I have been thinking and doing a lot of soul searching; pondering my role in my family, the community and on this beautiful Earth. I am hyper focused on my flaws and mistakes and my challenges in life. I have always been very hard on myself. To a fault. I will say that I have also been doing a lot of thinking about friends and family (and the countless every day folks) who are taking small and large steps to help others and improve our earth. It is making me realize that the power of one is actually very large, even if the steps are small.
I have always believed that it is the little things in life that make a difference. The simple moments that define this blog. I started this blog many years ago with the notion that every day, at least once, you should try to be purely in the moment. At least once, be present in the here and now. Not on your phone. Not distracted by thought. Just present. A deep breath worth of clarity. It can literally be 10 seconds of your day. But a moment to be here. There are definitely days, weeks and months where that is hard for me. I feel like so often I am on autopilot.
So two things have occurred in the last week. Spontaneously. Kelley and I were at Farmhaus, a local burger place, last Friday night. Neither one of us felt like cooking after watching a soccer game. We stood in line looking at the menu and the woman ahead of me asked what was good at the restaurant. It was her first time eating there and had just gotten off of work as she was wearing a fast food uniform. I explained that I liked a lot of things there but that they were known for their burgers. I told her that my husband liked the Haus Burger (or number 1). She read the menu and said that looked amazing and would order that and then asked what came with the burger. We joked that they needed a meal deal for dinner like she had at her restaurant since the additional money for french fries and a drink seemed like it added a fair amount more to the bill. After some more conversation, I told her that we would like to buy her dinner. She sat with us while her order was being prepared to go and we had a great conversation. We learned a lot about her - she had had two kidney transplants and that night was going to house sit at a friend's. It was such a refreshing moment. To spend time talking and getting to know someone, even briefly, that I might not have had the chance to know otherwise. And simply to do something nice for someone. Something that would change up their day. Even just a little. So often in life I feel powerless and as a natural born fixer, that is a tough feeling to have.
We are preparing our house for Masters and we needed to change out a blanket that had a hole in it. Instead of giving it to Goodwill, I decided today to take a detour on the way to work and give it to someone who might really need it. I went to a spot where many homeless live and I asked a gentleman if he would like it. He said that he would and I laid it on top of him, as he was lying down. I said that my name was Amy and that I hoped it would be helpful for him. He said my name a few times and as I left he called out, Amy! I turned around and said, "yes?". He looked at me and nodded and said, "Amy, thank you".
Both of those experiences were outside my normal comfort zone. I had never paid it forward by paying for someone else's meal and I hadn't ever driven specifically and spontaneously to drop a blanket off. The idea of doing something small to help someone else directly felt right. Just to enhance someone's day in some tiny way was something. The ability to make someone feel good without wanting anything in return. I love when I see people raising money for a cause. I want to help them achieve their goal. I know many people who have gotten more involved in environmental and political causes of late. Things that are outside their everyday life. People taking the chance to get involved and make a change. Just a note to say that it is recognized and I am grateful for you.
Put on Union by The Black Eyed Peas and let's get cooking. So, I have not admittedly been doing a lot of cooking lately but I am hoping that all changes after Masters week. Today though I would like to repost an oldie but goodie. This was a weekly staple in our house until our daughter admitted she thought she was allergic to peppers (Doh!). I absolutely love this recipe and it is very quick to make. I make it mild so it is more family friendly.
Click here for Thai Beef with Chiles Over Coconut Rice
Enjoy and have a happy day!
