I am a big procrastinator when it comes to running errands but I think I just came up with a new way to make it lots of fun. I must give credit to the “Big Giveathon”. I am on the lookout for ways to make it real and bigger.
This morning I woke up knowing that I could not put my errands off any longer. At least the ones that my daughter Ivy has been asking for and that meant that I could do some of my own and yet keep it local, meaning within a 5 mile radius of my home. So I compiled my list and the things that I needed to make it efficient and off we went. First stop was summer volleyball league sing-up for Ivy at the park; the bank to make a deposit and get cash; post office to mail a few packages and doh dee doh…I am missing opportunities here but I do not realize it yet. Then Ivy needs things from the cosmetic supply and the drugstore for and upcoming costume event. She also wants to get a long awaited haircut, from shoulder length to very short. We both have a bit of mostly unspoken apprehension about this but while I sit and watch her, I see smiles and more smiles and I know that she is loving the experience. She and her stylist were very happy with the results. I was too. It was very like a makeover as her hair has never been close to this short. It is boy short. She looks cute and is radiant with smiles. We are feeling good and this is when I begin to come out of my coma about the give-a-thon. I give the stylist a good tip and a very sincere thank you and complement regarding her skills. There is a great feeling for all three of us as we leave on to the next place. Now I am catching on and remembering the big give. My brain seriously needs training to become accustomed to being more open and generous.
Then I am thinking in my head that I could take Ivy to lunch at her favorite place as a little celebration of her transformational haircut. So I offer and she is elated. It is not like we don’t go out now and then, but we are very close to home, almost done with errands and it is still within the lunch time window that we would be able to get home so we would usually not stop, but now I am feeling generous. We go to a little seafood place. As we are finishing up, I decide that my big give-a-thon should include a bigger tip. I start out with a nice one, ya know 25%. (I must edit here after it's been up a bit: I did not make it clear initially, that I did not leave 25%, that was just the beginning. I challenged myself and left quite a bit more. ) So I leave her a tip that is very very nice, and more than I would ever leave. Ivy is like “wow” Mom, “she’s gonna be really happy when she sees that.” “Do you want to wait around and see her reaction” I say, “No, I used to wait tables, I know what her reaction will be” Well, that was fun, but the tip was not really all that amazing. When I did wait tables, I got an extra big one every now and then, rarely, but every now and then. I my virtual tip world, I would multiply it by at least 10, and then it would be really cool.
After the salon and the restaurant, my mind began going virtually crazy with ideas and I could see myself leaving sweet notes, making more heart to heart contact with the people on my errand run and leaving big tips. Oh there could be more too. So I have come up with the idea of guerilla joyfare. I can picture myself inserting little acts of joyfare throughout my errand day on the unsuspecting citizen. This is the same as “random acts of kindness” but the name of guerilla joyfare inspires me to come up with a more strategic plan for my errand days. I am planning one for the month of May with a specific day on the calendar. This will give me time to plot. I am open to all of your ideas. Mwahhhh haa haa. This is going to be fun!
As part of my “Big- Give- A –Thon”, my virtual generosity for this day also includes checks that total $10,000 to various people and charities that have come into my awareness in the last few days.
Send me some guerilla joyfare ideas if you have any. I would love to be inspired by your creative minds.
Sue
Heart of Prosperity
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