Day 49 - leave inspirational notes in library books: First I tried to give blood and found the location closed, then I went to the downtown library and asked if I could leave inspirational notes in the self-help books, and was told that the supervisor who would need to approve my request was in a meeting and that I could instead call her on Monday to ask permission. Lesson 49: This is an old lesson, and yet it still stands the test of time - sometimes it is better to receive a rejection to allow myself some relaxation time, especially during the Easter weekend. I was grateful for the opportunity to instead locate the Spanish section of the library and read a teen book to pass the time called No Te Vayas. Day 50 - give blood: I really expected to be turned away because I have been out of the country within the last couple of years, and because the last time I gave blood in the US, I had to look at a very detailed map of both Peru and Bolivia and answer a lot of questions before I could do so...but surprisingly, I was approved! Lesson 50: I was glad that I was able to give blood, because I was the only one in the center. It was the day after a holiday, so I suppose it makes sense. And the other lesson is, the next time I give blood, my blood donation can go for the premie babies! Day 51 - leave inspirational notes in library books: During this rejection therapy blog series, we are going full circle! I was committed to showing up in person instead of calling back the downtown library, so I went back and was promptly sent up three flights of stairs to the switchboard. On my way up, I had two thoughts: 1) I feel like I am in Bolivia again, asking myself, "the switchboard, what does this mean?" and 2) perhaps the joke/punishment was just to send me up three flights of stairs to make me winded enough so that when I get upstairs I can't ask my question because I can't breathe. Thankfully, though, "the switchboard" was a very customer service friendly woman talking on a headset. She told me that she would take down my information and have someone contact me. Lesson 51: We truly have come full circle, because I am back to the beginning, with a twist. This time instead of me contacting someone, they are going to contact me. Again, I took it as a good sign that the woman with whom I spoke was willing to pass on my contact information, reviewed my notes, and even told me that she thought it was a good idea!
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Day 46 - volunteer to be the first to share in Hot Yoga Instructor training: We played 2 truths and a lie, and there are 22 of us in the training at Hot Asana Yoga plus our instructor, Gina. Lesson 46: It pays to be the first sometimes, because you get to set the stage for how the rest of the icebreaker goes. I did this for my Lifeguard certification course, too, and it was amazing how much more energy was in the room when I stood on my chair to give my introduction ;). Day 47 - leave inspirational notes in the Derby library: Has anyone who is local ever been to this library? It is beautiful, the entire building looks like an art gallery, and there is actually a section that is dedicated to local art and rotates periodically. When I was in there to do my rejection therapy project, there was a high school art exhibit, and the time before, there was beautiful art and I believe there may have been some famous artists mixed in between. I went to the library and left inspirational notes in the self help section, inspired by a friend of mine who recently started making book marks out of stickers with inspirational sayings that she had around the house and was never going to use in another way. This gave me an opportunity not only to take in the sights at the Derby library, but also to relax and read for half an hour after - a luxury that I have not recently had with my lifeguard certification classes and hot yoga instructor training. Lesson 47: It took a couple of days after my lifeguard certification classes ended to get back in the swing of things with the start of my hot yoga instructor classes, and it is good to be reminded by someone who has not committed to 100 days of rejection therapy of the importance to staying committed to the cause. Day 48 - give a goodie bag to someone living in the street: In Bolivia, instead of saying that someone is homeless, we say that they are "living in the situation of the street." This actually makes a lot more sense, because for most people who are living in the street, it is a temporary situation. I was surprised again and again when I participated in Sant'Egidio in Washington, D.C. and found out that most of the people who were living in the street had been evicted from apartments, had lost their jobs, and were living on the street as a result of conditions outside of their control. Lesson 48: This was true for the woman I met yesterday as well. She talked to me about going to my hairstylist at my salon (two things I do not possess, but it taught me that she knew from prior experience that these things exist), asked me where I worked, and was generally in the know about things that you and I discuss on a daily basis. Another thing that I was reminded of is that people are generally surprised at how open we are with them, while we are surprised at how open they are with us. Day 43: get a care package for the sick girl in class - There was a girl in my lifeguard certification class from day two who was coughing and sneezing, and we spent our afternoons in the pool. Since I knew how miserable she must feel, I thought a little care package with mini kleenex (with inspirational messages), packages of menthol infused feet soak, honey and lemon cough drops, menthol to rub on her nose, temples, and anywhere else that might help, and a package of assorted cold and throat remedy teas would be what I would want in a similar situation. Lesson 43 - Giving something without expecting anything in return always makes you feel good, and blesses the giver as much as the receiver. Although she thanked me twice, and I appreciated it, the point was offering something to someone that would lift their spirits as well as their illness. Day 44: ask to have a workout studio setup in the room next to our