MISSION: Kindness (is) for the Dogs

Do you know how much I love dogs?

You don't?

Let me show you.

I love dogs more than:

1. shoes

2. handbags

3. chocolate

4. money

5. sleeping in (although, that's almost a tie)

6. beauty products

7. shoes

8. shoes

9. shoes

10. chocolate

When I see a dog in my neighborhood, I automatically squeal and do what I refer to as The Piddle Dance.  (You know, the I-look-like-I-have-to-pee-I'm-so-excited dance.)   Yes, I love dogs that much.

Affiliated Agent J of Erie, PA, completed a mission involving a treat for a dog, and, well, I was sold.  We need to extend kindness to all living creatures, not just humans!

Date: Wednesday, 18 August 2010

Location: parking lot; local hospital; Erie, PA

Time: 11 p.m.

Affiliated Agent J sounds like she may have done The Piddle Dance during her mission!  Wonderful!

Laura,

I just got back from my first mission!  You wouldn't believe how much fun it was!  I decided that I wanted my first mission to involve animals somehow, so I thought what better way than to give someone with a dog a dog toy!  I know how happy I am when my furkids are happy, so this is a day-brightening-two-fer!  BONUS!

Tonight (8/18/10) at 11PM, after driving around for about an hour, I finally found my target.  I had decided that I would drop my little gift of a squeaky, jingly, rubbery, awesomey doggie chew toy and cute card (wrapped up all pretty-like) on the first car I saw with a doggie bumper sticker on the back. 

After not finding an appropriate drop spot for a while, I decided to pull into the parking lot at a local hospital. And wouldn't you know it, I found my target!  And I think it's a doctor too, based on the parking spot. 

I can't think of a more deserving candidate!   They work so hard and their families (and pets) have to sacrifice so much time for them to do all the work they do.  Plus, this particular hospital is a teaching hospital so there's a very good chance that this was a medical student and gracious knows how busy they are!

I have had a really stressful week at work but this mission really helped me to get my head back in the right spot.  You're really right when you say how healing helping can be!  I can't wait for my next mission and oh, the ideas I have.  :D

Affiliated Agent J, YOU ARE AWESOME.  Thank you for your kindness and for extending it not only to your fellow humans, but to their lovely, furry family members, too!

MISSION: Flash Mob of Kindness and Day Brightening

You know what I love?

A good flash mob.

My incredible Number Two organized this awesome flash mob today that took place at noon in Pittsburgh's Market Square.  With the help and kindness of the Point Park University Conservatory of Dance's extremely talented (and darling!) dancers, some happy sunflowers complete with Secret Agent L business cards attached to them, and some fun music, we managed to give cold, dreary Pittsburgh something to feel warm and sunny about during the lunch hour.

Date: Friday, 29 October 2010

Location: Market Square; Pittsburgh, PA

Time: 12:00 p.m.

{It was really windy, so please make sure your sound is turned all the way up so you can hear the music!}

After the dance number, the dancers handed out the sunflowers to onlookers.  

The applause and smiles on people's faces made our day!!  Hooray for kindness and day brightening!!  And THANK YOU to Point Park University's INCREDIBLE DANCERS!  I love you guys!!!

MISSION: Park, Treat, and Eat

I have a sweet tooth.  And not just any sweet tooth.  A serious, professional, I-should-get-paid-to-eat-as-much-sugar-as-I-do sweet tooth.  It's amazing that my teeth haven't rotted out of my head.  But it explains why I have an arsenal of tooth-cleaning supplies at my apartment.  

For the very reason I love treats, I love this mission from Affiliated Agent A in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It's just plain sweet.

Date: Tuesday, 14 September 2010

Location: Harmon Avenue Parking Garage; University of Arkansas; Fayetteville, Arkansas

Time: 4 p.m.

Let's see how Affiliated Agent A's first mission went!

I spend a lot of time at the University of Arkansas so many of my missions will probably be on campus.  I won’t say whether I work there, teach there, am a student there, or just really LOVE the Razorbacks.   I wanted to leave someone a little treat on his/her vehicle and since it was rainy and overcast in Fayetteville, the garage seemed like a perfect place.  Also this garage is where I park when I am running late in the morning (that’s been happening a lot recently for me).  And since this was my first mission, I thought the garage would be a good place to be covert and to gain confidence. 

I was armed with a card, a package of Baskin Robbins hard candy and a box of Cracker Jacks.  

