TGIFYGDF

TGIFYGDF…Thank Goodness It’s Feed Your Good Dog Friday!

December 4, 2009 by Rose Caplan

TEN WAYS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN SOMEONE ELSE’S LIFE AND FEED YOUR OWN SPIRIT AT THE SAME TIME (continued from TGIFYGDF dated November 6 and November 27)

Acts of kindness and altruism can reduce stress in our lives according to a recent WebMD Feature article entitled The Science of Good Deeds, The ‘helper’s high’ could help you live a longer, healthier life., written by Jeanie Lerche Davis and reviewed by Louise Chang, MD.

Following are good deed ideas (21 through 30) that make performing acts of kindness and “feeding your good dog” easy as pie. Check out number 29…it doesn’t get much easier than that with the potential of huge positive impact on another person’s life. Source: 50 good deeds for 50 days, By Daniela Payne

21. Help someone who looks lost with directions. Most people are intimidated and feel vulnerable when they’re lost, offering to help them find their destination will relieve them.

22. Donate blood. One single donation can help up to 4 people – that should be inspiring enough. Check out the Canadian Blood Services website for more information.

23. Donate your used clothes and housewares to charity. By doing so, you can help people meet basic human needs. Your old sweaters will keep someone warm during the winter and your old housewares can help someone furnish their new apartment.

24. Around Christmas time, find a holiday angel program in your community. You can donate basic things like toothpaste, towels, sheets and pyjamas for a family in need to open on Christmas morning.

25. Take a CPR class. You never know when you might be in a position to put those life-saving skills into practice.

26. Help an elderly person off the bus or cross the road by offering to take their arm or carry their packages.

27. By joining a bone marrow registry such as One Match stem cell and marrow network (in Canada), you could be giving someone a lifesaving gift.

28. Offer to babysit a friend’s kids one night so she and her partner can enjoy a romantic evening out. You friend will certainly be grateful for the night off.

29. Bring your old magazines to a hospital waiting room to make patients’ waits a little less nerve racking.

30. Write a letter or e-mail to a good friend or family member to let them know how much you value them. Can you imagine opening a letter of that sort? Go on, start the trend.

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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TGIFYGDF…Thank Goodness It’s Feed Your Good Dog Friday!

November 27, 2009 by Rose Caplan

WAYS TO MAKE YOURSELF FEEL GOOD THIS WEEKEND (continued from TGIFYGDF dated November 6 )

These good deed ideas (11 through 20) make “feeding your good dog” as easy as taking a walk in the park. Source: 50 good deeds for 50 days, By Daniela Payne

11. Put together a basket of treats for a friend who had a death in the family. Deliver it after the funeral has taken place, when most friends have gone back to their day-to-day lives.

12. Drive your grandparents, elderly parents and their friends to church, doctor’s appointments or the movies. They (and their aging bodies) will value the gesture.

13. Volunteer for a charity. Pick a cause that’s near and dear to your heart and donate your time to them.

14. Sit down with your family and estimate what you’d spend on each other for gifts. Instead of buying each other gifts for birthdays or holidays, donate the estimated amount to a charity.

15. If you head out of town, drop off your monthly public transit pass at a youth or job centre. They’ll pass on the pass to someone who is in need of it to job hunt or attend school.

16. Take your neighbors trash to the curb while you’re taking yours. Imagine their surprise when they see that the chore is already done.

17. If you’re in line at the grocery store with a full cart, let the person behind you who only has 5-10 items go in front of you.

18. Offer to take care of a neighbour’s pet when they go away on a small vacation. They’ll be comfortable knowing their pet is in good hands.

19. Make dinner for friends with a newborn baby (or, if they’re far away, send a gift card for the grocery store or a favourite restaurant so they can pick something up).

20. Pay for the person behind you at the drive thru. It will make someone’s day!

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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TGIFYGDF…Thank Goodness It’s Feed Your Good Dog Friday!

November 6, 2009 by Rose Caplan

WAYS TO MAKE YOURSELF FEEL GOOD THIS WEEKEND

These good deed ideas make “feeding your good dog” as easy as taking a walk in the park. Source: 50 good deeds for 50 days, By Daniela Payne

1. Make a double-batch of something delicious and freezable and give it to an older neighbour who doesn’t cook for him or herself as much anymore.

2. Buy a bag of good groceries – high-quality coffee, whole-grain pasta, a box of decadent cookies or other treats you’d normally buy for yourself – and donate it to your local food bank or shelter.3. Cut an armload of fresh flowers from your garden and bring them to your local nursing home so the residents can enjoy the smells of spring or summer.

4. Bring your well-behaved dog for a visit at a local nursing home. There’s nothing like a happy pup to raise someone’s spirits.

5. When out shovelling your walk or raking your leaves, it’s not too much more effort to do the same for a neighbour. Consider it good exercise as well as a good deed.

6. Hold the door for people behind you, especially if the person behind is carrying packages, bags or kids.

7. Volunteer at a local breakfast program. A warm smile and a friendly welcome go a long way.

8. Bring someone less fortunate a plant or some fresh flowers. This is something they might not want to spend money on.

9. Make soup for a friend recovering from surgery or an illness. Cooking is the last thing you feel like doing when you aren’t feeling 100 per cent.

10. Take your sibling’s kids out for the day – to the movies, apple picking, for a hike. The parents could probably use a break and the kids will love it.

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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TGIFYGDF…Thank Goodness It’s Feed Your Good Dog Friday!

October 16, 2009 by Rose Caplan

In Memory of Frances Elizabeth Hurley (1924 – 2009)

Frances is remembered, in part, for her many “sayings” one of which is “Give them the flowers now.” This saying is from a poem entitled Give Them The Flowers Now written by Leigh Mitchell Hodges (1876 – 1954). The poem illustrates how Frances viewed life should be lived, and that is to appreciate and share the goodness of life every moment, every day.

Following is an excerpt from the poem:

Just a kind word or a greeting,
Just a warm grasp or a smile –
These are the flowers that will lighten
The burdens for many a mile.
After the journey is over
What is the use of them; how
Can they carry them who must be carried?
Oh, give them the flowers now!

Blooms from the happy heart’s garden
Plucked in the spirit of love,
Blooms that are earthly reflections
Of flowers that blossom above –
Words cannot tell what a measure
Of blessing such gifts will allow
To dwell in the lives of many,
So give them the flowers now!

You may read the entire poem at Ask Avalonne

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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