Hello my lovelies...

Hello my lovely people,
How are you all? I hope you are all well!
So last you saw of my posts was that it was my birthday. I had a wonderful birthday celebration and was thoroughly spoilt! Thank you to everyone who sent messages and birthday wishes! :) It was grately appreciated.

So there are several things coming up for me, and some of them are things that I may need YOUR help with. As of this time next week I will be in hospital having surgery. And the doctors have warned me that it could take a little while to get everything back up and running. But that I should be well recovered in 6 weeks time... which is good because in 8 weeks I am leaving on my round the world trip! :)

As I am not sure I will have regular access to internet connection whilst I am jet setting about, I am actually looking for someone to keep the page on Facebook and this blog going! It would only be for a couple of months. But if anyone is interested to be a "Guest Blogger" on this page, let me know. I am looking for someone who is willing to undertake a month or two of doing a kindness everyday... like I do but in miniature. :) I am not sure yet, what this will look like or how it will work, but if you are interested... please let me know! :) You can send a private message to act_positive@hotmail.com or contact me through the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/365daysOfKindness

My round the world trip was paid off, amazingly, yesterday. So excited about all the places I will get to visit again and some that I will see for the first time! :) I leave Perth, Western Australia (my home town) on the 30th... so its all very exciting and a little nerve racking! Not long now.

So some awesome stuff has happened in the world of kindness this week with the launch of the Thankyou Waters expanding range! So those who have read last years Kindnesses (and if you could read this years ones... it is also in there), Thankyou Water is a product which is helping people all over the world! :) If you want to see what i mean, check out the video. 



The most exciting part is that they are branching out into food and body care... which will provide food and hygeine to those who need it most. One of the best bits about that is that you dont have to go out of your way to give to charity, as of this week the two major AUSTRALIAN supermarkets have agreed to provide the Thankyou Product range in their stores, which means you can buy them whilst you are doing your weekly shopping. And the lives that will change as a result is amazing! :)  It encourages me that we can make a difference in a HUGE way by doing something so very simple! 

For those of you in other countries, perhaps you could contact Thankyou.co and get information or something to start your own version in your own country. Its an idea at least?!

For those who have been hanging out for news on my Kindnesses this year (Feb to now), i'm afraid you will have to wait a little longer for them. I decided that i wanted to finish putting last years kindnesses in the album (as i have a dedicated scrap book album - like year 1 of this project). I did however have a slight glitch. Every night I write ten or more blessings about the day and then I add what I have been doing for 365days at the end. Every night I write the date and year so I can put them online at a later stage. My little glitch came when I was writing the kindnesses into my album, which is all based on 2012 and I was careful for the first ten or so entries in the album to make sure the date was right. But the next 30 days or so I completely was acting on auto pilot and wrote 2013... so i'm hoping not too many people notice as they read the books! lol!

Anyways, Thank you all for your continued love and support! I always appreciate your words of encouragement and enthusiasm.

Much love to you all,
Luv Daena x

Im alive and kicking in some cases literally

Hey everyone,
you are probably wondering if i have fallen off the planet, of gotten lost in my own town, or something rather drastic, but im here to assure you i am still alive... and still going with my kindnesses. I just wanted to let you know i have been continuing with my kindnesses even if I'm behind posting the monthly kindnesses or weekly, or daily for that matter. SO many plans to be organised! Well they go out the window when you are so engaged with everyday life.

Anyways, part of the reason i have only been on this blog occasionally recently is there have been a few family health issues. Mum had to have another round of surgery, this time for what i love to call "routine mantainence" but she thinks i make her sound like a computer, and she apparently "isn't one"... much to my amusement (mainly because she had to clarify)! Things didn't quite go to plan, but things are slowly (and i mean SLOWLY!) getting back to normal.

My dad had a fall at his nursing home recently, and while he is not injured (apart from a sore bum apparently) it has shaking his confidence a lot, and ours a little too. Dad has been our miracle man for so long, that when he shows fragility, its kind of scarey.


I have been working in the communal garden at our set of units and have recently planted, a peach tree, thyme, basil, carrots, and keep my mint, parsely, rosemary and a crazy pumpkin (literally took over the garden) and chilli bush. My kindnesses have included giving some of our crazy pumkin plant's big pumkins to different neighbours to enjoy, after it tried to take over the pathways to all the houses. We have already got 6 pumpkins off it and its producing more by the day!! I have been helping one of the elderly residents with her planting and pruning, and she has been teaching me so much about gardening, so its a win for both of us really!

Mum and i have also realised how much "stuff" we have... its quite amazing how much "stuff" you accumulate on a day to day basis, or on a yearly basis. So we have decided to start going through things and giving away what we can and throwing away what we cant. We are shredding and then giving the paper shreddings to pet stores or to my sister for her chooks, the first lots been used in the garden as more mulch.  We gave my sister and brother-in-law a bookcase today. It was hilarious because my brother-in-law and neighbour (who is ex-navy) were attaching the bookcase to the back of the car... lets just say the tears of laughter were running down my leg(jk). It was very funny.
We have also already filled up our rubbish bin to make sure that we are getting rid of as much as possible. We have been giving old clothes to people we know can use them (if they cant use them, then they pass it on). And there is soooooooo much more. Mum tires easily, so i have been keeping her plied with tea and cookies (for those who saw my recent photo of the over cook i did a couple of weeks ago... well you know what I'm talking about). It is very slow going, but its will mean that we have more time for people and less time for "stuff"... well that's the theory anyways.

