Faith in Pharmacies

By Lisa, 365 Days of Service, Los Angeles Representative

A visit to the pharmacy can make or break my day.  On a good visit the pharmacy has my correct medicine and dosage, and the co-payment amount is what I expected.  A bad visit usually end with me in tears because my medication was never called in, or the wrong prescription or dosage has been called in, or is not covered by insurance, or is covered by insurance but still costs a few hundred dollars.

When I lived in Madison, Wisconsin there was a local independent pharmacy that I loved, conveniently named Community Pharmacy (http://www.communitypharmacy.coop/).  It was warm and homey; the pharmacist knew me by name and would take time to answer my questions, dispense advice, and recommend herbal medicines and alternative therapies. Community Pharmacy was the best version of a pharmacy - friendly staff, soft lighting, pleasant aromatherapy scents, and plenty of vitamins and organic body products for me to lose track of time as I wandered the aisles.  It was a place about wellness, not illness.

When I left Madison, I was skeptical of ever finding a pharmacy or pharmacist that I loved as much.  I spent my first few years in California leaving the majority of my pharmacy visits in tears.  I had lost hope of finding a pharmacist who would actually do what my pharmacists at Community Pharmacy did.

This week I was faced with a medication conundrum – now that I started working full time, what would I do about the monthly injections I usually went to the doctor’s office to receive?  With limited options, I remembered that my neighborhood pharmacy (housed in a large chain store) gave flu shots. I figured if they gave those shots, maybe they could give me my injection.

I called and spoke to a lovely female pharmacist who told me that she couldn’t give me the shot herself (“there are 7 video cameras watching me and I could be terminated”).  However, she said, I would be more then happy to teach you.  WHAT?!? Yes, she said, if you come in I will teach you step by step how to inject yourself.  I thanked her and told her I would be by later this week.

I was blown away that this kind pharmacist was offering to spend time with me to actually teach me how to become more independent in my health care. Our conversation restored faith for me that pharmacists who care about patients can be found not only in small independent pharmacies in Wisconsin, but in large chain pharmacies in Southern California.

Happy 25th Anniversary, Excel!

Today's recognition goes to two people: my good friend Lisa and Mr. Douglas Klunder.

First, I was thrilled to check my email tonight to have received an email from Lisa with a link to an article celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Microsoft Excel. A very quick email to send but one that brought me great joy! I'm very appreciative of those who see something, think of someone, then take the time to share it with them. In a fast-paced world, it's very easy to overlook these moments. Thanks for making the time, Lisa!

Now, Mr. Douglas Klunder. Do you know him? Well blog readers, please meet Mr. Douglas Klunder. Mr. Klunder, please meet the readers of 365. (I only became acquainted with him tonight but we've shared a strong connection for much longer!) Mr. Klunder gifted us all with Microsoft Excel, what The Daily Beast suggests is "the most revolutionary software program ever."

I would agree. I'm a huge fan of Excel and I'm just an addict at the most basic level. This program has the power to make everything look so nice, to sort, to create charts & graphs, to add/subtract/multiply/divide (as to have functions), to color code, to organize, to have separate worksheets in one workbook, to let you mail merge, to freeze panes, and to bring much happiness to one's life. You might remember that I'm a member of a very prestigious group called "Lovers of Checklists and Spreadsheets" (LOCAS for short) and I've been known to make homemade pies for co-workers in exchange of 3 tricks in Excel. 365 salutes Mr. Klunder and recognizes the great achievement celebrated in this Silver Anniversary!

Does everyone love Microsoft Excel as much as I do? I hope so.

Happy 25th, Excel!

Help for woman after fall

My sister shared this Letter to the Editor from The Maui News with me. It's refreshing to see individuals take time to publicly recognize and thank "strangers" who care! And thanks to Jill for sharing this with me!

 

Help for woman after fall appreciated

December 25, 2010

A big mahalo to the three angels who assisted Tutu Mary in a spill in front of the Kihei Post Office on Dec. 20. Upon her fall, three strangers arrived to help tend her wounds, call her family and provide comfort to the 87-year-old grandmother.

The three women chose to stay with Mary after 911 was called, paramedics came and went and until she was thought well enough to go home. Her son and granddaughter arrived 20 minutes later to find Mary being pampered and surrounded by her angels.