classes - Since we were learning about how to exercise to sustain our lifeguard responsibilities, I thought it only fitting to have a way to workout in the room next to our classroom. Adding on the fact that we were learning in an extremely intensive way how to save peoples' lives (testing each day on the material we learned, studying for multiple hours at home, as well as taking online assessments), so I thought some stress relief and waking up the feel good endorphins in our bodies would be a plus. Before class one day, I asked a front desk staff member if she would be willing to check the schedule to see if the room was available, and if so if it would be possible to have some balance balls, yoga mats, and a foam roller to stretch our sore muscles. Lesson 44 - Although the girl at the front desk was very friendly, she told me that it was not her primary job duty and she would check if she had time. I thanked her and went into the classroom, and my request ended up being a mental note to request of the trainers for future classes - if you can't help yourself, at least help someone else! Day 45: buy someone behind me in line a coffee - Or whatever their order was, as I was going through the Starbuck's line again to try to get some strength to sustain me for my afternoon swimming assessments. I had studied rescues at home for seven hours the day before, and wanted to make sure I had enough energy physically to match my mental energy. Lesson 45 - People remember and appreciate you when they see you doing multiple random acts of kindness. The girl at the window was really friendly, asked me if I needed either receipt knowing what the answer would be, and thanked me as I left. Day 40 - ask to place "the scale is only a number" sign at the YMCA: I know what you are thinking, I have done this before; however, this was my first day of lifeguard certification training and my final local YMCA, the furthest from my house. So I took my sign courageously up to the front desk and first asked where to check in for lifeguard certification training, then asked if I could place the sign. I was promptly told that this was against company policy, and although I explained that he was the only YMCA that had said no, he repeated that it was against company policy. Lesson #40: Applaud people when they give you what you want and when they don't: I told him that he was doing a good job at upholding company policy and that rejections are good; after all, this is rejection therapy. Day 41 - ask to place inspirational notes at the Dollar Tree: I have noticed, and am wondering if anyone else has, that the Dollar Tree now carries books...and yes, they are only a dollar! I found my favorite author in hardcover, and generally his books would retail for $13 or more in paperback. So, when I went to the Dillon's floral department and found it closed, with the idea to ask to hand out to customers the flowers that were going to expire that day, I went to the opposite side of the intersection and figured I would try my luck at the Dollar Tree. Lesson #41: God is good and generous. I was exhausted from having completed the physical fitness portion of the lifeguard certification test the day before, and really just wanted to go home and sleep after spending over twelve hours on the online certification portion. This time I was thankful for a rejection, and went home knowing that everything happens for a reason. Day 42 - perform a random act of coffee kindness: I had a limited amount of time and a calling to do something nice for someone else, so I pulled through the coffee line at a Starbuck's and asked to pay for the coffee for the person behind me. As it turned out, that person had a mobile order, so the cashier ended up asking me if I would like to pay for the person being them, which of course I did want to do so. Lesson #42: I think the cashier was a little confused because she thought that I knew the person behind me at first, and then realized that this was more than that. She hesitantly asked me if I was willing to pay an amount that was larger than normal, and I responded with a "yes" and a smile. I suppose that the lesson here is "do the best you can with what you have." Day 36: host a free coloring session at a local cafe: When I was chatting with the girl who works at Park Grounds, she suggested that I go to the local university to get people who would be more engaged. So, I went to a cafe at Wichita State University and set up a table for an hour...the first half an hour I actively engaged in the activity and the second half an hour I worked on my computer, with the same results for both. Lesson #36 - Although no one joined me for my coloring session, it was therapeutic for me to take some time to relax and unwind from an otherwise busy day. Day 37: ask Planet Fitness to extend an unused membership: My grandmother has been donating, as I explained it to Planet Fitness, monthly and generously to them for two years now, and has not been able to use her gym membership once. Lesson #37: Persistence can sometimes pay off - or so it may seem. When I went in the first time, I was given the option of cancelling her membership, and declined based on the fact that I had not yet discussed it with her. After discussing it with my grandmother, I went in a second time and the (very friendly and strong customer service) Planet Fitness representative told me that I was talking to the manager earlier, gave me his card, and explained that "he works with people like this all the time." Day 38: leave inspirational notes in the books at Ecclesia: Since I wanted to repurpose some of the Thrive ICT messages carrying hope from an earlier event, I asked Rochelle if she would be willing to let me place some of these notes in the "lending library" style books at her coffee shop, coincidentally where Thrive ICT held its first fundraising event. Lesson #38 - It always surprises me when people thank me for my rejection therapy projects, and this was no exception. Both Rochelle and her mom thanked me for the idea, and welcomed the notes, as they shared that "people really liked them" when we had a basket at the shop before to promote our upcoming event. Day 34: offer free advice and free hugs: I thought I would give