I had every intention of waving the white flag and giving up hope. When suddenly, on a random Thursday afternoon, I see that Vera Bradley key chain appear, with both keys attached! Luckily, I had included my business...
WITH PRIDE.
When’s the last time you told someone that you are proud of them? I was thinking about this the other evening as I was enjoying the company of friends. I just so happened to find myself in a conversation with one of my friends about a project he is working on to better himself. And as I was listening to his accomplishments thus far in the process, I found myself overwhelmed with excitement...
AN ACT OF KINDNESS.
This morning, in the midst of running around a crowded office with phones ringing, questions flying and piles of paperwork, I was suddenly stopped when a colleague wanted to speak with me on the phone. I walked up to the phone thinking, what could this be about, when I was greeted with the words “Good morning, Erika. Just wanted to say ‘hi’ and wish you a good day.” Our...
September 2011
1 post
HAPPY FALL Y'ALL.
Oh hey blog, remember me? It’s been about what…a month? Sorry that my life has been one heck of a ride the past few weeks but that’s no excuse, I shouldn’t neglect you or the acts of kindness that are happening all the time.
So now that that’s out of the way….let me drop the gift of kind updates on you all.
The fall is my most absolute favorite time of the...
August 2011
1 post
REFRESH, REBOOT, RECHARGE, REGROUP.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the term reboot. If something goes wrong with your computer - maybe you’ve gotten the blue screen of death or the screen freezes up, what do you do? You reboot. Not a complete system shutdown, but a little bit of a refresher for your computer, if you will. I was talking about rebooting last night with a dear friend of mine, not so much in terms of our...
July 2011
8 posts
CAN YOU LEND ME AN EAR?
One of my most favorite things is listening to others. I am definitely one of those people who listens more than she speaks; I like to sit back and enjoy the stories of others while offering my little tid bits here and there. I think this is why I get so giddy when someone asks if we can sit down to have a chat or if someone wants my opinion. I feel extremely honored to be the individual they...
CHARITY WISH FROM DYING GIRL →
This is a pretty amazing story. As many of you know, I am obsessed with the efforts of the organization, charity:water. This is an inspiring story of a 9-year-old girl who started a charity:water campaign for her birthday. She gave up her birthday and decided that instead of gifts this year, she wanted people to donate to her campaign. Unfortunately, Rachel was unable to see her campaign complete...
3 tags
PUTTING IT IN PERSPECTIVE.
There is something that happens when certain groups of people come together; the summer is perfect for this kind of scenario. You get to meet new people, engage with individuals you wouldn’t have normally done so before and hopefully make some new friendships. I had the opportunity to attend a social gathering this past weekend (don’t I sound sophisticated?) where I became more of an...
THE FOURTH DAY OF JULY.
Happy 4th of July!!! And just what are we celebrating today, you ask? Another reason to have a barbecue, a day off of work!, an excuse to give the ER when we blow off our arm from lighting fireworks (no seriously, this happens). Summertime always means taking full advantage of a sunny day, gathering some friends, food and beverages, and grilling. Holidays where the majority of the world does not...
3 tags
CHASING SPRINKLERS.
I was watching a dog chase a lawn sprinkle around in circles the other day, in what seemed like a desperate desire to quench his thirst. After watching his unsuccessful attempt to try and figure out why his water source continued to move away from him, it made me wish I was able to have a dog in my apartment. Not because I want to watch dogs chase sprinklers all day, but because of the idea of...
June 2011
10 posts
WINDOWS DOWN.
There are many reasons why I enjoy the type of weather we’ve been having on the east coast lately, but really, two stand out in my mind the most. First, being that I am still without air conditioning in my car (three summers and counting…) I am able to roll down my windows, open my sunroof and not melt into a puddle on the drive home from work. The second reason for my love of this hot yet not...
3 tags
TIME FOR YOU.
Is there anything better than an early Saturday morning? Perhaps it is my internal clock that wakes me up way before any real human being should be especially on an overcast and rainy day where the only real desire should be to stay in bed and do nothing. Early mornings on days where you don’t have to jump out of bed, grab a quick shower, make breakfast, throw some things in a lunch bag and...
AN ACT OF KINDNESS.
As I was driving to work this morning, I remember grumbling over traffic and being cranky that I didn’t get as much sleep as I wanted to the evening before. And while I was sitting at a dead stop, cursing morning commutes, a car appeared from a side road, eager to hop in line of the mile long cars that faced him. I sat and watched as vehicle after vehicle passed this car, not allowing the...
SO YOU WANT TO HELP ANIMALS. →
I found this great article the other day when scrolling through Huffington Post. I am not suggesting we go out there and become vegetarians or vegans unless that is something you’re really interested in….then I say, rock it! This list is a mixture of all extremes whether you want to help animals through taking that step in changing your diet or just volunteering at a local shelter....
