Happiness from HOPE Revolution

From Bint

The Fantastic Secret Agent L

In a story more complicated than I will tell here on the blog, I found a GREAT new blog that just made me smile and I wanted to share it with you here.  I found it on Kavindra's site, A Clear Path to Happy. She mentioned it back in September or so.

The blog is called Secret Agent L and it is a brilliant, funny and inspiring blog where the blogger goes on different secret agent assignments and leaves little gifties for unsuspecting strangers. Kind of like HopeRevolution but different.  Secret Agent L says, "Be Kind. No exceptions."  I love it!

I truly believe that these little kindnesses and these kinds of stories and experiences make the world a better place. Obviously, when something tragic and catestrophic happens, kindness is required. We forget, though, that sometimes it is the small kindness that has the huge impact. The day that someone says something at just the right moment to renew your faith in humanity. Or to give you the strength to get through the day.  I want to make more of those moments happen.

Where are my Mitzvahs?

Well, I did collect toys for kids. One mitzvah (or do we count each toy? haha). I donated money to the assisted living center and went and served desserts at the dessert/bingo event on Saturday. I feel like I should be doing more.

I went to Hope Revolution's website again and I think I really am going to do some HopeNotes. I know I keep saying I'm going to do it, but I haven't been brave enough to do it. I am going to do it this week/weekend. With all my new art supplies and things, I can definitely make some nice little notes to hide in strange and unexpected places.

Why this change of focus? There are a couple of reasons for my determination to do something good this year. I have been down lately, as anyone can tell by reading a couple of posts. Doing things for other people makes me feel good and it does something good (hopefully) for them. I believe that we can make a huge difference in the world by doing little kindnesses. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day and I don't want to be. I was thinking today about the telecourse and the idea that we are what we practice.

If I am down and talking about it all the time, I am practicing being down. I'm going to try practicing doing good things and things that bring joy to either myself or someone else. I am practicing joy. I need a lot of practice.


I went to see "The Blind Side" tonight with Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw. It is the movie based on Michael Ohr's book "The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game". It was just what I needed to see. It doesn't really matter what anyone says about the movie - it moved me and it made me want to do something different, feel something different. I wanted to just make a different choice than feeling so lost. So, that's what I'm trying to do. Yay.

If You're Happy and You Know It...

I saw this picture on Hope Revolution's blog and followed the links to get information about it. I just love it!  Hope Revolution got it from here.

"Pledge to Be Positive" - What a Great Idea!

I saw this ad today on television as I was cleaning my living room:



I love the idea of pledging to do something positive and I am even going to try to get a couple of the tickets to the Rose Parade...something I normally would not do. I am going to continue to prepare and do my Hope Revolution project and will post about it here.

Amazing what a vacation can do for you, huh?

Day 16 Thoughts

I have been thinking about Hope Revolution today.  I was pouring a glass of milk and thinking that I would like to do something good...not sure what it was and I remembered the whole idea of Hope Revolution.

Actually, it started because I saw that commercial where the dad goes on a business trip and the little girl gives him her stuffed animal to travel with and he takes photos and sends them to her.  

That idea has always been something I loved - when they started taking photos with the Travelocity Gnome, this commercial.  Then I saw this picture:

and this one...






I had already started this blog with WildRumpusing and I wanted to take some photos to make the Blog Banner...earlier this year, I found a couple of Wild Things figures and I have a digital camera. I think I may take one of the figures with me and take some WildRumpusing photos as I go along...

After I saw the commercial today, I thought I should take some photos to try making the banner photo collage, then I started thinking about art and then Hope Revolution.

Clear as mud, right?

Anyway, this is one of those things I can't really explain, but that I want to participate in. I remember when Roby read "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe" - he had been on an airplane and the woman next to him had finished the book. She gave it to him and said, "Pass it on when you are done." So he did. I know there are movements - one I remember was leaving a book somewhere and the person who finds it goes online to register it...I like the idea of leaving things for people to find. There is one that is leaving homemade toys around your city for people/kids to find.

I haven't figured out what I'm going to do...something with Hope Revolution. To get a start, go here.