As everyone went their separate ways, we all said Merry Christmas with teary eyes and warm hearts. It's fabulous to know people, complete strangers, could be so compassionate and caring to our tutu.

Truly a Christmas gift. God bless.

Bonnie Yurkanin
Wailuku

An Honest Mechanic

Picture above, exhibit A. Nope, not part of the crosswalk as it might appear. Instead, it's a huge crack in my windshield that spontaneously appeared overnight one night last week. I was home a few more days and it grew inches. Yikes!

Needless to say, a holiday season where spending is at its peak to honor loved ones, purchasing a windshield wasn't on my list of things to buy. Add it to the top of the list for 2011.  I've been thinking about it recently as it's one of the first things I'll have to take care of when I return to my CA home. The bright spot in all of this... I know an honest mechanic.

This past September my car, that I affectionately call "Stella," needed her 60K tune-up/check-up/maintenance... whatever they call it. She needed it. Ugh, about two of the worst things to go together - car maintenance & me. I'm sure I'm not the only female on this planet that feels that this is an area of extreme vulnerability. Thus I enlisted the help of my trusty friend Yelp when I started researching where I would take Stella for her check-up.

"Honda mechanic" I searched in my area. Thirty-five results returned. Excellent.

I read through the reviews and one immediately stood out: S & S Auto Repair. Over 60 people reviewed this place and they received an average of 4.5 of 5 stars. "If there's ever was an honest mechanic, it's Mr. Shew!," they said. Sold. I went and I'm happy to say everything I read on Yelp was correct. Mr. Shew and S&S Auto Repair provided me good, honest service. Never did I feel sketchy about what he was trying to sell me. Really, I felt like he was a grandpa, no frills, just said and did what I needed to keep Stella and me safe on the road.

Here's the icing on the good-car-mechanic-cake. He said my service was going to take 3 hours, be back at 11:15 am. I was prepared. I planned on walking to the nearest coffee shop for some breakfast and brought some magazines to read as I waited for Stella. He asked if I had a ride, looked around to see that I had none, then said this, "Take my car." I kid you not, he pointed to his car and said, "Door is open, key in the ignition." Um... I'm not sure how I felt about taking his car but when I thought about it, I lived less than 4 miles away and I could just drive home and drive back. It would be a much nicer morning than sitting at a coffee shop.

Granted, he was an older man and his car was a very humble Honda Accord made at some point in the 90's. But nonetheless, I went home, went for a wonderful morning run, made breakfast, watched some morning TV and even took a power nap all while Stella got her groove back.

So now, as inconvenient as fixing a windshield might seem, my positive experience makes me think that I don't have to be nearly as vulnearable as I might feel. I'll call and ask Mr. Shew. He might not be able to fix it himself (because as little as I know about cars, I'm not sure if mechanics fix stuff that's not mechanical...). If he can't do it, I'm sure he'll tell me the best possible person who can. I'll take advice (and the car!) of this honest mechanic anytime.

Consider Donating Blood

This article from The Maui News reminded me the importance of donating blood. Read Agnes Groffs' inspirational story. Hundreds of pints of blood and 50 gallons of Portuguese bean soup! Go Agnes!

Fly the Friendly Skies

I've come to learn that flying isn't so friendly anymore, regardless of what an airline tagline tells you.  More security (all to keep everyone safe, of course), more annoyed security personnel, more frustrated passengers. With time things only get worse.

Until today.

Today I took to the sky to island hop home. A flight I know well growing up in the islands. While I've never had trouble with an interisland flight per se, many other flights have left me jaded to the traveling experience. I've come to be a minimalist when it comes to social interaction. Who needs to socialize when there are so many people that are unhappy while traveling because it's such an unenjoyable experience.

Which is why I on my flight today when my seat neighbors initiated a "hello" with a smile, it made me rethink whether I should keep my headphones in my ears through the entire flight. It caught me off guard really. Usually it's so easy to ignore anyone else on the plane. (Please don't judge me if I'm the only one that thinks this way...) But today I didn't want to. 

Yeah, and I thought Aunty and Uncle (how I'll refer to them as traditional Hawaiian way for older adults...) were nice because they said "hi"? Well get this, they did something even nicer. On our 22 minute flight we're always served a little container of Hawaiian juice. I enjoyed my juice very quickly. I tried to tuck my trash in the seat pocket in front of me until the flight attendant came to collect it from me so I could quickly return to reading my magazine and listening to music. As I tucked it away, it popped right back out! Fell onto the floor. Ugh. I reach down and pick it up and try to tuck it away for a second time. Aunty intercepts. She grabs my container from my hand and puts it right on Uncle's fold-out tray. She tells me with her big smile, "No worry, he'll take care of it."

