Thanks and Giving Project

Last week my friend, Nicole over at Adventures of a Semper Fi Family mentioned something on her blog about a Thanksgiving Project. It sounded like a great idea and something I would enjoy doing, so I signed up and tried to play along.  Of course, life intervened and I didn't get to do everything by the book, but since the whole point was to do good for others, I don't really think you could get it wrong.

I started out by confusing "treat a stranger day" with "treat a neighbor day."  My direction-following abilities are unrivaled, I tell ya!!  Anyway, I made a dinner for a friend and delivered it to her on Monday.  

Tuesday was a day to send handwritten notes.  I send lots of texts and emails on a regular basis, so getting out notecards and a pen was a nice change.  I actually think I am going to continue sending out some handwritten notes and encouraging my kids to do the same.

Wednesday, my intention was to swap neighbor day and stranger day, but I'll be honest:  I took a day off from work and didn't leave the house.  I did get to spend some time alone and I had being feeling estranged from myself.  Does that count?

Thursday's messages of kindness involved some facebook comments and messages for some special people.  I feel like I am pretty nice every day, but I made it a bit more purposeful by writing some things I wouldn't normally have taken the time to write.

Friday was a day to treat the family.  We normally have Friday night pizza and a movie night at our house, so I don't know how much of a "treat" that was, but I did make sure to pick out a fun movie for the kids instead of just picking out something from our collection.  I also made sure to watch the movie instead of surfing on my iPad during it. 

All in all, I started out with a bang and ended with a fizzle, but I think my attempt helped me to be more mindful of giving thanks throughout the week.  And that's definitely something I'd like to do more often.

Linking up over at Nicole's blog!