I recently posted my guest columnist blog on The Confident Mom website. Susan Heid is a Certified Parenting Coach and offers GREAT suggestions and help to Mom’s. Her site is helpful, informative, and colorful! I love just relaxing and browsing her information. Take some time for yourself today and check it out: http://www.theconfidentmom.com
Enjoy this wonderful day!
A few weeks ago we spoke at WFYI’s Speaking of Women’s Health. It was a great day and I enjoyed spending the day with my colleagues. The convention center is quite big and the conference covers a large area. I wore one of my favorite pair of shoes- my 4 inch purple heals! All that mattered to me when I slid them on my feet at 5am was that they matched my outfit. I wasn’t thinking about how they would feel by 5PM!
So we go thru the day, do our presentations, and have a great time! On my way home I decided to stop at the grocery store. No kids in tow- I’ll be in and out in no time! But guess what- my dogs were barking!!! For those of you unfamiliar with this phrase- my feet hurt! I walked out to my car with my cart and literally prayed for God to just get me to my car. Don’t fail me now purple shoes! Now one thing I need to tell you, I am telling you not to toot my own horn. It’s honestly to set the stage here. I am huge on doing random acts of kindness. I just love to see people’s surprise on their faces when you do something for them out of the ordinary. I also believe that what comes around goes around. I don’t do it for that reason but I have done things enough to believe this to be true. This particular grocery store does not have a “cart corral”. I have chosen rather than to be mad about it, when I don’t have kids in tow, as I am taking my cart back up to the front of the store, anyone that I pass I ask if I can take their cart up there for them. Well this day I didn’t even know how I would get to my car, let alone take my cart up there! I made it to the car, unloaded my groceries, and the sweetest lady walked up to me and said, “Would you like for me to take your cart up there for you?”. I turned around to see if I was hearing voices or if it was an angel! When I saw it was an actual human, I could have hugged her (don’t worry, Tammy, I didn’t!- Tammy is my socially appropriate thermometer!) But I did thank her and tell her, “You have no idea what you just did for me. Thank you!” As I got into my car I thought to myself, “Wow! All those times of doing something nice just came back to me!” And I whispered a “Thank you, God”.
It would be great to ask ourselves throughout the day what we can do to spread kindness. How can I pay it forward? If we all do it, it just might make us all get thru this challenging life just a little easier. It’s the little things that can mean the most. You never know when the working Mom with the purple shoes just needs a little break! Thanks for reading and have a great and full of random acts of kindness day!
*Natalie Chandler, MA, LMHC is a therapist at Imagine Hope Counseling Group. Natalie enjoys doing marriage counseling, individual counseling, and couples counseling. We also specialize in family counseling, child, and adolescent counseling. Imagine Hope serves the Indianapolis area including the surrounding areas of Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, Westfield, and Zionsville.