Giver updates and Three Questions with Una LaMarche

I have two very exciting things to announce today.

Three weeks in, we've received our first progress report from one of our Givers. Megan posted the first part of her Give, and you can read it over here. Remember to check out The Givers page to meet all eleven entrants in TBG, and visit their blogs to check on their progress.

Secondly, the wonderful Una LaMarche has answered Three Questions for us. Una blogs at The Sassy Curmudgeon and is our blogging guru. For more of what that means, check out the Prize Pack section of this blog.



Remember to check out TBG's Youtube channel and subscribe/like/comment as if you mean it. www.youtube.com/goaheadmaketheirday

TBG on Youtube

Phew. It's been a crazy couple of days with processing the registrations for TBG, but I'm excited to announce that we have eleven Givers, and you can follow their progress right here, with regular updates.

I'm also excited to announce that TBG is on Youtube. The channel is something we'd been planning since the launch of TBG, and after several false starts, multiple computer glitches and a crashed laptop in Ireland, we're finally good to go with Three Questions from the lovely Nel from Finding Rabbit. Check out her contribution to the TBG prize pack over here, visit Nel's blog here and watch this little clip here:



If you love us, head over to our Youtube Channel, http://www.youtube.com/goaheadmaketheirday, and follow, subscribe, like, poke or whatever it is you do on Youtube.

Compliments also count

My city is full of "windshield cleaners", you know, those guys (or girls but those are rare) that clean your car's windshield when the traffic light is red...OK, so some of you have never heard of them? It's OK, maybe it's a third world thing, I am not sure.

Anyway, we live about 10 kms away from the downtown area. It doesn't seem that bad but believe me, it's a lot. Of course there are a lot of traffic lights on the way, and that means "windshield cleaners"...so basically they wipe your windshield and they get a tip. The problem is we live so far away that our windshield gets cleaned at least 4 times until we reach our destination. My mum always says she ends up spending more money tipping these boys than on parking, however, she always gives them some money.

Last Sunday, we went to the movies to see "Prince of Persia" and there was a windshield cleaner at the mall's traffic light. Mum didn't have any change but I did, so when he was done I handed him the money and told him : "I'm tipping you only because you have dreadlocks" (which I find very cool). He looked very surprised and his face lit, while flashing a great smile, the lights turned green and he said "Yay for dreadlocks!" and so we left.

I know it is a very silly story, but my point is that you don't need much to make someone happy, to make someone smile. It goes beyond tipping someone who is trying to make a living (I often tell mum that, "you know, they could be stealing but they're not, they're working"), sometimes being honest and complimenting someone help us make their day too.

Why I won't be entering The Big Give

I'd like to start by saying that this whole project is completely mindblowing. I know the women who've put The Big Give together, through their blogs and thwhatever other social networking we young folk do nowadays. They're all forward-thinking, compassionate, sweet, decent humans. So, of course, it's no big surprise that they've come up with this but... seriously, where do they find the time?! These four ladies are the reason the world is going to be okay in another fifty years: If nobody else saves us all, they will.

Anyway, I can't enter The Big Give. I'd like to, because I think it's positive and it's brilliant and, more than anything, it's needed. But here's a story about me and my life and why I can't participate...

I was a bad kid. I did a lot of terrible things. Drugs, thievery, lies... that was my modus operandi. Many of the times I lied, I was simply trying to make people think I'm interesting or "cool" or dangerous or... any number of things that i didn't think I already was. I bought a crack rock in 7th grade, just so I could tell people I tried smoking crack. No, I never tried it (gave it to a train station bum), but I told everyone I did. I made up all kinds of stories about older cousins in New York City and recording sessions with make-believe punk bands, and all of that. It's embarrassing to admit, even all these years later.

And I stole. For years. I mean, the compulsive lying was MOSTLY given up like... by age 18ish. The stealing, well I still like to shoplift sometimes, if we're being honest (Now, I only steal from big companies that make money by exploiting peoples' stupidity and obedience). But I used to REALLY steal. I did a bunch of burglaries... even into age 20. No, I'm not proud at all. One moment that has haunted my existence forever and ever was... well, I stole $400 from one of my best friends. When I was a homeless 19-year-old sociopath. Anyway, yes.