At first I intended to leave this on a car parked close to mine, but there was someone nearby who got into a vehicle and just sat for awhile.  I stalled as long as I could, slowly placing one-by-one my umbrella, lunch bag and attaché into my car, hoping that the person would leave soon.  I decided to drive around the garage and find another car.  I drove up one level and parked in between two cars at the far end of the garage - a later model BMW and an older Toyota just like mine except a different color!   The Toyota had to be the one.  There was not a university sticker on the car so I wasn’t sure if it was a staff member, faculty member or a student.  It probably was a visitor.  There wasn’t anyone around.  I placed everything on the front windshield and snapped a few pictures. 

This was so much fun.  I can't wait to do another one soon!

I can't wait to see what you do, Affiliated Agent A.  This was so sweet!  (Okay, pun intended!)

MISSION: Merry Matrimony

I'm heading to a wedding out of town next weekend, so I thought it'd be perfect to post Affiliated Agent V's mission in the spirit of my upcoming trip.  Even though I'm not married or engaged, I've known enough brides and brides-to-be to know that wedding planning can be a pretty stressful time!  Affiliated Agent V of Indiana came up with a really thoughtful way to help a bride-to-be de-stress herself and keep things in perspective as she prepares for the big day!

Date: Sunday, 26 September 2010

Location: Jo Ann Fabrics; Greenwood, Indiana

Time: 2:30 p.m.

Affiliated Agent V tells us about her first mission:

I completed my first "mission" this weekend. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what I was going to do and what type of person I wanted to target. In between getting ready for my bridal shower, checking my bridal checklist, and paying wedding vendors, I realized that so much of my free time right now is taken up with wedding plans. Then I realized that a large portion of the stress in my life right now is also because of the wedding planning, so I thought "Why not do something special for a fellow bride?" That's when it all came to me... I went to Target and got a $5 gift card, because who doesn't like Target? Then I decided that I would pass on a book that was given to me, "Chicken Soup for the Bride's Soul". Once I gathered everything I needed, I set to writing a little note to go with my gift and figuring out a place to leave it.

After my little RAK was ready, I thought long and hard about where to leave it. I realized the perfect place to put it was the bridal aisle at my local JoAnn Fabrics. Originally I planned to put it behind a box of invitations, but as I scoped out the aisle, there was a couple looking at invitations and programs. Since it didn't look like they were going to leave anytime soon I decided to be sneaky and place the book at the other end of the aisle while they were looking the other direction. I found the perfect place on a shelf just under the main display area, next to flower girl baskets and ring bearer pillow.

I hope it brought a smile, a laugh, or even just a little bit of stress relief for a bride like me.

Affiliated Agent V, I LOVE this mission!  Your thoughtfulness is so beautiful, and your words are so kind.  I'm sure that the woman who found this smiled for the rest of the day!  Thank you!

MISSION: Beacon of Light

I've been going through some stuff in my life lately that's been rather difficult.  Some of those things have been resolved, and today I finally started to feel the positive effects from that resolve.  Just earlier today, I sent an email to someone telling him that I felt light.  And when I was going through my inbox a little bit ago to decide which mission to post, I came across this sweet one from Affiliated Agent M in Atlanta, and I knew it was totally appropriate for today!  We should all be so blessed to feel light and to share our light with others.

Date: Friday, 13 August 2010

Location: Dunbar Community Center; Atlanta, Georgia

Time: 1:45 p.m.

Let's hear about Affiliated Agent M's first mission!

I was so excited to become an affiliated agent that I could not wait to get that first mission under my belt.  I was on my way out of town for a long, fun weekend and I was feeling light, so I wanted to share that with someone else.  So, I bought a little LED flashlight and took it to a local community center.  

Because there were so many people around I left it in the women's bathroom so that I could be sure no one would see me and so I could be sure that it would be found at random.

Affiliated Agent M, I LOVE this mission.  Your witty play on words is so sweet, and these little flashlights really do come in handy!  

MISSION: Make the Earth Better

When I was growing up, I was convinced that I would single-handedly save the planet.  I had dolphin photos all over my room, a Greenpeace calendar every single year (from Santa, of course), and I always made sure I cut up those plastic soda rings into millions of little pieces.  I even went so far as to paint a giant earth on my bedroom closet's white door, much to the shock of my parents.

I was a serious tree-hugger.

I still am, to some extent, because I love this planet and the creatures on it.  I'm a vegetarian, I recycle like crazy, and I use my reusable shopping bags for everything. 

Speaking of reusable shopping bags, Affiliated Agent M of Enfield, Connecticut, completed her first mission recently, which involved, of course, kindness..AND homemade love!

Date: Thursday, 21 October 2010

Location: Enfield Public Library; Enfield, CT

Time: 9:25 p.m.

