MISSION: Kindness for the Cure

I've mentioned on more than one or two occasions here my own experience with a near breast cancer scare.  October is a very special month to me for just that reason.  When I think about the fact that I was diagnosed with an atypical papilloma at the age of 28, when I think about the fact that I've already had about 10 mammograms in my life (and I'm only 32), when I think about the fact that I have an oncologist who watches me like a hawk, and when I think about the fact that I'm now 5 times more likely to develop breast cancer in my lifetime, I want to scream out to every woman to let her know that she is unrepeatable, amazing, beautiful, precious, and loved-and that I want her to take care of herself.

This month, I encourage all of my Affiliated Agents to complete missions that center around Breast Cancer Awareness.  We WILL beat this disease.  I don't know when, and I don't know how, but we will.

I just received Affiliated Agent T's mission in my inbox this morning.  I knew I had to post it right away.  Thank you, Affiliated Agent T, for your kindness.

Date: Tuesday, 5 October 2010

Location: Sonic; Gibsonia, PA

Time: 6:00 p.m.

Affiliated Agent T tells us about her first--and very special--mission:

This was my first attempt at a mission.  I really wanted to do something that was not only kind, but had a real purpose.  October presented the perfect opportunity, since it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  I decided to go a little goodie bag of some products that would help raise awareness and support, while being practical.  A bonus was a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the items went to breast cancer research organizations.  Since pink is the color symbolic of breast cancer awareness and breast cancer survivors, I decided to bundle it all together in a pink bag, and write a note to go along with the bag.  The bag would contain a water bottle, a journal, and an awareness bracelet, along with the note.

I wanted the note to stress to the person finding it that she or he (because breast cancer affects us all) was important, and loved, and that it was important to take care of one’s self, as well as to encourage all the women we love to do self exams and get mammograms.  I wrote it on some paper with a pretty breast cancer awareness image on it, and sealed it up in an envelope.  I taped the envelope to the front of the bag, and then taped the bag closed.

The hardest part of the mission was deciding where to leave the bag.  I wanted to do it somewhere in my area, but not in my town.  Hubby and I were attending an event, and on our way, we stopped to grab a bite to eat at Sonic.  I realized that this was the perfect place to leave my package.  The weather was a little rainy, and the little car bays at Sonic, where you pull in for curb side service, are under an awning, so it would be protected.  We hung the bag off of the little area where you order your food, so someone was sure to see it.

I hope that someone not only enjoyed the little surprise, but also saw the opportunity to help continue spreading breast cancer awareness.  Together, we will find a cure!

Affiliated Agent T, thank you for opening your heart and for sharing your kindness with us!  Yes, together we WILL find a cure!

MISSION: Diaper Changing is No Fun!

I love when I get emails from first-time Affiliated Agents. The excitement in their words is so tangible! Affiliated Agent K sent me an email yesterday with the details of her very first mission.

Date: Saturday, 3 July 2010

Time: 2:00 p.m.

Location: McDonald's Women's Restroom, Aliquippa, PA

Here's what Affiliated Agent K had to say:

We performed our first "act"!

At the McDonald's in Aliquippa, PA, we left a children's book (Mama, Will You Hold My Hand? by Anna Pignataro) and a card (and the Secret Agent L business card) resting on top of the diaper-changing thing in the women's restroom.

We'd intended to leave the book and cards inside the changer, but the bunch kept slipping down (and I'd forgotten tape), so we put it on top.

This is fun - thanks for all the work you've put into it!

No need to thank me, Affiliated Agent K. Thank YOU! Job well done!

MISSION: Fuel for the Body, Fuel for the Brain

Affiliated Agent M is at it again, folks. Three missions in one day! *high five*

Date: Sunday, 27 June 2010

Time: Afternoon.

Locations: Aldo Coffee in Mt. Lebanon, Tazza D'oro in Highland Park, and Coffee Tree Roasters in Shadyside.

Gifts: Quotable cards and a Barnes and Noble gift card

Affiliated Agent M tells us of his adventures:

If I had something of a food weakness, it'd be coffee. Good coffee, not the stuff that drips and stands in a pot for hours and hours on end, but a 'grind the beans, press the grounds, and serve it to you all made to order' espresso drink.

Then it's not really a surprise that the majority of my previous missions involve coffee in some way, shape or form. The mission on Sunday continued this fine tradition, but with an added bonus.

It may be a stereotype, but give me a good book to go along with a fine drink, and hours could go by before I look up from the page. There is something about saying, "I have so much to do, watch, and see, that I am going to deliberately set a few hours aside to just sit down, sip a drink, and read. Nothing more, nothing less."