As one might guess, I'm basically a walking guilt factory nowadays. And that's why I won't sign up for The Big Give.

I will be participating, however. Silently, selfishly. I've been reading the blog every day, and I am feeling really inspired. But... I operate a little bit differently. I do my best to give now, as I've taken so much. But it's very important to me that I don't talk about it. When/If I give, it is between me and the person I'm giving to. And sometimes, whenever I can, I prefer to give without anyone knowing at all. For example, have you ever found $20 taped to the bottom of a table at your local cafe, or perhaps you woke up early to shovel your driveway but it was mysteriously done already? Yeah, that was me, maybe. I like to give, but I think talking about it is wrong for me. Because there's a very good chance I will start lying again, and I don't want to do that.

So. Day to day life for me is usually ALL about giving back, or paying dues, or repenting (no, not to Jesus, just... to the universe) for my wrongdoings. Even the no-big-deal things like holding doors open, giving up my bus seat, smiling when I talk even though I hate my teeth... I try to give of myself, the best I can. Yes, I am motivated by guilt... which makes me feel more guilty. I mean giving and giving, to avoid guilt, but then realising I should be giving and giving for no good reason at all? I don't know, I haven't got it all worked out.

But I do want to say THANK YOU to Risha and Mel and Kris and Ella. For coming up with The Big Give., I won't be entering, but if there's anything else I can do, let me know. And GOOD LUCK to all the contestants! I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with. This is a beautiful thing, and I'm truly happy that it exists.

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This was written by Robert Boylan. He is 28, living in America. Pretty weird, but pretty awesome. He has a blog called The Stir-Fried Dinosaur. Also pretty weird but also pretty awesome.

Dori here! Today I get the honours of talking about a little project I started. It's called Goodfiti, and that's because it's a graffiti project that's only aimed at good & positive things. This means that there is no pointless graffiti involved.

Its main purpose is to replace all bad graffiti with good graffiti on places which get tagged very frequently. Especially at public places such a bike paths, where people walk by every day, even young children. I hate that they are being exposed to curse words and dirty images, and I want to prevent that or at least help minimize that.


The things I hope to use the most are positive words, phrases and quotes. Little things that have meaning but aren't extremely long. I make all of these words using bristol board to create stencils. This way they're neat.

Here are some photos of what I've done so far. It isn't much, but everything starts out small. I'm looking forward to doing a lot more soon, and I could use some help! If you'd like to send me some positive words, phrases, or quotes, post them on this post and I might end up using them.




There are plenty of similar projects out there and I hope it spreads all over the world. Do you think this could make a difference? Let us know your opinion.

Thank you!

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Dori is a 19-year-old girl from Canada who likes anything creative. She likes to post most of her ideas and projects on her blog, as well as her photography. She is soon going to attend college for a photography course in hopes of becoming a professional photographer. She also wants to use her art to try to make the world a better place.

Visit her blog at dorithegiant.com

one more cup of coffee 'fore I go to the valley below...

There was a universal fact that existed at the Starbucks in the Portland, Oregon airport. Soldiers never paid for their drinks.

“Hectic” doesn’t even begin to describe how busy those mornings at the airport could get. There were no less than 30 anxious travelers in line between 5 and 11 AM, and they were by and large unpleasant folks. Understandable, since we were the first stop after the demeaning and ridiculous security check, and these people hadn’t yet had their coffee. Add the stress of travelling, and you have yourself a train of grumpy, demanding customers.

But when there was a man or woman in uniform, hostilities were put aside, as proved to me by Ruth.

“I want a mocha,” she told me tersely. She was an older lady, impeccably dressed, probably on her way to Hawaii or something.

“Of course!” I chirped, in the most over-caffeinated, sugar-coated voice I could muster at 5:30 AM. “What size do you want that mocha? Do you want whip?”

