Some thoughts and discussions from me.
Tipping the Scales in Good’s Favor
Good morning 
I’m so happy ya’ll enjoyed yesterday’s tips on clearing the ol’ noggin’. I took some of them into practice yesterday and ended up having a really enjoyable day! After tackling a full to-do list and crossing some items off that have been on there for longer than I’d like to admit, I hit up an awesome yoga class. To me, the perfect yoga class leaves you feeling like you just got an equal dose of a workout and a therapy session. As I lay there in savasana, I felt the vibrations of absolute calm, while at the same time sweat was dripping off of my forehead. Perfect balance.
I also got in a nice refreshing afternoon walk with a friend. After two days of snow, we’re on a warm sunny streak for the next week! Sunny and 60’s and 70’s. I think Colorado decided to shape up for Lauren’s arrival! 
Either way, it makes for great outdoor activity weather. The day was so nice that I wasn’t sure if there’d be many people at my evening HIIT class at the gym. However, I had a good amount of participants and it was such a fun class! I know because I did (most of) it with ‘em. We did a variation of EMOM’s, where I got the idea from this workout that Natalie told me about last weekend. So much fun
I’m always grateful for days like that. Days where my attitude is in the right place and I appreciate life.
Speaking of appreciation…
A little over a month ago, I was in the middle of a baby shower invitation fiasco. I was in charge of the invitations for my best friend’s baby shower, and I was so excited to be able to contribute to her special day, even though I was thousands of miles away in Colorado.
I was on the ball early – pickin gout invitations, and getting the opinions of the other girls helping to throw the shower. I was so excited to find such a cute design to match the theme of the shower (farm animal/country – they’re country folk!) and send them out.
….and then they got lost in the mail.
For about 5 days, I was in a state of panic, making calls to the USPS national, USPS office here locally, and the company I ordered them from. In the end, I decided to order an entire new order and have it overnighted. And wouldn’t ya know it, the order that got lost in the mail showed up the very next day. Oy. It’s OK. I justified it by saying that placing a new order saved me 24 hours of peace of mind. Worth the extra cash.
Of course then, the invitations were sent out a few days later than I intended. And of course, as I was stuffing, licking, sealing, and stamping the envelopes, I ran out of stamps. So, I ran across the street to buy some really quick and send them on their way.
Of course, the store didn’t sell stamps. Completely frazzled, I thanked the cashier anyway, and started to head out the door, until he said:
“how many do you need?”
well, probably like 5?
“Here, I have a book of stamps that you can have. “
When I protested, he told me he always had plenty of stamps on hand, and he’d be happy for me to take them.
Finally taking them, I was incredibly impressed by this random act of kindness, and swore I’d pay it forward to another stranger.
This was a month ago, and I just remembered that I made this vow the other day while in yoga class. Oops. I couldn’t believe an act that affected me so much had slipped right off my back as I moved on to the next task. The instructor mentioned something about how there’s a battle between good and evil in the world, and to always act with the motivation of tipping the scales in good’s favor.
I’ve learned so much while on this yoga mat!
So then as soon as I showered and got home from class, I did just that. If you haven’t heard, there’s been a major blizzard here in Colorado for the past three days. We’ve gotten close to 12 inches, and it’s freezing. Perfect opportunity to tip the scales. I grabbed my gloves and windshield scraper, headed out to the nearest parking lot in my neighborhood (it’s a mix of houses and condos) and cleared off a few cars. Hopefully it made a pleasant difference in their day 
It may have taken me 30+ days this time (that’s sad!) but I’m actually hoping to intending on making it an ongoing thing from here on out.
What’s the last random act of kindness you’ve done for someone – or that someone has done for you?
I offered to take my neighbor to the airport! The timing didn’t work out so she preferred to just grab a cab but was touched that I even offered 🙂
Erica { EricaDHouse.com } recently posted…Good News x3
Aw, such a nice story about that man helping you out! And such a great way to pay it forward. I had something sort of similar happen the other day, I was making copies for a project I’m working on and needed to pay just $3 for them. Well I only had a $20 and the Town wasn’t able to make change, so two things happened. The woman was going to give me the copies for free, and then a nice man who overheard decided to just pay for them for me. Sometimes people can really surprise you!
Meghan @ After the Ivy League recently posted…Thursday Thoughts 4/25/13
Those are two awesome ways to pay it forward – I love when an instructor’s message during a yoga class really hits home and sticks with you!
Have a great day, Paige!
claire @ live and love to eat recently posted…NYC Eats
What a sweet act to make! I love the idea of pay it forward. I love just spreading some positivity around too. Sometimes it can make a world of difference.
I bought a stranger coffee yesterday…and it got soo awkward as the coffee lady TOLD HIM.
🙂
but Im not deterred 🙂
Miz recently posted…Miz’ mouth meets KOMBUCHA.
I’ll have to see what random act of kindness I can come up with for today, great message!
Sam @ Better With Sprinkles recently posted…I Have Problems With You, Bob.
I have been meaning to do a good favor for a stranger for awhile now, since its been a while, thank you for reminding me 🙂
Lindsey recently posted…Baby K – the details!
A month ago I was at the drive through at Starbucks and the car in front of us paid for our drinks. It was awesome and totally made our day. Now every once in awhile I try to remember to do that for other people.
Ashley @ Life and Fitness recently posted…Colorado Part 1
My absolute favorite random act of kindness happened to my sister a few months ago. It was the night that my grandpa died, and my sister and her husband pulled through a Chickfila drive-thru to get some food before heading to my mom’s house. When they got to the window, the cashier informed them that the car in front of them had paid for their meal. My sister had literally found out about my grandpa maybe thirty minutes before so of course she was emotional, and the people in the car in front of them made such a huge impact on a tough situation.
Natalie @ Free Range Human recently posted…WIAW: A Little Twist
Wow, what great timing for that act of kindness <3
That’s such a sweet story! I love things like this. I love performing little acts of kindness, it makes me feel SO much better, especially if I’m having a bad day I try and buy coffee for someone because I know it will make me feel more positive.
What an awesome idea!! So nice of you – I hated scraping ice and snow off my car. I bet they were veryyyy appreciative.
Lindsay recently posted…a few natural headache remedies.
I love hearing when these kind acts happen. It makes you feel so much better about the human race. We hear so much about the evil in the world, it’s easy to forget that the good out ways it. I’m sure the owners of the vehicles were very excited to see all your hard work. I know I would be! XOXO
Shannon ~ My Place In The Race recently posted…A Lighter Day
What a neat post and neat actions that you took, Paige! So great…I kind of ruffle my brow and grit my teeth when I have to clean off my car; I love that you did it for others too! Thanks for the reminder to love others for no real reason today – except that they are loved by God. 🙂
Bonnie recently posted…Retreating, Running & Rejoicing!
it’s amazing how much clarity and good train of thought can come from a yoga class, yes? Those yoga teachers are amazing and inspiring!
cottercrunch recently posted…RECI-PEA Recipe and WIAW
Love that! I try to do random acts of kindness every once in a while when I think of it. Something really simple or something bigger for a friend or family member. Makes you feel good and them too 🙂
oh mannnnn invitations are the bane of my existence! i work with them ALL the time at work and they’re so annoying!