World No-Tobacco Day

Smoking is a drag, literally. It is bad for your health and the environment. If you need a little push to help you quit or to encourage a loved one to stop smoking, the American Lung Association website at lung.org is replete with helpful information. They report that smoking- related diseases in the United States claim an estimated 443,000 lives each year. In addition, cigarette smoke contains over 4,800 chemicals, 69 of which are known to cause cancer. Leave this old habit behind and we’ll all breathe easier! 

Have a Good Neighbor Policy

If you live next to an elderly couple or someone who is disabled, volunteer to help them around their yard by raking their leaves or mowing their lawn. Consider it good exercise and a good deed.

Click to Give

There are many websites that are click-to-give. Just by clicking, you can help send food or money to countries and causes that need them. One of them is greatergood.com. It just takes a few keystrokes to make someone’s life better.

Yes, You Can

Remove the word can’t from your vocabulary and think about what is actually holding you back-fear, reluctance, pride? Once you stop talking yourself out of taking a risk or making a difficult decision, life will open up for you and so will your mind.

Do something nice and helpful without being asked. Take out the trash, clean the house, and visit a relative. Once you make a habit of these tasks, you won’t need reminding since you will want to do them as you go about your usual day.

Be a Compassionate Clipper

Leave extra coupons on the shelf next to the item they are for. Easy peasy!

Share Your Toys

Leave small, handmade toys for people to find. The Toy Society spreads love by doing this good deed. Visit thetoysociety.blogspot.com for more information and inspiration. You can post your toy drop on the website and view the drops that others have made. Feel free to share a picture and revel in the thought of bringing a child happiness-it might also be a good idea to leave a note

You Have the Power!

Anonymously grant a wish on someone’s Amazon wish list. How simple is that? And how sweet is that?

Let Kids Be Kids

Finding out that handmade rugs are often made by mere children was so shocking to me- I couldn’t imagine what those youngsters have to go through every day. The organization GoodWeave (goodweave.org) was started in 1994 to stop child labor in the rug industry. To help their efforts, check for a GoodWeave label on the rugs you purchase and donate to their One in a Million campaign. GoodWeave’s work has reduced the numbers of children toiling in rug factories, and with your help, they can help end child labor in the world today.

Let’s Make it a Complaint-Free World

Go one day without complaining. Even better, go a week. If this is hard for you to accomplish, it’s time to make some changes in your life. Think positively, live in the present, and appreciate where you are and who you are. Today is a gift, so accept and embrace it.

Author Mark Bowen wrote a fantastic book on this very topic that I turn to when I need a reminder, as we all do now and again.. My copy came with a bracelet, a simple way to monitor how often you complain that helps you track your progress toward becoming “complaint-free” Put on the bracelet and every time you complain, switch it to the other wrist. The goal is to go 21 consecutive days without switching the bracelet. It is harder than you might think and I was a bit shocked at what a complainer I turned out to be. It was a really good exercise for me- I highly recommend it. I benefited enormously and I suspect those around me did, too!

A Laugh a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

As the legendary Charlie Chaplin said, “A Day without laughter is a day wasted.”

Laughter and good humor are infectious. Sharing a funny story or memory with others helps increase happiness and intimacy between friends, acquaintances, and loved ones. According to helpguide.org, laughter triggers happiness and can strengthen the immune system, boost energy, relieve physical and emotional pain, and battle the effects of stress. Today is a great day! Let yourself enjoy it.

Making Sure She Has a Night to Remember

Did you know that many teen girls long to attend their high school prom but end up missing out on the tradition simply because a fancy dress is not in the family budget? Help these girls out by visiting glassslipperproject.org.

Donate your old prom dress and shoes to the delightful folks at the Glass Slipper Project, a nonprofit organization that gives free prom dresses, shoes and accessories to high school juniors and seniors. Generosity can be very glamorous!

Games That Give

Even online gaming can be philanthropic- try out Games That Give, at gamesthatgive.net/play. This website donates approximately 70% of their advertising revenue to charitable causes. Everyone wins here.

The Keys to Kindness

https://keystokindness.org/community-impact/

If you are like me, you can end up with so many old keys you end up looking like a janitor! Find out how you can unlock some goodness ay keysforkindness.com. Donate your old keys to help fight Multiple Sclerosis.

Ask “How Are You?” and Mean It!

Ask someone how their day is going and start a conversation. Sometimes people want to talk more than they let on and your interest will show them you care. One day, you’ll get the chance to tell some kind-hearted person exactly how you are. Your answer to that question might not always be pretty, but it will feel wonderful to be heard.