Less than 3 minutes later the flight attendant comes down the aisle with the bag for trash and Uncle tosses our juice cups. No. Big. Deal.

Eh, thanks ah, Aunty. Flying surely just got a lot friendlier and I'll remember that next time.

The Spangler Elf

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is to serve as the Spangler Elf.

Bill, Shar, Shana, Stacia, Jared, and Tasha Spangler have been my California family for over a decade (!). And every year I receive the honor of serving as the family elf! It's a pretty simple task but one I truly love. This is when I get to take on the role of "Elf Maui" (they call me Maui, "Elf" is just for the holidays... I hope) which basically means that I deliver the news from the North Pole on who helps Santa fill the stockings of every family member for Christmas.

I love that I'm Elf Maui because it's another way the Spangler's have included me as a part of their immediate family. And that means a lot to me.

When I moved to California for college Stacia was one of the first people I met. I arrived early to school (with zero friends, literally) and Stashe came to my dorm room and invited me to join her and others for lunch. This meal has become the infamous lunch at Coogies that started it all. When we arrived at the restaurant I met Tasha and Shar (mom). Little did I know that this meal, my first in CA, was also the beginning of one of the most warm and loving friendships I'll ever encounter in my lifetime.

While on that day it was lunch, what followed has been years of family. Without fail every holiday in college I was a Spangler - Thanksgiving, Easter, everything - it wasn't a question, Maui was a part. After Pepperdine soccer games I joined the Spanglers for post-game meals. Once a week for our first two years of college Stacia hosted Tash and my "three course meal" - mochi crunch for appetizer, spam musubi was the main dish, and mochi for dessert. A tradition we continued when Tasha and I moved into our own campus apartment. (Yup,  believe it, spam once a week for four years of college. This is what champions are made of!) When I moved to LA for my current job it was Shana who took me in. I was looking for a place to live and her apartment-mate moved out the same month. Some might think it's coincidence, I know it's fate and family. And of course, there's Bill, who, among many other things he's done for me, has helped me navigate purchasing every car I've ever owned. I could continue - the blanket and booties they've knitted me, the family recipes that have become my favorite treats - everything I've done with the Spanglers has been a family affair.

So, this Christmas, a time of year where we surround ourselves with the love of family and friends, 365 Days of Service salutes the Spangler family. Bill, Shar, Shana, Stacia, Jared, and Tash, thanks for being the most loving family one could ever have. And, thanks to all the families out there who take someone in as one of their own.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Please let me in!

Everyone, please say "hello" to Oscar.

This is Oscar, he's a secruity guard at my local Trader Joes and here's what he did for me.

It's the holidays and it's busy. Here's everything I'm tried to do after 6 pm tonight: I'm trying to wrap everything up at work so I can have the most restful vacation possible. I'm not the best holiday shopper so I still have to purchase gifts and return a couple of extra gifts I bought in search of the best bargains. Plus, my wonderful friend Brandi hosted a get together at her place because so many camp friends are in town for the holidays. Quality time with these folks reminded me how lucky I am to continually be surrounded by such incredible individuals.

And being that I'm returning home to the islands I also had add a run to Trader Joes on my list to stock up on all the TJ goodies my family loves. This is where Oscar comes in.

I'm a firm believer that there's always time for the most important things in life. Tonight I really believed that Trader Joes had to be one of those things. Oscar helped me. After leaving the get together without rushing goodbyes, I jumped in my car, looked at the clock and knew I had exactly 9 minutes before TJs closed. Two miles away and according to my Garmin I'd arrive at 9:58...9:59. I didn't risk my life or anyone elses but I really did hope I'd make it.

Just as Garmin told me, I arrived to the Trader Joes parking lot at exactly 9:59 pm. I saw another couple running towards the door so I thought I'd join the crowd and do a quick jog myself. The lights were on, the door was open, and Oscar was standing right there. Right as I got to the door he joked by pretending to close the door, but quickly followed by welcoming me in with a smile. "You just made it!" he said. "Thank you!" I exclaimed. "I have a flight tomorrow and a list of things to bring home! You have no idea how much this means to me."

