We handed out candy bars with little notes on them. Once again, I had plans for how it would all go down. And in keeping with the theme of my whole life, nothing went as I anticipated.
I envisioned bringing treats to a bunch of guys working road construction, and it would make them feel appreciated, and loved and encouraged, and then they would finish the roads faster. For those of you who live anywhere besides upstate NY, you may not understand. But, Rochester has two seasons... Winter/Dry Nasal Cavities - 9 months out of the year. Construction/Humidity/Mosquitos - the other 3 months.
It's basically paradise.
So, you can imagine my surprise when I couldn't find a single road construction worker. I can't express the melancholy I experienced when I realized that my clever construction-oriented pun would likely go to waste.
When we couldn't find a construction crew, we changed plans. By that I mean that I made the kids hand them out to strangers.
Annalee (left) was okay with it, Marlie (right) was not so sure. The first recipient was just getting off of work and seemed really happy with the unexpected gift, then totally zoned out and stared at me for a long time. We finally realized that we knew each other. This woman had been my very first client in Rochester. When I was first starting my little business, I met a hairstylist named Wendy who, for some reason, really believed in me. She bought a ton of my stuff, she encouraged me, she took me to different salons and shops to meet other small business owners who might be interested in carrying my products. She introduced me to some really important connections, and that led to my first account at a local store, and also the confidence to keep going with my fake business! I was able to thank her again, and tell my girls about how Wendy had shown me such kindness when I really needed it. It was actually a cool, full-circle moment for me.
The second recipient was a guy who seemed totally normal, until we gave him the candy bar. He looked at us in a bit of shock, and said "Oh my goodness REALLY!?" then held out the candy bar in front of his own face and proceeded to hunch and sway with relief, the way someone would if they were on day 30 in the dessert and could finally see a watering hole up ahead. I guess that guy really needed a Hershey bar. It got, even Marlie, pumped up for the next giveaway.
Fortunately, most of the messages applied to anyone working. We decided to go through the Tim Horton's drive through, not order anything, and just give the candy bars to whoever was taking orders. I forgot that they take your order first, and then you drive up to the window... so we just blew past the voice on the intercom and pulled up as close to the car in front of us and waited our turn. I did not want to try to explain to the person over the speaker that we didn't want something "to go" but that we had something "to stay" because they would have thought it was a bomb.
When we got to the window, I explained briefly what we were doing and why, and told her that she deserved a little something and could pass one along to whoever was working hard too. She said "Ohhh, you're making me feel so special!" I asked if she wanted her picture taken for the blog and she held this adorable pose for a ridiculously long time because I couldn't get my camera to open. She was a good sport, I was sweating profusely, but we got the picture and I think it made her night. It definitely made mine.
Now... what to do with that very specific rhyme "You deserve a treat, for fixing our street!" when you cannot actually locate someone who is currently fixing the street??? We considered giving it to a police officer since they, too, fix up our streets, in their own way. But, similar to the construction workers, the police apparently leave the streets of Rochester to their own devices at night. So, we found a manhole under repair and threw a candy bar on one of those huge, orange barrels that I one time hit with my car on accident.
I'm sure a raccoon found it ten minutes later and was really blessed.
For Day 17, I put to use that small business I mentioned earlier. Basically I upcycle fabric/jewelry/buttons/andwhateverchotchkyicanfind and make unique accessories. I mostly do headbands, bridal headpieces, and a lot of costuming for dance/theatre productions. I absolutely love doing it, and it pays huge money. Okay, that is a lie, but I do love doing it!
I decided to gift some of my creations. I put together a variety of styles (sort of like these) for my friend Nancy and her two little girls.
We were having dinner there, and I brought a bunch of headbands for her to choose from. Nancy's five year old was apparently very excited and enjoyed going through the different styles, and the baby could care less because she is only 4 months old. But, she looked adorable... as you can see here:
My last #AdamsActs for Day 17 was to finish up a Halloween piece for my step-mom, Jean. Her Frozen-themed costume was, admittedly, a little understated.
Really Grandma Neen, that's the best ya got?
So, we needed to jazz it up... I decided that she needed something epic. I almost made her a tutu, but, thought better of it and decided on this instead...
So there you have Day 17. Every little girl needs to feel beautiful with hairbows, and while it may not seem like an act of kindness to make one's step-mother a huge ice queen tiara, I swear it was by her request and was made with nothing but love and kindness in mind.
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