I did a kindness recently that was one of my favorites. I was on my way to pick up some junk food for mum for dinner (while this was a kindness... its wasn't the only one), and i decided that i would buy dinner for the car behind me. I am blessed to have money! its not much but its enough that i can do nice things for other people and not be too worried about what happens next in terms of budget. For a long time, there was no-one behind me in the drive thru line, i was almost at the window to pay when this car pulled in behind me, with two young guy in it. I don't know who they are or what they even ate, but i asked the guy behind the counter if i could pay for the car behind me and he looked at me funny, but said sure. So I did. I got my food and drove away. I love the idea that the guys in the car behind me would have been confused but happy and that they may have done something similar for someone else... but in truth i don't know... and i never will! That's what made this one so fun! A sneaky act of Kindness... or more acurately a Random Act of Kindness. It was so simple. I didn't know kindness could be that simple, but it was. Seriously... you should try it. Its awesome! :)

On a really exciting note, I am currently planning a round the world trip! Its going to be awesome! im going to Canada (Edmonton), USA(Washington, NYC & Boston), Ireland (Dublin), England (Hull & London), Wales (Holyhead & Cardiff), France (Paris), Germany (Colgne), Italy (Rome) and Egypt (Cairo - with a 8 day tour down the Nile)! I am so very excited that the planning is going so well and i have friends & family in a lot of those places and I will get to see them again! I am so very blessed too, not many get the opportunity to travel as often as I have. If you live in any of these locations, let me know about the "must see" things I simply cant miss....

Okay... what else? i have no idea. So much has been happening that i don't know if i am here or there! But i keep my kindnesses going, as should you. Making a cup of tea or coffee for a neighbour (doesn't cost much), helping to carry a heavy load for another (its free), smiling at a complete stranger for no reason (it makes you feel good too). So many simple ways you can be kind.

Anyways, much love,
Daena

p.s the "literal kicking" comes because i am back at Karate. Last year I wasn't well enough to go very often, but i love going and I love teaching people how to protect themselves. We teach that in a dangerous situation you should run first, and only when you can't run do you stay and fight. But we want you to be prepared for both. So a lot of what we do is fitness... so you can run fast! :) I love it, and the teacher has been teaching me for almost 20 years (he's no spring chicken - but can still beat me at any competition... so lets hope he doesn't see that comment! lol). I recently got my lifetime membership (oh that is SCAREY... apparently i'm no spring chicken either! lol!).  And if you are trying to figure out my age... didn't you know its rude to ask a lady her age?! lol! however if i give it to you freely... well thats a whole other kettle of fish! *Coughs* 27 *coughs*. ;)

Hospital...the easiest place to be kind!

Hey Everyone,
Sorry i haven't written in a while. things have been a bit crazy around here! Mum went into spinal surgery last week and i have been meaning to do a post about it! :) All went well which is amazing considering the delicacy of the procedure! But this means that i have spent a LOT of time of time waiting around at the Hospital! Funnily enough i tried to update this blog post whilst i was bored one of those times, but for some reason my phone is now pretending that it doesn't like my Blog! :S Phones... honestly who'd have technology?! (shhh....i know you do... me too!)

Anyways, as the phone and its internet connection were playing up i just used the notes section to jot down a few of my thoughts!

*warning... brain was slightly stressed so may not actually make sense in the long run!*

"Today my mum had very complex spinal surgury. Things about life and death are always very hard to deal with and i have been struggling! Yet I always find it amazing what happens at hospitals.

With the hours of waiting and watching i have seen the most amazing kindnesses (and experienced some for myself)! From asking a stranger if they are going up on an elevator (when they didn't see it open), to others chatting kindly to a sad and worried looking person. From trying to make someone else smile to bringing in something special from home to make sure the patient in hospitla feels more comfortable. From praying/sending thoughts for the person sick, to making a cup of tea for a relative that looks simply sad. I am coming to understand that the easiest way of sharing kindness is by going to a hospital.

Perhaps this ability to be kind stems from the very nature of work that occurs at a hospital. Healing! Love, Kindness, Generosity seem to be some of the characteristics that act as healing agents in Hospitals. Of course the hard work of those in the medical fields, and those that assist are clearly vital to health and well being!

I know the way the nursing staff took care of my mum was with kindness! They were patient, generous, and some rather comical (which made the serious nature of the surgery a little less terrifying). So thank you to all those who make a difference in their work! If you are a doctor, or a nurse or a support staff! Thank you for looking after our sick, sharing in our grief, welcoming new additions into families, making us feel welcome in a new place, smiling when you serve us a cup of tea, easing pain, laughing with us when we do something a little silly and simply being there when we need help! THANK YOU!"

 (*okay maybe it wasn't as incoherent as i thought it would be... that's good!*)

From someone how been helping mum now she is out of hospital, I appreciate all the little things that you did for her in there! So thanks!

Anyways, when i was sitting in the cafeteria on one of my endless waits at the hospital, I was reminded of the movie "Love Actually". The beginning of the movie is where people are being observed at the Airport, and the voice over (Hugh Grant to be precise) is noting that love is clearly visible at the airport. I thought that at Hospitals, kindness is clearly visible. And I remember thinking that (minus the grief and loss) that it would be a better place if we were like that all the time. Kind, i mean. I think people are more conscious of other people when they are at a hospital. And i think we need to be aware of others if we are to be kind in our everyday life.

Well, so much for this being a "short" blog post as I had first planned.

I hope all is going well with you all in your lives! And thanks for the friends and family who have supported me and mum over this last week! You have been lifesavers! SERIOUSLY! ;)

Luv Daena x