The Idea Takes Root

First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination. -Napoleon Hill

Early in October 2011 I stumbled across a blog that truly inspired me. This woman, named Robyn decided to do 30 acts of kindness for her 30th birthday. She ended up with more than 30 because as I soon learned, once you start it's hard to stop. The idea started rolling around in my head. I could do something like this for my thirty-third birthday. I could involve my friends and family.

I could do 33 Acts of Kindness.

One afternoon mid-October I had lunch with two friends. Amber is a manager at the local skating rink and Eric, a fellow blogger. I pitched the idea to them with three or four examples of acts of kindness.  Amber thought it was a cool idea and tossed out a few ideas.  Eric agreed to help me organize my thoughts and ideas and also to encourage and support me on my birthday. Although he might not have fully understood that he agreed to all that during our lunch. My daughter, Peanut, who was eleven years old also agreed to help out that day when I discussed it with my family.  My husband agreed that since our son was only three it would be best for the two of them to plan to sit it out. A few months later Lyndsay signed up for the day's events and my car was full.

On October 29, 2011 I posted on my regular blog, Fresh-Cut Flowers, an idea that would forever change how I view my birthday. You can read the post here. This post was a declaration of intent. It was no longer just me throwing out the idea for a few friends and loved ones to comment on, this post was me saying, "This is what I'm going to do and I need your help." This idea that was rolling around in my head had formed its first roots.