This was met with an exasperated stare. “I said grande. And no.”

I sucked it up, got her name, called it out, and gave her the total. As she reached behind her to grab her purse, she saw the soldier a few paces behind in line. She stopped. When she looked back at me, she handed me the money to cover her drink. She looked back and smiled when I gave her the change.

“Thank you.” Her voice was noticeably softer. She paused before opening her wallet and pulling out a five dollar bill. “Can you make sure this goes toward his drink?”She gestured to the soldier. Hesitantly, I nodded, took the bill, and slipped it under the register.

In due course, the man in desert camo gear came up. He was tall, blue-eyed, and looked young. He was studying the menu board intently.

“Can I please get a...white mocha? In a…venti size?”

I found it hard to coat my voice with that fake sugar and extra caffeine. I looked at him and smiled. “Of course. Whip?”

“Uhh, yeah. Sure.” He reached for his wallet.

“It’s been taken care of, don’t worry about that.” I blushed as he looked up, a little confused.

“Another customer asked that this cover your drink,” I explained, waving the bill.

“Oh, no, that’s okay.” He opened his wallet. I panicked a little – I already felt moved by Ruth’s tiny, selfless little gesture, and now it was slipping away.

“Well, to be honest, I really don’t deserve a tip this big, so it might as well go toward your drink.” I completely ignored his own bill he was holding in front of me.

“What’s your name?” I asked, dropping his change into his hand.

“Josh.” He looked at me, then my nametag. “Thanks, Jami.”

“No problem.” I hesitated. “Best of luck, Josh.”

The pattern repeated all summer in that concourse. Soldiers, on their way to who knows where, always had a warm, familiar drink paid for by one of the customers ahead of them. They were always a little embarrassed (as I was, being the middleman) but they were grateful.

In the international arrivals concourse, which was never as busy, I met another soldier. Matt was tall and really handsome in his desert gear. He quickly came up and ordered a caramel macchiato. I’d never seen someone so excited to order a drink, and said as much.

He smiled, “I haven’t had good coffee in eight months.” I gave him a quizzical look as I started making his drink. “I’ve been in Afghanistan,” he explained.

No one had been there to pay for his drink. I frowned, and looked to the supervisor in the back. I asked if he wanted an extra shot (big smile and nod), and handed him a cookie before he left. He thanked me, took a drink, and then stopped.

“It’s so good to be back!” I've still never seen someone so happy to be drinking a mediocre macchiato.

I don’t support those stupid wars these men and women fight in. But I can’t stop them, so if they have to go, I’m glad I could play middleman and at least send them off or welcome them home with a warm drink.

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Jami is 24, blonde, but a little on the bright side, with an infallible hope for the future marred by her relentless laziness that makes her wish that she was in Mexico about 90 percent of the time. She's currently a politico working in Olympia, Washington, which leaves her a little bored. She spends a lot of her time daydreaming and she thinks the world would be a much better place if everyone listened to The Beatles and followed their mantra, "And in the end, love you take is equal to the love you make."

Jami blogs at Jami's Trashcan.

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Read. Think. Discuss. Act.

Three Questions with Stella from Ganbayo

Stella is one of the generous bunnies who has contributed to our prize pack. We asked her to answer three questions so we could get to know her a little better.

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1) What's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for you?

I can't think of any specific thing, but I feel lucky enough to have people near me, who love me and care for me. What can be nicer than that?


2) If you could makes someone's day, what would you do?

the first thing that comes to my mind is taking care a homeless person. I would like to give him or her the opportunity to have a home, to eat homemade food and have a hot bath. I wish this could be true and not only for a day.




3) Tell us about the necklace you've given to the TBG prize pack.

This necklace is one of my favorites creations. I love the soft fabric, the circles and this blue color! Since I was a child I've been observing my grand mother and mother creating traditional cypriot knitwear.These women have inspired me to put my own creativity into use. My intention is to express myself through my jewellery with the hope that a part of my sunny disposition will reach the people who own them!