Because I was "one of those people," I did some quick damage in Trader Joes, then thanked every employee that helped me. As I exited, I thanked Oscar again.

Here's what I appreciate most about this situation and Trader Joes in general. Trader Joes employees are very friendly and seem to genuinely enjoy their job. Oscar, whether a direct employee of Trader Joes or not, not only let me in when he could have closed the door in front of me, but we welcomed me in with a smile. Every other employee I interacted with while shopping was equally as friendly. Not once did I feel that I was being scorned for being "that person" that walked in the door just as they were closing. And, I've noticed it before, Trader Joes doesn't make those announcements that say, "Attention shoppers, it is now 9:45 pm and Trader Joes will be closing in 15 minutes. Please bring your items to the register to make your final purchases..." Then "Attention shoppers, it is now 9:50 pm..."

During a busy holiday season where it would be very easy for any employee to close the doors exactly on the hour or scorn the late shopper, Oscar and the staff at Trader Joes on Sepulveda would have none of that. Thank you Oscar and fellow employees, 365 Days of Service appreciates your welcoming shoppers with a smile!

I think I have the best parents ever!

By Daeni Ito, 365 Days of Service, Maui Chapter

My parents babysit our almost 8 month old on a regular basis, which is
no easy task. Early this month, we needed to move into a new house, a
task in itself, but during the holidays made everything double the
hassle to get everything ready for Kenna's first Christmas as well.
Some how my parents knew exactly what we needed when we needed it.
From babysitting all day while we are at work, to babysitting all
night while we were packing/moving...they did it all. Not only that,
but made us dinner to go every night, moved/packed/delivered our
things, took care of our dogs, put furniture together, washed
laundry/dishes, made Christmas treats for us to give to co-workers,
wrapped our Christmas gifts and the list continues to constantly grow.
Anything we needed, they did before even asking. It's amazing how
parents know exactly what you need even before you need it.They did it
all with a smile, not a complaint or grumble, I know they were tired,
but they never once mentioned it.  And for that, I think I have the
best parents ever and have a lot of gratefulness and gratitude for
them.

Make a Documentary or Talk to a Documentary-ist



Kristin shares her foodie expertise



JP protects the camera from the rain

Last night, in the midst of the "Pineapple Express" (the affectionate name of the current So. Cal. storm), I came upon Patricia and her video camera. While walking across the parking lot, Patricia was was trying to hold a shopping receipt in one hand, simultaneously attempting to set the white balance on her camera with the other hand, while also keeping a careful eye on the umbrella resting on her camera to protect it from the rain. With all of this going on in a Santa Monica parking lot late on a Tuesday night, I had to stop and inquire. "Hello, do you need a hand?" I ask. She replied, "Yes, would you mind holding this paper in front of my camera, I'm trying to set the white balance." "Sure," I respond. While she shifts back to her camera and looks through the lens to adjust the color settings, I ask, "What are you doing?" She responds, "I"m taping B-roll. I'm making a documentary on the food trucks." 

Without a second passing I exclaim, "I LOVE the food trucks!"

Patricia responds, "You do? May I interview you?"

Uhhh, well I'm not so sure about an interview but I do love them. 

Then we start chatting food trucks. You see, every Tuesday in Santa Monica there's a gathering of gourmet food trucks, 10 trucks, different each week. They take over a local parking lot and serve food to anyone and everyone. I've seen the sign up for months and have been wanting to go but it wasn't until last week that I made my way with friends to Ocean Park and Main - otherwise known as food truck heaven and home.

I told Patricia about my wonderful experience last week: the delicious, authentic Filipino food I ate for a very reasonable price, the good company and the good fun. And again, she asked, "May I interview you?"

"May I get a few friends?"

"Yes."

So off I went to recruit my fellow food truck believers.  

Thus ensued our sharing of stories with Patricia. We all spoke of our experiences last week or our fond connection to food trucks. Bryan said he wasn't going to be a food-truck-goer but we "made him." Made him or not, if this Tuesday's trucks weren't cancelled due to rain, he was going to have it again. Good friend Kristin, a food blogger extraordinaire, talked about her $5 large and delicious Vietnamese sandwich from NomNom Truck in addition her appreciation for the entrepreneurial-ship of the food-truckers themselves. While I don't have quite her foodie expertise or business-savvy, I know when food is good and the food from Tapa Boy was good! I offered my two cents on how the food trucks are very "L.A." and the experience I enjoyed of eating good food along with the company of good friends. A dynamite combo these food trucks got goin' on! 

