It's Kids' Week!

You might have guessed that this week would involve making this world a better place by focusing on children since two blogs have previously been dedicated to mothers/women and fathers/men. The great thing about children is that we have the potential to make a difference that carries well into the future.

Focusing on children should not be so much about things as imparting value. This can be done through education, experience or time. Following are some ideas to give you a great start:

Education

• Show a child how to recycle by looking at the triangle stamped on plastics, and then place the item in the appropriate receptacle
• Instead of squishing insects that come in your house (yes, even the non-poisonous spiders). show a child how to capture the unwanted visitor and release it outside
• Teach a child the value of hard work by hiring them to do a service such as picking up sticks in the neighbor's yard, or making something to sell like having a lemonade stand
• Take the child to the library and show them how to check out books (or how books are categorized with the Dewey Decimal System or other classification)
• Visit a zoo or local pet store to explain how to care for animals
• Help a child learn to swim, ride a bike, tell time, etc.

Experiences 

• Take a child on a hike to commune with nature
• Camp out in your backyard or in the woods
• Accompany a child to the pool, amusement park, on a train ride, etc., or buy a ticket for such events. Even better, buy the ticket to donate to a child in need
• Go to a botanical garden or to a garden center to discover the different type of plants and discuss where to plant them. You might even explain what positive benefits they may offer (such as aloe plants, herbs, butterfly bushes, etc.)
• Take them to visit people in a nursing facility

Time (This may be the best way to teach value to a child)

• Play a game of the child's choosing
• Let them tell you a story
• Make something together (I.e. cookies, a birdhouse, bag with gifts to give someone in need) 
• Watch a movie or read a book together
• Encourage a child in whatever constructive activity they are doing (sports, drawing, cooking, writing, etc.)

While these are just a few ideas, try to think of many more and do something for and with kids as much as you can  this week. You are the introduction to the world for children who are important in your life, and maybe even some you don't know. They will learn life's basic lessons from you such as honesty, integrity, hope, perseverance, humility, reliability, and value by your example.  What they become does impact making this world a better place.

A few of Vicki's Journal entries this week: Shared a sack of tangerines with neighbor, sent praise to the corporate office for a store employee, and shared a movie and treat with some family members while they waited for power to be restored at their home after a storm.

Week 10: Honoring Men

Yesterday was Father's Day. Was there a man in your life to honor? This week, let's try to stretch that out a bit, and while everyone needs to be acknowledged, make your focus especially on men.

There are many ways to show appreciation for your father, husband, son, brother, nephew, uncle, male friend or acquaintance. You can even include a stranger if you wish. Below are a few suggestions.

• Let your male honoree choose a dinner menu one night
• Help with a project or task that he is working on such as building a birdhouse or mowing the lawn
• Ask him for suggestions of what to do for entertainment and select what he wants to do. (If it's something you can't or don't want to do, let him choose a friend to go in your place)
• Let him have the final say about what to watch on TV, or give him coveted computer time
• Make his favorite meal or dessert
• Buy a little unexpected gift such as a book or CD
• Compliment a stranger on his attire, or maybe treat him to a latte, doughnut, etc. when going through a drive-thru 
• Slip a note of thanks or love into his coat pocket or pants

I'm sure you can think of additional ideas, and the more personal, the better. So make this world a better place this week by focusing on others, but especially on males in honor of Father's Day.

A few items from my journal this week: Bought pizza for a neighbor who did a few surprise chores for me, gave new shower gel to neighbor, acknowledged residents of my community in our newsletter who have passed on or will be moving, and sent two sympathy cards to families of the deceased with a lengthy note expressing a special memory and vowing I will always remember their loved one.

Week 9: Beat the Heat

Most of us have noticed the weather has become more Like what we expect in the summer. And that brings a lot of opportunities to do something special to make this world a better place.

I like to purchase a big box of fruity popsicles to hand out to my mail carrier, the guys who perform the  lawn care in my homeowner community, and maybe neighbors and their kids who stroll by. Given with a thanks for someone's service, or as a conversation starter, it's an inexpensive way to acknowledge a fellow human being.

This is also a good time to purchase fans for organizations to give to those without air conditioning, but I have an even better suggestion if you are able. Unite with other friends to purchase several air conditioners to donate. You can ask for extra discounts (as some friends and I did) for buying 3 or more and then let the agency, for which they are purchased, pick them up from the store. That way, the store knows they were actually being donated.

This a good time, too, to donate to your electrical company, your church discretionary fund, or organizations to help those who cannot afford increased costs to keep cool. You could even purchase passes for the community swimming pool to give to those who can''t afford them.

If your neighbors are going on vacation, you might offer to water their plants or the lawn in their absence. If they are away and didn't ask, you might just do that for them anyway.

There are many other things you can do as well. For example, donate cooling neck scarves which actually do work. Or, keep a bottle of cold tea or lemonade in your vehicle and give them to people who look like they might need something refreshing (i.e. at bus stops, walking to work, etc.).

The more you do to show caring and concern for your fellow man, the better you make our world.

Now, just a few of the promised entries from my journal this week: Bought an extra scented, hand sanitizer to give to a neighbor. Sent an unexpected thank you note to a fellow author who gave unused, extra book displays to our writers' club president to give to anyone who wanted them. Sent a card to a church friend who was unexpectedly hospitalized.

Help a Business

The assignment this week may sound a bit strange, but if we help a business to better serve its customers, it's a win-win situation. That could be anything from a sole proprietor to a large chain store.

Although I've mentioned before, unsolicited advice is usually not well received or heeded, that doesn't apply to businesses. Their only function is to serve in some capacity, and most depend upon good customer service in order to sustain what they do.

To give an example, I've had two bad experiences recently in picking up pizzas. I waited (7 minutes the first time and 12 minutes the second time) each time behind a car that was waiting for their order which wasn't ready until after mine. Since a designated pick-up time is different than drive-thru ordering, the person waiting should have been asked to pull around so that the next person in line (me in this case) could pick up the order that was ready. Simple!


So, how did I handle this? I contacted customer service via their website and made a suggestion. Having been in customer service management, I know that viable businesses need that feedback, and I also know that it is best to give suggestions or complaints in a nice manner. (Let's hope they use my comments to improve their customer service because, if it happened to me twice in a row, it had to happen to others.)

Now, it's your turn to think how you can help a business, and make this world a better place. If nothing comes to mind about any positive feedback and suggestions you can give to a business, find another way to help. That can be praising one of the employees or even making a purchase from a locally owned store.

Among entries from my journal this week: Wrote two checks to charities, and bought some great books from my church's fundraiser to be placed into bags for dialysis patients.

Happy Week!