Stealing from Dan

Tuesday night somewhere during the wee small hours I woke up to Ben standing over me, crying that his legs hurt.  Growing pains are for sure more than the zenith of Kirk Cameron's fame. 

He asked if he could get in bed with me and of course I said yes, rubbed his knees and fortunally he was back asleep quickly.  I woke up to find that Ben had not only brought himself, but a bed full of pillows and stuffed animals with him. 

As I left to start a new semester long before he would be awake I had to pause and watch him sleep.  Life is too short not to drink up every minute you get of child sweetness. 

I finished the book 29 Gifts over the weekend at the beach.  I liked not only the personal story of perservance in the face of true testing but also how finding the smallest of ways to give of yourself.

Yesterday on the popular blog Single Dad Laughing he posted the conclusion of two-day series entitled, "33 Rules to Not be a Crummy Human Being."  Some are laugh out loud funny, others ick filled. Many seem like common sense that as an enlightened socitiey we should be doing WITHOUT having to classify it as "non crummy human behavior."  I'm linking Part 1, and Part 2 of the series.

I pulled a few of my favorites because if taking the 29 Day Challenge, I thought these fit nicely when quietly making this world a little better action by action.

1. When you realize you were originally wrong about someone, and it turns out they’re not really the spawn of Satan, swallow your pride and tell them so. I bet it’ll make their day.
2. When a friend has a get-together, be careful that you don’t overextend your welcome. Pick up on their verbal cues such as, “well, I sure am tired.” Or, “I really wish you’d pack up your crap and go.”
3. Smile at strangers when you make eye contact. Don’t hurry and look away. Somehow, somewhere along the way, we all started treating each other like we’re diseased
4. While at a restaurant, find out if your server has kids. Then tip them an extra buck for each kid.
5. When you see a struggling parent with a screaming child in public, smile at them and say something kind. Make them feel like no one is watching and remind them that we’ve all been there.

Kindness is something we all need everyday.