And it was this slice of mental clarity I was hoping to spread with this mission. Maybe you're out to meet friends at a coffee house. Maybe you're out to get away from the busyness of your surroundings at home. Maybe you just kipped in to escape the frequent roaming thunderstorms of the greater Pittsburgh area. What ever the reason, you're out, sitting down, and boom, there's a card from an affiliated agent, commanding you to open it up, that the goodies within are for no other being in the universe but you. There's a puzzled look on your face, like, can this be happening to me? Is this a joke? Should I open this strange card; obey this written directive?

Let's open this card together, to share the experience, shall we?

Inside you pull out one of the Quotable cards that Secret Agent L and her agents often use. It's heavier than most cards, higher quality. The quote fires off a small spark of inspiration deep within side you; the fire burns to embers quickly, but inspiration and hope work better as slow coals, not a violent Bruckheimian explosion.

You open the card, and a tag falls out. You grab for it, while reading the silly note this stranger left in the card. A chuckle may escape your lips, it may not.

You look around trying to believe this is true, this is happening and not the set up for some vicious prank. Your friends pull the card from your hands, eager to read the cryptic message, when your attention turns back to the envelope.

It is heavy. Too heavy...

Inside there is something else, forgotten in the initial excitement until now. You reach in, a golden ticket moment if any. Your reward, if you so choose, may grant you access to a chocolate factory, but that is only one of an infinite set of options: a gift card to Barnes and Noble. The only question that remains is if you can choose just one wondrous thing to read.

Simulation over.

It was my intent that this scene, or something similar to it, would play out at three different locations across Pittsburgh. These places happened to match up to some of my favorite coffee shops in the city.

The first was Aldo's Coffee in Mt. Lebanon. Inside I took the table closest to Aldo's own library, as seemed fitting for the mission. The crowd there was steady, and it took some time to find the right moment to leave my card behind and make my exit.

Not that I minded, it simply meant I could get through a few more pages.


The next was Tazza D'oro in Highland Park. If Aldo had a steady flux of people, Tazza D'oro had what amounted to a full house. One of the few tables left was hidden by a small Christmas Tree and Virgin Mary statue.

It really seemed fitting to have some higher power watching over this little gift of mine, so I took it for the sign it was.


The last was the Coffee Tree Roasters in Shadyside. I personally love how they'll open an entire wall during good weather so the boundary between inside and outside is lessened, and given the length of the shop it can generate a nice, constant breeze.

Sadly, the photos of this last gift in the wild did not take, but one of the small tables near the back had a surprise waiting for the next person to sit there.


A good day for coffee, a great day for reading, and it's my hope that three Pittsburghers choose a book they've been thinking about for a while and now have no excuse left; that the instant smile generated on a hot Sunday afternoon is constantly fed every time they flip through the pages and continue the story.

MISSION: Harris Grill

One of the advantages to being in a relationship with Secret Agent Boyfriend is that he sometimes takes Secret Agent L out to eat to some great little places around Pittsburgh. One of his favorite spots is The Harris Grill in Shadyside. The food is amazing, the menu is hilarious, and the servers are totally cool. He suggested to Secret Agent L last night that they go there for dinner. She was happy to oblige.

Date: Saturday, 10 April 2010

Location: Harris Grill, Shadyside, Pittsburgh

Time: 7:31 p.m.

These cards from Quotable Cards are some of Secret Agent L's favorite gifts to leave during missions. She has to confess, however, that the card below may or may not be the actual card she left at the Harris Grill. She'd had several cards wrapped up and ready for missions, but she neglected to document each one. So, for the sake of argument, we'll just pretend that the card below is the actual one left at the Harris Grill.



Since Secret Agent L knows that each of her Quotable Cards contained some cold, hard cash, maybe the recipient used it for the tip! (Or saved it to use later on a cup of coffee or tea.)

The Harris Grill is a very, very popular spot in Shadyside. College students from the area's universities make it a regular hang-out, and young families bring their broods there for the famous tiny hamburgers. Plus, Tuesday is Bacon Night. (See back of t-shirt on man in photo below.)


Located on Ellsworth Avenue and a half-block up from Maryland Avenue, its central location makes the Harris Grill a popular (and delicious) destination.

After ordering, Secret Agent L noticed a secret drawer in her table:

Apparently, she wasn't the first (or the most sober) to notice it:

But she left her mark anyway:

The Harris Grill's drink menu, known as the Grill Swill, was the perfect place to leave the gift.


After all, it states that patrons will "leave happy." Secret Agent L agrees.

After Secret Agent Boyfriend and Secret Agent L finished their delicious meals, it was time for The Act of Sneaky-ness.


You can see part of the card sticking out from the bottom of the drink menu, but Secret Agent L is convinced that the finder of the treat will be completely surprised...and will definitely leave happy.