If you follow our lives, you know Paul just completed a project. The guy's woodworking projects just keep getting better and better. We made a quick trip to Saint Louis Friday night to deliver his latest project to Kara and Jud. It's a desk, oak, stained black - not his favorite color to do, but the kids and I are wild about it. Kara works at home over half the time and she loves it!
Jud also got a couple totes of his "stuff". That's what happens when you buy a house. You get your baby stuff, reports cards, trophies and other things your parents socked away. I admit, there were a few things I couldn't part with like the calendars from his first two years. I kept a diary on there of all the cute things he did. Awww.
It was a nice visit with the kiddos. They are doing such a great job making their house their own. Jud is learning how to install things like a wine glass rack and shades. Kara has a knack for decorating! Odie was like - "What? these knucklehead dogs again"? We went to our favorite deep dish pizza place, Pi. With things to do back in DSM, we headed home early Saturday. Denver wedding is in 3 weeks!
During the trip, about six hours each way, we listened to a few podcasts. My favorite was from a TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Talk on giving. The one that really spoke to me was a segments talk linked here:"A life lesson from volunteer fireman" by Mark Bezos.
The gist of the story is Mr. Bezos had visions of being a superhero firefighter - rescuing maidens, or at least puppies from burning buildings. He ended up being sent into a building to collect a lady's shoes. She had run out of her smoke-filled home barefoot, and the Chief sent him in to grab some shoes for her. A co-worker got the glory of securing the dog. A few weeks later the victim sent a heartfelt thank you note to the fire station. She even mentioned the shoes. Now that's a grateful fire victim.
As a result of this incident, Mark Bezos figured out that little things are big. I get it. People dream of the big stuff! Giving charities big bucks, volunteering many hours for non-profits and sponsoring a stretch of river for cleanup.
We're not all Bill Gates, businesses or independently wealthy (#Lottowinners). But we can do the little things. I'm going to look for more ways to "get the shoes". Paul and I started on our way home from STL. We witnessed a litterbug tossing trash out of her car near Knoxville on Highway 92. I remembered Keep Iowa Beautiful has a Hotline. That lady will get a letter from them. Take that!
This morning we stopped by a littery sandbar while kayaking. Why do dopes leave litter? Where do they think it's going to go? It will be recycled and properly disposed of now.
How can you help get the shoes from the fire? They are many more ways - not just trash-related. Reach out to that co-worker who seems down. Smile at the young mom that others are frowning at because her children are shrieking. You get the idea!
Hotline info (Iowa only).
- Call 1-888-NOLITTR (1-888-665-4887) Press 1 to make a report.
- Please provide as much detail about the incident as possible in your report including:
- License plate number (The plate number is critical to any follow-up action.)
- Time and specific location the litter was thrown from the vehicle
- Description of what was thrown from the vehicle
- A vehicle description (color, make and model)
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