May 2011
2 posts
3 tags
REUSE THOSE BAGS!
I am probably really late to hop on this train, but for the first time this week, I used reusable shopping bags when I went grocery shopping. Now, I know what you’re thinking…where have I been? It’s not like I wasn’t aware of the attention reusable bags have been received lately and I know that they are extremely important in our efforts to the green movement. I will say,...
YOU BETTER RECOGNIZE!
I was honored to have had the opportunity to participate in a graduation ceremony this past weekend. And there are so many amazing moments about a graduation that are memorable. But I think the best part for me is when the family members and friends of each graduate are asked to stand and be recognized. After which, the graduates turn around, applaud, scream shouts of joy and smile to their loved...
March 2011
7 posts
REFILL, PLEASE.
There are many reasons why I love coffee shops - the aroma when you walk in, the happy people eager to help you who have probably had their gallon of coffee intake for the day (which is probably why they are so happy) and the people waiting in line. Granted we are all there for the same reason…hoping for the fastest service possible so we don’t turn into some coffee-obsessed monster...
AN ACT OF KINDNESS.
This act of kindness is from Andrea, who brought me one of the neatest cards I have ever received while she was visiting home one weekend from a place called Fair Trade Winds. This card was made specially by a girl from the Philippines. Handmade on handmade paper. Aside from the remarkable work that was created, even more amazing is when you flip to the back of the card and read the story of its...
A DAY OF PEACE.
If you haven’t already found your way to this facebook event called “a day of peace,” you could be missing out on one of the best ideas, ever. One person started this movement - a movement that now has over 1 million attendees. Will you join?
“My proposition is simple: One day, March 4th, we all stick to three simple rules that will make the world a little bit more...
CELEBRATION: BIRTH OF A BLOG.
I’ve almost forgotten to recognize the birth of my beloved blog. Started just over a year ago as a project to occupy my thoughts, it has definitely been a journey and learning experience. I’ve shared happy times and I’ve shared sad times all with the same purpose to highlight the deed of acting through kindness and selflessness. I have to admit, I never could have imagined the...
AN ACT OF KINDNESS.
It was a rainy Friday afternoon, sheets of water hitting the pavement as I tried hanging on to two bags, a coffee and an umbrella that is a few days short of snapping in half. And so, in my mess of a morning, I was rushing into work, attempting to remove myself from the cold shower I was now experiencing thanks to my umbrella’s inability to cover my entire body. I rush up the steps to my...
February 2011
9 posts
OPERATION BEAUTIFUL. →
If you haven’t already found this website on your own, it is definitely worth a visit. The stories people share are something I think we can all relate to and I personally cannot wait until I walk up to a mirror somewhere and am greeted with one of these inspirational post-it notes!
Mission: The goal of the Operation Beautiful website is to end negative self-talk or “Fat Talk.” If this...
a HEARTy afterthought.
I think (or at least I hope) that I am in the clear to post about love. Valentine’s Day has since passed…exactly a week…and all of those who sulk, scream and cry have hopefully allowed the explosion of pinks and reds, candies and flowers to pass over them. Most times, I become a spectator on Valentine’s Day - I enjoy listening to the eagerly anxious men and/or women who may...
WHAT ARE YOU DOING, SATURDAY, APRIL 16? →
Give New York City a Good Spring Greening on Hands On New York Day 2011
Join New York Cares and 5,000 volunteers to make our city’s parks and gardens cleaner, greener, and ready for summer on Saturday, April 16. Hands On New York Day is an incredible day of service. Volunteers will rake and clean debris, plant, mulch, paint fences and benches, and more. It’s a great day out, and great...
4 tags
GOOD MORNINGS BEFORE GOOD COFFEE.
I think mornings are quite possibly the worst time to interact with people. As a whole, human beings seem to be unable to put a sentence together without it sounding like some jumbled mash of what we hope will be sound before the hour of 9 a.m. Aside from our inability to function in the morning, our social skills and happy meters are also at a low. So it makes sense that we dash for the coffee...
AN ACT OF KINDNESS.
On my way to work last week, I was doing my usual commute to work - angry at slow drivers, frustrated at people who cut me off and drumming away on my steering wheel to that phat beats pouring out of my radio. More times than not, we come across a vehicle desperately trying to pull out from a side road or parking space onto the main street packed with traffic. Usually, they are failing miserably....
3 tags
GIVE IT BACK.
A few weeks ago, I met my parents for dinner. I was just finishing my meal when my dad remarked about a familiar face he appeared to have seen a few booths over. Shortly thereafter, we were joined by someone I had long since admired and respected…my music teacher from high school. Since graduation, I really hadn’t made an effort to step foot inside the building that I called home for...
January 2011
16 posts