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Ganbayo aka Stella was born in Nicosia, Cyprus. She is 24 years old and is studying agricultural biotechnology. Stella lives in a small flat in the center of Athens. She has always loved creating things, but first decided to open her own etsy shop in 2010. You can visit her store at http://www.ganbayo.etsy.com/.

Get to know her at her Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/tourloutourlou

and follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ganbayo

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Now it's your turn. Comment us your own answers to our Three Questions:

1) What's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for you?

2) If you could make someone's day, what would you do?

3) In the next 24 hours, what are you going to do to make someone smile?

Gifts that keep on giving. With special guest blogger: Una LaMarche

An interpretive dance performance

Cost: Free, excepting your dignity and, possibly, costumes

Keeps on giving by… providing the giftee with a visual experience that will be permanently seared into his/her brain forever (perhaps a pas de deux to Purple Rain, or crumping to Justin Bieber?); raising awareness of the magical art that is dance.

Just let the emotion out.

A DVD of Pay it Forward, starring Haley Joel Osment

Cost: New, $14.98; used, from $0.25

Keeps on giving by... duh, paying it forward. Also by letting giftee finally watch their Kevin Spacey-Helen Hunt sex fantasy play out onscreen.

That kid is a total cockblock

20 virtual pints of beer on Facebook

Cost: $20 (Yes, really. Jesus, Facebook, for that kind of money I want a REAL hangover)

Keeps on giving by... giving giftee virtual alcohol poisoning, which is totally a life lesson; making all of giftee’s friends feel good about the fact that they did not just waste $20 on pretend booze.

Zero calorie beer. EAT THAT, Michelob Ultra!

A copy of The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Cost: $11.55

Keeps on giving by... revealing to the giftee that The Giving Tree is actually about unhealthy dependency issues, which will then lead them to dump the boy- or girlfriend who has been taking metaphoric apples from their branches for years; introduce the giftee to phrases such as “slide down my trunk” and “sit on my stump,” which make great double entendres.

How do you like them apples, you selfish little dipshit? Don't let it hit you in the ass on your way out.

Fishing rod, reel, and line

Cost: $19.99 (cheapest model, through Amazon)

Keeps on giving by... um, feeding giftee for life (assuming they can figure out how to use it, since lessons go over the price limit, and also assuming they can catch a fish without any hook or bait)

Oh, don't worry... if he gets hungry he can go to McDonald's

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Una LaMarche is a writer, editor, and karaoke enthusiast living in Brooklyn. She is the managing editor of The New York Observer and her writing has appeared in BlackBook, The Huffington Post, Strut, and LA Confidential, among other publications. When she's not trolling the internet for new Lost theories or bidding on old Sassy magazine issues on eBay, Una documents her life, pop culture obsessions, and occasional political rants on her blog, The Sassy Curmudgeon.

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Una is also our blogging guru. Read more on the Prize Pack page of this blog. for the chance to win 15 minutes in IM with Una, don't forget to register for TBG. Less than a week to go until rego's close!

What does your USD 20 mean?

What does your USD 20 mean?

USD 20. With all our talk of currencies, foreign exchange rates and ubiquitous (over) use of the word, “recession”, our ideas of what USD 20 translates to, what it means across the world has shifted. Between the impact of the global currency collapse (hi there, Euro!) and the slow trudge of economic development, what USD 20 means has dramatically altered.

Almost half the world- that is to say, three billion people- lives on less that USD 2.50 a day. USD 20 is equivalent to the daily living allowance of eight people: you could ostensibly feed and shelter for one day, eight people across the world (or one person for eight days).

Almost two in three people lacking access to clean water survive on less than USD2 a day, with one in three living on less than USD1 a day. With USD 20, you could help at least five people (at USD 4/person) have access to clean water for a day.

For every USD1 in aid a developing country receives, over USD25 is spent on debt repayment. In theory, your USD 20 could repay up to 95% of a country’s debt on every dollar it receives.