Maybe we'll get to see more of our interviews with Patricia when Masa Revolution premiers. Until then, know that we appreciated not only sharing our food truck joy but we also soaked in (quite literally) the rare opportunity to share our story with Patricia. It's not so often that you stumble upon a documentary-ist who happens to be filming on a topic you love!

Thanks, Patricia! 365 Days of Service salutes your efforts to bring greater awareness around the food truck revolution and we look forward to seeing your great project! And a huge shout out to our friends Lisa, Corinne, Camille, & JP who cheered us on!



Clearly, I can hardly contain my excitement.



Bryan: "They made me come."

Don't Let the Rain Get You Down

Ladies and gentlemen, the news is sweeping the country: Southern California is experiencing the worst storm in decades. It has rained 3 days in a row.

While I missed the Southern California sunshine this past weekend and there are real threats of flooding and mudslides to be wary of, 3 days of rain seems like just a drop in the bucket relative to rain collection in most other places of the world. Nevertheless, prepare yourselves, it's expected to rain for 2 more days.

But thanks to my co-workers Kimberly and Toni, not even days of rain is going to get us down! With the organization I work for, someitmes I find myself with tasks that I think... only at this job would I find myself doing this. It's part of the charm of my everyday work. Today, Kimberly and Toni we're put to such a task: taking Los Angeles by storm (quite literally!) for a pick up of donations - 12 digital cameras, a gigantic flat screen t.v., and a full-size bed - all to fit in our very own 12 passenger van. Not to mention that we asked them to drive 2 vans down only to park one in a strategic location in Los Angeles for January use. But of course we would find ourselves doing all of this on the rainiest day in California history.

I intercepted the duo in the second half of the journey and they were already soaking wet. But they were still smiling. The best part about them no matter what the task, they will bring joy to your day with their unique personalities. Toni is a giver. Not only does she donate funds to our organization, at the end of a tiring summer she takes the time to put together a relaxation kit for our staff, featuring the items and fragrances that she learns are the favorites to the individual. Kimberly, she's the character. She gives the most memorable relationship advice I've ever received and every conversation includes, with pizazz, her infamous lines, "Any which way..." or "Hasta Pasta!"

Today, they brightened the gloomiest of So Cal days with their reliable spirits in the midst of an obsucre, easy-to-overlook task. Four hours later, sopping wet from loading and unloading in the rain, "Hasta Pasta," Kimberly says with a smile as they embark into the LA traffic that they will surely find themselves in for another 3 hours back home.

And, as always, they'll both be only a phone call away anytime our organization needs them, even if it happens to be the stormiest day in the history of LA.

Toni rigs up a system to keep the larger-than-life TV safe.

Operation Christmas Child

Operation Christmas Child
[op-uh-rey-shuh n ··· kris-muh s ··· chahyld]
Noun

1. Sending hope in a shoe box
2. Sharing love in a tangible way to children in need around the world
3. Started in 1993 by Samaritan's Purse 
4. Resulted in 8 million children receiving shoe boxes last year
5. Instructions: a) find an empty shoe box, b) pick gender and age of your child, c) fill shoe box with items that will bring joy to the child, e) include $7 donation for shipping and other costs, f) drop off your shoe box at a collection center
6. Building a box online to send to a child overseas
7. Brightening and changing  lives of children, one shoe box gift at a time

CNN.com recently shared this touching Operaiton Christmas Child story. Please read!

A Simple Request: Good Thoughts

By Paige Ryland, 365 Days of Service, Southeast Region

My email box is inundated with requests for support-monetary and otherwise-by my friends’ and families’ various undertakings. I am always happy to help in any way I can and enjoy that with our ever-growing digital world we are all able to seek that help from an easily accessible network. I was recently visiting with a friend whose health is on the decline and wanted to be of some help so decided to enlist the help of my good friend, email. I emailed lots of other friends and family members with a simple request: good thoughts. I told people that prayer, meditation, and song or anything of their choosing would all be acceptable. It just needed to be positive. The response has already been overwhelming. People are sending their love and support to someone they don’t even know in the form of positive thinking. It’s because of kindness like this that I strive to serve others with more kindness everyday. Even though it is easy to forget, people are good, people are kind and people deserve good kindness. 

