Day 185: Gave A Birthday Massage

10 years ago today, my dog Vinny was born.  It has been a crazy life for the little guy.  He grew up in a fraternity (and an occasional sorority), has driven from Chicago to California and back without a single nap, had life saving disc surgery, and has recently been ridden like a rodeo bull on a daily basis by our insane cat.  All the while, Vinny has been the most loyal dog who, and I'm not using hyperbole here, may love me more than any other dog loves its' owner.  He has been attached to my hip every day of these 10 years and tries to protect me as much as his little bark lets him (he still growls at my wife in the morning when she gives me a kiss in bed).  I figured on such a momentous occasion as a 10th birthday, Vinny was in line to receive a random act of kindness.  Since I know he typically reads this blog before he goes to bed at night, I can post this and have his act still be a surprise.  So today, for my random act of kindness, I will be giving Vinny a birthday dog massage.  I researched calming massage techniques for animals so I think he will have a nice relaxing evening as long as the cat doesn't bite him on the legs like she typically does. 

Day 184: Gave The Shirt Off My Back

As I am sure many of you have heard, Colorado has been suffering from some of the worst wildfires both in the history of the state and the country.  Countless people have been forced from their homes due to these fires, and they have sadly returned to nothing but ash after the fire destroyed everything they had.  Many of these people only have what they packed prior to being evacuated.  While it is impossible to replace the irreplaceable items that the fire has taken, it isn't impossible to help them in other ways.  So today, for my random act of kindness, I am going to go through my wardrobe and send clothes to the wildfire victims of Colorado.  A shirt and a pair of pants may not be a home full of pictures and memories, but hopefully it is a start in getting them back on their feet.  If you would like to make a donation of any type, please visit Help Colorado Now.  Another place to help is by purchasing a shirt at Wildfire Tees, where 100% of the profit goes to help the wildfire victims.

Day 183: Keep Your Head Up

Today is a pretty significant day for us.  Today marks the official halfway point to our 366 Random Acts of Kindness.  These past 183 days have been the best days of my life.  My daughter has gone from an immobile, quiet 4 month old to being the most talkative little crawler on Earth.  There is also another reason for us to celebrate today because my daughter, for the first time, gave me a kiss.  She had done fake little ones before, but this morning she turned her head, looked at me, and went in for a smooch.  My wife was extremely jealous.  Before getting into today's random act, I thought I would have a musical interlude that tied in with this being the halfway point.  So for your listening and viewing pleasure, please enjoy Kenny Loggins' "Meet Me Halfway" from the arm wrestling classic "Over The Top."

I knew that I wanted to do something to incorporate "half" or "halfway" into my random act for Day 183, but I wasn't exactly sure what to do.  Then, during a walk with my wife and daughter, I found inspiration.  Right down the street from my house is a place called Hazelden Recovery Home, a sort of halfway house for those in the early stages of recovery from addiction.  I can only imagine how difficult of a time the residents of the house may be having, as I am sure kicking an addiction is an extremely trying task.  I figured that any added encouragement may help them through the recovery process.  So today, for my random act of kindness, my family and I are making cards of encouragement for those at the Hazelden clinic letting them know to keep their head up.  Hopefully, this will be a small part in helping those folks on their road to sobriety.