Most folks are feeling an urge to go shopping thinking "gotta get her a card...gotta get her a..." stop! NO!! THIS is what my celebration is actually about...I am going to tell you exactly what I want~and it's nothing you can buy ME.
I have been on a journey of taking care of me. I have learned an awful lot about myself. I have a job (that I am pretty darn good at) that I love which keeps my life in perspective ALL the time. A common theme I see in my daily work is legacy means more than any possessions on earth. I had the greatest honor of being a part of a team of caregivers for a man who taught me more than I could type in a little blog about how lucky I am to be able to walk and breathe on my own. I need nothing. That hasn't always been the case and when I have needed the generous souls I call my family and friends have stepped up, stepped in and taken the BEST care of me!
I have given this birthday a LOT of thought. In a birthday project/pay it forward/Audra little twist manner I want to celebrate by each of you dedicating 40 random acts of kindness in my birthday's honor.
I want to ask this humbly...each of us blindly has faith in that our heart will keep beating, in the greatness of animals, in God, your sports team, music, or in science. I would like you to focus three of your acts in specific sections or areas.
1.) Feed your faith-donate your time to an animal shelter, clean toilets at your church, provide a vegetarian meal to a Buddhist temple, dedicate 5 minutes of your prayer time to my birthday, have a shabbat dinner with your family/friends and enjoy! Send up smoke/light a candle/go clean up some tornado wreckage with any number of interfaith folks/do a science experiment with some kiddos/donate money to HIV research or the ThunderCares foundation/donate to the allied arts...something to honor your faith that puts positive energy and hope into this world!
2.) Feed yourself- do something for you in honor of me! YUP-"honey, I have to go get a massage! It's for Audra's birthday!" That is right! Take a moment out of your crazy, busy, wacky world and treat yourself to a movie/a moment of silence/a kid free night with your spouse & raise a toast to my 40 years or read a book! BE KIND TO YOURSELF!
3.) Feed your community! Please have one of your RAK have a community impact. Pick up trash at a local park, feed folks at the food bank, help with the homeless or mentally ill, volunteer hours at a children's center or hospital. Go back to your church, temple, synagogue, mosque or school and they will find something for you to do!
These are my only requests. I have all kinds of free ideas, paid ideas and others. I just want MY day to be honored and celebrated by giving back to this world! I want as much happiness, kindness, joy, compassion, love and beauty to be spread in this life as possible and what a better way to get that accomplished than to get your help!
My only other request is that you bring to the get together written on whatever paper you want the acts you completed. If you are inclined to write your thoughts about my gift request you may do that as well. I am going to set up a facebook page for those of you not inclined to party like a 40 year old or who are unable to physically attend but would like to celebrate. I will make that available to post your acts in progress and thoughts as well!
Hope you enjoy this as much as I think I will!
I love you all!
xoxo,
me