Bell Ringers

The Salvation Army Red Kettles have been a winter-time tradition since 1891. 1891!

I recently spoke to a friend who mentioned that she makes a point to give to the Salvation Army Red Kettle everytime she sees one. Whether it's in the form of a bill or bills, or cleaning out the loose change from her pocket, the effort is the same... give everytime you hear the bell. I took this to heart since speaking to her and have done my best to contribute, even if just a little at a time, to this worthy cause.

Today I came across this Salvation Army Red Kettle and thought they'd be a wonderful feature for 365. "I'm a Kiwanis 'Bell Ringer,'" their aprons told me. I stopped to say hello, give my contribution for the day, and took a minute to get to know these two gentlemen. They are volunteering through their local Kiwanis Chapter and today, on a very rainy Southern California Saturday, are sharing their time to help the Salvation Army Kettle Campaign. I asked these two gentlemen how long they've volunteered as bell ringers and the kind man on the right, replied with a smile and giggle, "Over 20 years."

What dedication they have to the Red Kettles - and the larger services the Salvation Army provides everyday to thousands of people around the world. Consider dropping your loose change in the bucket next time you hear the bell.

P.S. The Red Kettles have also gone virtual!

Be the Change: Save a Life

Today is a big day. Today marks the debut of "Be the Change: Save a Life."

"Be the Change: Save a Life" is a year-long campaign by ABC News to feature the world's top health issues and empowers individuals with simple ways to make a difference.

Here's what ABC News says about this incredible journey:
On Friday, December 17, ABC News begins a year-long odyssey – covering a story that spans the world; challenging Americans to save untold lives.  “Be the Change: Save a Life” sets out on a journey across three continents and into nine countries, focused on the health conditions endured by the poorest of the poor – and some of the innovations that may be able to save them.

Featured throughout this series will be a maternity ward in Afghanistan, infant death in India, disease spread from contaminated water in Bagladesh, clean water search in the jungles of the Central African Republic, malnutrition across hemispheres of the world, tuberculosis in Cambodia, a camel caravan in Kenya, and a place called "Kingdom in the sky," where ponies are used to deliver life-saving blood test results atop a 10,000 ft mountain.

Tonight, ABC News will also debut SaveOne.net, a website dedicated to serve as "a clearing-house for global health iformation. Viewers who want to know more and get involved will find ways, large and small, to make a differece in their own communities and around the world." Bookmark it as a favorite and visit the site often.

In the similar spirit of 365, "Be the Change: Save a Life" is a one-year journey that will inspire taking simple steps to make a big difference. Tune in tonight.

"A story may not be able to change the world, but it can inspire the world to change."

The Gentle Barn and the "Hug A Cow" Campaign

Shared by Rosalyn Sayer, 365 Days of Service, Lake Hughes Chapter

From The Gentle Barn Website:

The Gentle Barn Launches "Hug A Cow" Campaign

(Funds raised will support the animal sanctuary and treatment programs that benefit at-risk children)

Santa Clarita, CA. (March 17, 2010) - To celebrate the healing touch of animals, The Gentle Barn launched the Hug a Cow Campaign earlier this month. Visitors are encouraged to get their picture taken hugging one of the many rescued cows that live at the sanctuary in Santa Clarita, CA.

The Gentle Barn offers a unique 10-month peace enhancement therapy program that connects rescued and rehabilitated farm animals with inner-city, at-risk, and special-needs kids who can relate to the animals' histories of abuse. Over the past decade, The Gentle Barn has grown from a half-acre backyard in Tarzana to a six-acre ranch in Santa Clarita that provides permanent residence to 120 animals each with a remarkable story of survival and provides interactive healing to hundreds of children annually.

"The Hug a Cow Campaign offers a unique way to promote kindness and compassion." said Ellie Laks, founder of The Gentle Barn Foundation. "Each hug will have a lasting impact on the person and the cow."

"Our goal is to make 100,000 hugs possible within the next year," said Jay Weiner, president of The Gentle Barn. "We want everyone in our community to feel the healing effects of hugging a cow."