Yes, everything has its price and apparently USD 20 can get you a whole lot:

In the Philippines (where I currently live), USD 20 is equivalent to PhP 915.400. The new poverty line for Asia Pacific stands at USD 1.35/day. 27 million Filipinos live below it. With PhP 915, you can buy nearly a week’s groceries or two 3D cinema tickets and popcorn or a nice date at a semi-fancy Greek restaurant or get your hair cut at the ever-so-fancy Toni & Guy, with change left over for a huge bowl of pasta. Or, help 670 Filipinos (approximately) hit the minimum poverty line for one day.

USD 20 is more than just a bunch of green bills, it means more than that. What does USD 20 mean in your world? What do you do with USD 20? What kind of things do you buy? Would you miss USD 20 in your daily life?

Read, Think, Discuss and Act!

Source: Global Issues- Poverty Facts and Stats;

Encounters on a London Bus.

Let me take you back to a rainy April evening. London is shivering in the drizzle that characterises late spring, early summer, and the rest, and my bus home is finally approaching the bus stop. An orderly queue forms and a long line of sodden commuters boards. Just as the doors close and the bus is about to leave, a man runs alongside, shouting to be let on. He's a man I recognise - not because I know him but because he gets this bus at the same time every day (oh, how sad my routine has become!). He's around forty, I would say, and he has a mental disability. Although he manages to get on, he spills some tea as he pays for his ticket. The driver tells him that the bus isn’t going anywhere until he finishes, or gets rid of, the drink - “in the interest of health and safety“. The man has just bought the drink and doesn‘t want to throw it away, so stands by the driver‘s seat downing the boiling hot tea as fast as he can. A surreal situation to witness; in fact, not just surreal, but really, really awkward.

So, the man finishes his tea. A sarcastic old coot pretends to cheer. I find this unnecessary and shoot her an evil look. However, ashamed as I am to admit it, as the man walks up the aisle towards me, I’m really hoping he won’t talk to me.

[I promise you, I am intensely ashamed of myself, and beg you not to think too harshly of me. I'm actually tempted to start this post again and paint myself in glorious, saintly light - but I've started, so I'll finish.]

He stops in front of me, wedging himself into the only bit of standing room left. And he does talk to me. My first thought is that I have my earphones on and so could quite easily pretend I can't hear a word he’s saying but, although my cunning earphone plan has worked in the past, something stops me from ignoring him this time. .

What‘s stopping me? Common decency, perhaps? A flicker of life in my heart of stone?

Finally, I decide not to be a complete . I take off my earphones and engage in conversation.

"Anything for a quiet life," he says, and rolls his eyes. I laugh. Minutes later we’re chatting about football, about where he used to live and the time he saw David Beckham. In all honesty, I can't hear a lot of what he’s saying - I think it’s the damage to my ears caused by the near constant wearing of earphones - but he chats away and I can just about cling to the gist of the story if I try.

A few minutes later, I reach my stop. I tell him I'm getting off and he tells me to have a nice evening. And I did have a nice evening - mostly due to having cast aside my miserable outlook on life and engaged in conversation with someone who I would normally, in ignorance, have avoided. I suppose that what this post is actually about is what he gave me, rather than what I gave him. Yes, I spoke to him and nobody else did, but I’m not arrogant enough to assume that this made his day. He did make mine though, by reminding me that I don’t have to be another stern face among a million commuters - another grey suit on another grey day. Since then, inspired by this one flash of colour in an otherwise monotone month, I’ve tried even harder to bury the city cynic I’ve become, throwing myself whole-heartedly into being a friendlier, more helpful and less selfish man about town. So thanks for your help, Mr Bus Man.

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Tom started a blog on his 25th birthday so that he could record the weird and sometimes wonderful things he thinks about but never articulates in real life. He loves London, where he lives and works, as well as reading, procrastination and the feeling he gets when somebody out there understands the drivel he plucks from his brain. Tom blogs at TBR Tangential.

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Read. Think. Discuss. Act.

It's the little things that make a big impact.

