A THANK YOU FOLLOW UP FOR JENNY

I wanted to follow up on my thank you to Jenny. I wrote here about how much her gifts meant to me, before I even opened them. Well on Christmas morning they were the first gifts to be opened. For someone who has never met me Jenny certain 'knows' me.

Every gift was something I would buy for myself. In fact Tamika made the comment "Has she been stalking you outside the house for the last six months". That is how spot on the gifts were.

T2 tea, not only my favourite brand, but my favourite flavour. Old Gold original dark chocolate, how I love it! My biggest weakness. Seeds for my garden two practical and one of frivolously beautiful flowers. The perfect balance. The vintage fabric, oh how I am torn between making something and just admiring this fabric. The handmade Christmas stocking, so every year when we put up our tree I will be reminded of the kindness of strangers.

Amelia Earhart:

No kind action ever stops with itself. One kind action leads to another. Good example is followed. A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves.

ACTS OF KINDNESS

When has it become okay to not be nice to other people?  I watched a comedy yesterday, but instead of laughing Tamika and I were left questioning why the three lead women were such bitches. And this was meant to be funny?

I have been told to be nice since I was a child. But what exactly does that mean for me as an adult? "Nice" is such a vague term. My Grandmother was religious and we once had a big in depth conversation about religion, and she said to me it does not matter what religion you follow as long as you follow the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated. And respect them for who they are. Another way of saying Do unto others.

But we, (well I am thinking of women/girls in general) have become such bitches to each other. It has become all too easy to tear someone down. Why else would those magazines with covers that scream, “she is too fat”, “too thin”, “too much cellulite”, oh and “check her out with out make-up” sell so well. The do unto others has become, do horrible and say horrible things to others.

What about a random act of kindness? How could it change someone’s day? Tamika and I decided to test this theory.

We were sitting in the food court of our local shopping center and a surly looking girl was approaching us, she looked angry, sad, like she was ready to punch someone. Her hair was a work of art, turquoise blue that she had set into the most perfect victory rolls. She was even dressed like someone from the 1940s. I walked up to her, she stared me down, and I told her how beautiful her hair was.

At first she looked at me as if I was crazy and said it was a mess. I disagreed with her and said it was lovely, then I smiled. Finally she smiled back and said she had taught herself to do it watching You tube videos. I told her how impressed I was, as an ex-hairdresser I know how much work it takes to get this look perfect. She thanked me and walked away smiling.

I was left thinking how easy was that? To be nice. Plus I was left kicking myself for not asking her name or getting her photo. 

Why is it so hard to be nice to others? Also why is it so hard to accept a compliment? Basically this ramblings in this post, is why can we just stop being bitches to ourselves and other women?

Photos have nothing to do with this post. They are just some images I took of Tamika awhile ago and thought I would share them because she looks so beautiful.