this one more try, so I went in with the idea of placing the first sign for half an hour, then placing the second sign for half an hour, and seeing if the results were any different. Lesson # 34 - I ended up chatting with the girl who works at the cafe the entire time, and she thanked me for offering her therapy and I thanked her for receiving it in return, so all was not lost! Day 35: give a "thank you for being you" note with a payment for the person behind me: I was thinking of how I could mix things up today, and I thought it might be nice to include a thank you note for the person behind me as I paid for their coffee. I drove through the drive through with a smile on my face and in my heart as I passed my note to the person ringing me up, and we waited together for the next person to arrive. When it was time to pay for their order, the employee also gave me a cake pop as a symbol of their appreciation for my doing something nice for someone else! Lesson #35 - This is the first time that I have received anything free for doing a random act of kindness, and it felt nice to know that I was appreciated for doing something nice for others. Day 36: place inspirational notes in books at local used bookstore: I went to Bookaholic today to ask permission to place inspirational notes in their books, and both cashiers immediately said "yes" and thanked me for doing so. I was directed to the self help section by the first cashier who answered, and I emptied the bag I had with me of all of my notes. Lesson #36 - When you are placing notes that say, "you are beautiful," "I let go of limiting beliefs," and "anything is possible," in countless books, a pleasant side effect is that you start to believe it yourself! Day 31: read my poetry at a poetry reading: Wow, talk about being vulnerable...there is nothing like opening up your spirit, heart, and soul like reading your own poetry. I took two poems with me, in order to gauge the space and see how much courage I would be able to muster. I also volunteered to read first so that I knew that I would do it and that I wouldn't chicken out. Lesson # 31 - It is a lot harder to read poems in front of a group when you know that there will be discussion questions at the end; however, I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it was for me to read my poetry, and I ended up reading both poems! Day 32: place inspirational messages in jean's pockets: For this one, I went to a local thrift shop, Uptown Cheapskate, and asked as soon as I walked in if it would be alright to place inspirational messages like "you are beautiful" in the jeans pockets at the shop. Lesson # 32 - I received not just one, but three resounding "yes'es," and a "thank you" as I thanked them and walked out of the store. When you do good for others, not only does it make you feel better, but other people actually appreciate your efforts as well...and not always who you thought they would! Day 33: offer free advice at a local cafe: Although I did this at Park Grounds once before, I thought I would try again since there weren't very many people in the cafe, and choose a different location to see if this changed anything. I went to my local Starbuck's and placed a sign, and ended up writing the entire time as no one came up to ask for advice. Lesson # 33 - There seems to be something about offering advice officially (perhaps as a random stranger as opposed to affiliating yourself with a particular organization) that does not encourage people to seek advice from you. However, when I start up a conversation with others, we usually end up exchanging advice spontaneously when it is not actually sought. 0Day 28 - offer to buy food for the person behind me at the game: I went to buy popcorn for myself with a rejection therapy project in mind, so I listened attentively to the little girl behind me when she was telling her mom what she wanted. When it was my turn, I asked for my popcorn, plus a cookie, a breakfast bar, and a bag of chips. When the cashier offered me the selection of breakfast bars, I gestured behind me and said "It is up to her." After the initial confusion, her mom thanked me and I felt better for having done a small act of kindness in a world that sometimes feels bigger to us than it needs to. Lesson #28: Although it never ceases to amaze me how surprised people are when you do something nice for them, these experiences are a constant reminder that we all generally want to same thing out of life - to be loved, to be respected, and to be honored. Day 29 - ask people the best words of advice they have received: We were meeting for my writing group at The Donut Whole, so I went a little early to do my rejection therapy project before the group started. Little did I know that I would be invited to sit down at all four tables, talk to the individuals there for over an hour, and end up at the last table for over half an hour talking about the books on our reading lists and differences and similarities in world religions. Lesson #29: The best words of advice that others have received are as follows: don't take things so seriously and remember to forgive, do good to others even if others aren't good to you, serve the Lord while keeping in mind everything that it entails to be a Christian and always remember that Jesus is the way, don't look back because the future is ahead. Day 30 - ask people their favorite Dr. Seuss quote: This one was inspired by Dr.Seuss' birthday this week, on which he would have been over 100 years old if he were alive. The first four individuals I asked pulled out their phones straight away to look up their exact favorite quote from Dr. Seuss, and it went a little like this... Lesson # 30: Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not. Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you will go. To honor the anniversary of the man who wrote the books that captivated children from one to one hundred and two, take a look at these 21 Incredible Quotes to Boost Your Optimism as featured in Goalcast! |
AuthorValerie Ellis, who is in alignment with the Black Lives Matter Movement and everyone whose life is impacted, now or before, by times of social injustice. Archives
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