Something really simple can really make a persons day.

Is there a small act of kindness you can pay someone in your life that would make them a happier little bunny, if even just for a few moments? Do you have a house mate stuck in their room trying to finish their thesis or so busy with work that they don't have time to do simple things like make a nice proper home cooked meal? Do you live at home with your mom or dad? Is there something you can do for them like run them a bath and take your little brother or sister off their hands for half an hour so then can soak and relax? Do you have a friend who has stuff going on and needs to be distracted for an hour or two just to unwind, couldn't you just take them to the cinema, or to the beach, or for a coffee or a walk or a drive or something?

To me, that's what TBG is about, just as much as the stuff that you can do to help an entire community or area, you can really really make someones day by doing something really simple and just help them relax and unwind for a few minutes.

We all go through times in our lives where stuff is just piling up on us and we don't have time to think let alone do something nice for ourselves and lets be honest, if someone did something as simple as bring us a cup of tea and a sandwich during these times, we'd be extremely grateful. So put yourself in your parents, your friends, your sister or brother or even your neighbours position and try to think “if that was me, what would make me smile?”.
Hell, if it's a hot day, just buy them an ice cream, I swear, they will love it.
The little things in life really do make it worth living.

Be a giver, make someones day, it will make you feel good too.

Seán

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Seán is a pretty normal 25 year old guy.He lives in Galway in the west of Ireland and likes listens to a lot of Hiphop. His blog doesn't have a theme and he just writes about whatever is happening in his life at the time.From misadventures of the heart to surgery, the flutter you get in the lead up to first date and going cliff jumping in a quarry with friends, it's all in there. Check out his blog "Three Rounds and a Sound..." at http://seaninho.wordpress.com/ and if you like it, leave him a comment, he'd appreciate the feed back.

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Read. Think. Discuss. Act.

Krysten

It started out as a rant about her obsession love for Twilight and all things Twilight. Krysten, a fellow blogger, talked about how, since losing her job, she and her husband are getting by but there is no money to spend on ‘fun’ stuff! Every girl can relate to wanting to buy ‘fun’ stuff even if it’s just a new color nail polish or a latte, so I suggested she start a PayPal account to take donations towards her obsession and that I’d gladly throw a few bucks her way. Shortly after, there were several bloggers suggesting the same, not to mention many bloggers offering to buy her the books, DVD’s and movie tickets that she was missing. A little while later she had a “Donate” button up on her blog! I followed through with my promise and donated $5.00 towards her obsession. Thinking that was the end of it, I went about my day.

A few days later she posted suggesting that she was not going to be using the donations towards Twilight stuff, but something more…

Another few days later Krysten posted about turning the “Donate” button into a monthly charity feature; on the first of every month she would post about the ‘featured charity’, tell us a little bit about it and for the entire month all money donated would be given to said charity. Her dream is to be able to match donations once she is out of financial hardship. That’s amazing!

It’s amazing to me the community that goes into blogging… and I love that even though Krysten wasn’t asking for anything, she was offered more than she expected; true kindness. My donation was meant to help-a-sista-out and now is being turned into something above and beyond my own dreams! Even if Krysten can’t match every donation, I’m inspired to now make a monthly donation as often as I can, knowing that each month a different charity will benefit from it!

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Ang is an amateur blogger and dreams of a life as a professional photographer. From Minneapolis, MN she loves her Minnesota sports teams, her friends and her life! Exploring life as someone in her late 20’s, she’s pretty confident in the person she’s become! She’s very excited to see how far The Big Give can go!

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You can learn more about Krysten's "Charity of the Month" project, and donate at her blog, After "I Do".

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Read. Think. Discuss. Act.

Stepping out of comfort zones.

This story of a random act of kindness is actually about my mother.

