The Little One Gets into the Act - Opening Doors

Everyone at our house is getting into the act. They may be simple helpful acts, but it's the spirit in which the help is given that's so wonderful.

The project: "Mommy, I'm going to hold every door open today."
Our youngest, age 6, reported that today was her day to open doors for everyone. She opened some pretty hefty doors, and held them for people who offered in return raised eyebrows, smiles and sometimes words of thanks.

Time:
A couple of extra minutes at each door. They were tough doors, but she didn't want any help. This was HER project today.

Why bother?
"I just want to be helpful. Sometimes people don't have an extra hand to open the door."

Worth it?
She says yes. She liked the attention.
I say yes. She's clearly learning to help without being asked. (Sometimes.)

Socialization at the Animal Shelter

Our girls really enjoy animals. They, like their mother, would like to live on an expansive property (or at least 3 acres) where they could have dogs and cats, horses and chickens, maybe even a goat or two to milk for healthy, raw milk every day. Alas, we live on less than 1/4 acre in a homeowners association in town, so we've settled on cats, and V has begun a farm she can manage including: worms, ants, ladybugs and SeaMonkeys.

Three miles or so from our house, however, is the county's animal shelter, which is incredibly full of dogs, cats, rabbits, even chickens. The Humane Society has another shelter a few miles further out.

The project: Volunteer at the local animal shelter.

Today we checked in, helped socialize several of the animals and inquired about regular volunteer positions that would accept both the girls and me. Alas, the minimum age limit is 12, so we'll settle on occasional, unofficial socialization sessions for a few more years.

Time:
60 minutes

Why bother?
Most of the animals at shelters around the globe are friendly, house trained, and in need of homes. Our shelter is overfull. And animals that aren't adopted can be put to death. What a waste of perfectly good lives.

Worth it?
Certainly, though walking dogs and playing with cats, petting rabbits and feeding poultry doesn't get them adopted. I wish there were a better way to get the word out, and encourage people to check the shelters for wonderful animals before shelling out for newly-bred, high-dollar animals. One option is Petfinder.

Driving With Patience

Unfortunately, we live in a sprawling community where carrying out our daily chores by foot is very difficult. We do manage to walk the mile to the store, ballet lessons, farmers market and other services at our nearby shopping center, but the next nearest service/shopping center is some 3 miles away in a town where drivers are hardly bicycle friendly. So, like so many Americans, we drive too much.

The project: Drive charitably.
I'm usually a pretty friendly driver, but I have my moments. Today, while running errands, I made a point of being as aware of other motorists as I would be of loose rocks on a hike, children underfoot, nails at a construction site.

Time:
Negligible.

Why bother?
It peeves me when people are rude while driving. It's unsafe, first of all, and why do people have to be so darned rude anyway? If I signal to change lanes, that is NOT a sign for the nearest vehicle to speed up and close the gap they've left open for miles. If I drive kindly and share a smile, will that help turn the tide?

Worth it?
Yielding to mindless drivers probably won't make a difference (except that I felt more peaceful about being on the road), but yielding at four-way stops and waving pedestrians on to make clear I'd seen them led to smiles and waves of gratitude improving the mood of everyone involved.