Love Your Mother

Celebrate your mother today by making her feel special and loved by taking her out to lunch or a mani/pedi. For your friends who may have lost their mother, check in with them as this day may be difficult. Mother’s Day is all about love, so spread irt around far and wide.

Mother Ocean Day

Look into volunteering to clean up your local beach. With pollution in our water and in the sand, help make these local hot spots safer for visitors to the beach and the environment! If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, check out All One Ocean to see when you can help: alloneocean.org/community-meeting-beach-clean-up.

Do the Thing You think You Cannot Do

My friend Clare Cooley practices this courageous philosophy and now teaches others how to “Imagine a Day.” Clare is probably the ultimate autodidact; she had to drop out of school pretty early to take care of family members. This has not stopped her from learning and doing anything she sets her mind to, from design, filmmaking, and painting to crafting, writing, and music. One of Clare’s most spectacular gifts is her show-stopping skate dancing and there are many YouTube videos that strangers have taped and uploaded of her whirling and twirling. Clare, who chose to not allow economic difficulties and a lack of formal education prevent her from succeeding in life, has gone on to show her ceramics and naturalist paintings in museums and galleries around the country. She says, “Lack of imagination is the only limitation and fear creates self-doubt.” In her teaching, she helps people get out of “fear mode” and unlock the power of imagination. You can see her beautiful artwork at clarecooley.com.

I urge you to Imagine a Day-pick something you always wanted to do, but were afraid to try. Painting, French cookery, playing piano, singing, learning a foreign language, yoga, rock- climbing, ballroom dancing, pottery, snorkeling-something that speaks to you on a profound level but scares you just a little. Find a class or barter with someone who is an  expert to whom you can teach something, and dive right in.

Moving and Grooving

Moving? Use clean sheets, pillowcases, and towels to pack breakable items like dishes and framed artwork. The soft material will help cushion your breakables, reducing or eliminating the need for bubble wrap. As an added bonus, linens and kitchen items are usually among the first things you’ll need to unpack at your new place, so using one to help pack the other means you’ll find everything you need in one box. Clever, eh?

Stories Are Not Just for Bedtime

Read a child a story. Introducing children to the world of books while they’re young will help boost their imagination and intelligence (and will also strengthen your bond). Whether you are babysitting, reading to your own child, or volunteering at a library or hospital, this deed goes a long way.

Please, Mr.Postman

Look into a pen pal. Writing to someone in a foreign land-whether it be a soldier, a fellow student, or a long-lost relative-can really help you gain perspective and will do the same for the person you are writing to. Check out this website for more details on how to find a pen pal: penpalworld.com. Letter writing is more meaningful than an email or text-this beautifully old-fashioned tradition will bring lasting enjoyment to you and your pal.

Unplug (and Recharge!)

Forego using technological devices today. Texting your friend, watching your favorite show, checking your email-all can wait until tomorrow! Turn off your devices and turn on your senses! Read a book, cook a meal, and enjoy the outdoors by taking a walk or tending to your garden. Technology distracts us from the real world, occupying our attention with game applications, chat rooms, social media websites, commercials, and so on. Want to know what’s going on in the news? Read a newspaper. Be aware of the here and now by finding activities that don’t require electricity or a battery. Make your own entertainment!

True Love Does Not Require a Diamond

Precious gems and metals leave a horrific trail of pollution and human rights abuses. Not much more needs to be said about this one without getting into some seriously depressing territory, but we cannot discuss jewelry without acknowledging that many people pay a steep price in order to mine, produce, and export all those shiny little rocks we coyly call “a girl’s best friend.” There are so many ways to show your love and no suffering should be involved. Ever.

Plant Flowers in Abandoned Lots

May Day was a sacred celebration of Spring in ancient times and remains a special day for common folk. I have attended several marvelous festivities complete with garlanded Maypoles; one held by Z Budapest is a treasured memory. I have my own tradition for this merry month, which is a really simple and easy way to celebrate spring: I plant flower seeds in neglected plots of land all around the Bay Area, particularly nasturtiums, which thrive on neglect and can bloom anywhere and under any circumstances. I could give a driving tour of San Francisco and the East Bay and show you the brightly colored patches that are the result of my Johnny Appleseed-style scattershot approach. You can even eat them! I always have a lot of nasturtiums growing in my garden and I collect the seeds once they have flowered in plastic baggies. I joke to my friends that I would like my legacy to be that I was “Fiesta Brenda,” the name of a mix that yields a riot of color that can turn any former parking lot or weed patch into a pocket of red, yellow and orange sunshine. I will add that some of my tenth-generation crop mutated into a lovely variegated leaf, which only adds to the glory. This bit of freeganomics feeds my soul like almost nothing else. I would say it is a sensible act of beauty.