She came home from Hawaii the other day and upon asking her how her trip was she turned to me and said, “well, I just have to tell you that you inspired me to do something…”

Immediately I was like oh no, what did I do…

She told me that on her last day in Hawaii, she was lying on the beach and saw a man a few towels over struggling to pack up his stuff. He was an elderly Hawaiian man who clearly had back problems, among other issues which made it nearly impossible for him to bend over and pick anything up. She said it was painful to watch this poor frail man, but at first that’s all she did, in thinking that obviously someone else, much closer to him, would surely help. But no one did.

She waited another few minutes, still thinking that any second one of the people who were already close enough that they literally just needed to lean over a few inches to help him would jump up, because how could they not?But no one did.

Now to fill you in, my mom is very self conscious of her body on a good day, so take that put her in a bathing suit and she basically just wants to hide under a rock. Despite this, she got up (draped in a towel) and walked right in front of all the people on the beach over to the man, forcing herself every step of the way. She got to the man and worked up the nerve to ask him if he needed any help. He looked up timidly and in a heavy accent, said no, no! I'm okay! And shewed her away.

My mom immediately turned around panicked, and basically ran back to her towel, feeling horrible but still proud that she had at least asked (or at least trying to convince herself of this)

Finally, on his own, the man finally managed to pack up his things and take off.

Awhile later my mom was ready to leave, so she too packed up and left the beach. On walking back, she saw the man standing in the parking lot with a huge basket. He walked over to my mom and gave her this package full of homemade goodies fresh from his farm. He explained that he so greatly appreciated her offer to help, and could not believe that she had been so kind. He had gone home and packed up a whole basket full of fresh baked food and Hawaiian treats , each wrapped up beautifully.

My mom was somewhat embarrassed at the time but it obviously meant a lot to her (in her telling me the story, she had a huge grin on her face). It proved that even pushing yourself a tiny bit to do something kind for someone else can have more of an impact than you would ever imagine. And on top of making someone else feel good, you get that warm fuzzy feeling in your heart too. And who knows, you might just get some delicious treats out of it!

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Brandi is a blogger from Vancouver, British Columbia who writes about her adventures, or rather misadventures, in love, school, cupcakes and her delightful obsession with rollerskating. Outside of blogging she is a full time nursing student and part time collector of bows and other things properly doll-like. In trying to balance her real life with the time she spends in her head, she tells some fun stories and adds some randomness to the idea of random acts of kindness.

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PLEASE NOTE: TBG is not a spectator sport. This post is intended to spark something bigger.

Read. Think. Discuss. Act.

Small things

This post is an ode to small things and the power of a thoughtful gesture to turn someone's day around. I'd love to read and share your stories. If you've been surprised by a simple gesture, or if you've been inspired by TBG to make someone's day, let me know. Email goaheadmaketheirday@gmail.com.

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My friends have impeccable timing. They seem to know exactly what it will take to make me smile, and they always seem to nail it right when I'm in need of some serious TLC.

Jealous? You should be. I am one very lucky girl. Case in point...


I was having a not so great week, when I got to work one morning and found Kurt from Glee waiting in my office.

For those who are planning their own Big Gives, the best place to start your scheming is with a solid knowledge of your givee. My Kurt standee was from Friday's contributor to the TBG blog, the luminous Cat, who knew that nothing would make this Gleeks day like a cardboard cutout of Kurt Hummel in his Single Ladies outfit to keep her company.

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PLEASE NOTE: TBG is not a spectator sport. This post is intended to spark something bigger.

Read. Think. Discuss. Act.

Say something... and make it good.

Just in case no one has said anything nice to you today...

“Promise me you'll always remember:
You're braver than you believe,
And stronger than you seem,
And smarter than you think."
- AA Milne

Your turn. Go say something nice to someone.

Mucho Amore

Cat.

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Todays contributor is Cat. Cat resides in beautiful Sydney. You can read her delightful and profoundly frivolous ramblings at Oh, The Places You Will Go.

If you're interested in contributing to the TBG blog or being a part of the Youtube Channel (coming soon), make our day and email goaheadmaketheirday@gmail.com.

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PLEASE NOTE: TBG is not a spectator sport. This post is intended to spark something.

Read. Think. Discuss. Act.