Affiliated Agent M tells us about her first mission:

Hi Laura!

I am soooo excited to finally be writing to you about my mission. When I first signed on, I had lots of ideas swimming in my head (I hope to use all of them over time) but I wanted my first one to really be a piece of me. I am a very environmentally conscious person and try daily to make a difference for the planet when I can, i.e. recycling, shutting off the water, using a water filter and especially reusable bags! I try to always have one in my purse and at the ready.

That being said, I decided to try and make my own bags from random fabric. I took an idea from a gift my sister gave me and ran with it. It is a reusable bag that folds up into a little pouch with a loop to fit on a keyring. I can't tell you how handy it is~especially at the drugstore when picking up just a few things. So I whipped out my little Shark sewing machine, with no real sewing experience to speak of and got busy. I spent a rainy Friday evening watching movies and made six different bags! I was so excited, but still unsure about the actual mission itself. I wanted the first place to be really random, but still in a place where someone might readily be able to use it too.

Then it hit me! I needed to return my library book and the movies I had watched to the Enfield Library in Enfield, CT. The best part, they have a book drop that you can drive up to after hours. It was perfect! I wrote up a card about the bag/mission using a beautiful original notecard paitend by my best friend Marla. Then I enclosed a Secret Agent L card and sealed the envelope. Because I was leaving it outside on a cool, autumn New England evening, I put it in a ziplock freezer back for protection. I grabbed my keys, camera and industrial packing tape and hit the road at 9:25 PM on Thursday Ocotber 21, 2010.

It was so exciting to be performing my first mission and it was even more so because it was night time and I felt so "Secret Agent-y". I pulled into the library and made sure there were no cars in the parking lot. The last thing I wanted was to be caught my first time out. I taped the bag to the outside of the bin with the note in plain sight and took a few quick pictures. As I pulled out of the parking lot, I felt absolutely giddy! Now I am even more excited to strategically place the remaining 5 bags. I think I may bring one to NH this weekend when we go to visit my daughter for her college's parents' weekend!

Laura, thank you again for the inspiration, and I promise this is only the beginning for me!


Peace and Love,
Affiliated Agent M

MISSION: Mellon Hall Happiness

Well!  Life sure has a way of sneaking up on us, doesn't it?  I'm so sorry it's been days since I posted a mission.

BUT!

I'm so excited to post today's mission because...well...I participated in it!  I didn't complete the mission alone.  In fact, I was merely there for photo-taking and moral support.  I accompanied new Affiliated Agent MB on her very first mission.  I prepped it, but she carried it out.  Way to go, Affiliated Agent MB!

Date: Monday, 18 October 2010

Location: lounge area; Department of Biological Sciences; Mellon Hall; Duquesne University; Pittsburgh, PA

Time: 4:34 p.m.

If I may, I'll provide the narrative for today's double-agent mission.

It was a long day, no doubt.  Filing papers, answering phone calls, processing paperwork, answering emails, putting out fires...our work in our department is never done.  On my way out for the day, I mentioned to my colleague that I'd planned on doing a mission.  She was very interested in what I planned on doing, but I was so tired, that I hadn't really thought that far in advance.  I had the gift in my bag; that was as far as I'd gotten.

I'd wanted to complete this mission over a week ago, during Mental Health Awareness Week.  But, as it is known for doing, life got all crazy and messy.  And the mission never happened.  But, better late than never, right?  So I suggested to Affiliated Agent MB that she carry out this mission, regardless of its lateness.  She got SO excited.  

Thus began our tandem effort of kindness.

My accomplice and I aren't involved in the science side of academia.  We're Liberal Arts people.  But we know how hard students work to study the sciences.  We know the demands and sacrifices that faculty members and staff members have endured and made to be where they are.  My Affiliated Agent decided that we should target them for our mission.  I agreed.

We headed out of our building at the end of the work day and made our way across campus to the science building.

We made our way inside, trying to determine the best location for The Drop.  The first floor lecture hall was filled with students, so we went to the second floor--the Biological Sciences Department.

We scouted the area for a few minutes, hoping to find the perfect place.  Affiliated Agent MB turned the corner and spotted this lovely little lounge area.  

Rumor has it that a pretty big Chemistry exam is coming up tomorrow.  I imagine that some of the people in the Biology Department are also in Chemistry.  And chances are, they'll be taking that monster exam.  

Affiliated Agent MB knew right away that this was The Spot.  She picked a chair and put the gift on it.  (And, yes, she squealed with delight from the excitement of it all.)

And she said she felt so good afterward.  Yes!  Mission accomplished!