Friendship in all forms - including purple snuggies

By Paige Ryland, 365 Days of Service, Cassia Branch

Every year, the organization I work for holds a white elephant gift exchange for our staff and volunteers. It can be a cut throat game when gifts are stolen and people end up with unwanted items. This year, I knew which item I was after as soon as it was opened: a purple snuggie. When it was finally my turn, I took it from the person who had originally opened it and gave a brief speech about how I had wanted a snuggie, particularly a purple one, for about 2 years, and how I hoped no one would steal it from me. I was shocked and a little saddened when a short time later the snuggie was stolen from me by a nice lady named Tina. Because I was allowed to pick another gift, I opted for a mustache mug and soon forgot all about it as I was still dreaming about the snuggie.  That's just how the game goes. Luckily, I had some alliances with good friends and the snuggie was rescued for me after some time. All seemed well until the same amazing friend who had rescued the snuggie had her choice gift, a book and cookies, stolen from her. In a move that will surely go down in history, my mustache mug (the one I had forgotten about) was stolen from me and it was my turn to pick a gift yet again. Without hesitating I jumped up and stole back the book and cookies and gave them to my friend. I'd never seen people so excited about stealing; we were given a standing ovation for our efforts to get each other the gifts we were after. Although the game doesn't seem so kind and, indeed, is not the friendship involved in generating such an outcome is. Without even communicating with each other we shared the common goal of ensuring one another's happiness. As friends we are dedicated to the service of each other and that night not only did we succeed in doing just that, we succeeded in demonstrating to the cheering crowd just what the power of friendship is all about.

Pay the Difference

By Jill Orikasa, 365 Days of Service, Pukalani Chapter

Recently, I have started working with a girl from Kansas, Rachel.  Since she is far from home and on a budget, we went shopping for gifts at the swap meet.  While there we came up with a plan to make Hawaiian print pillow cases and other gifts for her nieces and nephews.  We head to Fabric Mart.

We walked through the door and saw a group of women at the front of the line and 2 or 3 additional customers waiting in line.  At that point my daughter ran off...so I go to chase her.  There are a couple of woman at the checkout.  The cashier is explaining to them that they still needed $3.64.  The cashier also told them that since she had already cut the material she couldn't put it back out on the shelf.  As I catch Aliya, the cashier asks the other women with her if they have the money to help their friend.  Hearing that, Rachel walked right up to the cashier and gave them some money.  The cashier asked Rachel if she was sure and Rachel said that it wasn't a problem.

The cashier explained to this group of women that Rachel had offered to pay the difference for their things.  I didn't see the expression on their faces, but you could tell that they were happy.
After Rachel and I had made our own purchases, the cashier had thanked her again.  She explained to us that even if Rachel hadn't stepped in, it wouldn't have been a problem.  These women come in all the time and purchase material.  Sometimes they have the money and other times they don't.  This store will hold on to their things and let them come back at a later time with the money they owe.

I got to witness two acts of kindness today the first from Rachel helping these woman and the second from the workers at the store.  What a way to spread some holiday cheer!

Doing Good On His Own

By Clyde Uyehara, 365 Days of Service, Pukalani Chapter

I took Kalyssa to the Humane Society yesterday because she gets all excited to see the dogs, cats in the cat house's and the turtle, she also enjoyed the chickens! Anyway we always end up with the cats, I will send you a video of her yesterday... but anyway as we were leaving there is an elderly gentlemen who volunteers every Wednesday  for about 4-5 hours and is always with the cats. As we were leaving he said Kalyssa could take a toy from one of the two large plastic boxes and to take anyone that she wanted....he also mentioned that there had been other kids but did not take one Kalyssa was the first, so we took one that was a pussy cat.... I thought wow it was one with those TY red tags like the kind that is on the ones that the kids used to collect (Beanie Babies).... as we walked out I thought I should make a donation, so we walked o the office and I gave the two girls that were there a twenty, they did not know what I was talking about.... so evidently he is doing this on his own.... there must have been over a hundred little toys in the two boxes whick would add up to be quite a lot of money, I forgot to mention that as we drove in the Humane Society I saw him crossing the parking lot so I saw his car.... it was an old Toyota that was a little dirty and well used... so he cannot be a rich guy from Kihei or Wailea....

Ben's Bells

Shared by Kristin Friedersdorf, 365 Days of Service, Los Angeles Chapter

Please take a moment to get to know Ben's Bells.

The mission of Ben's Bells is to "inspire, educate and motivate each other to realize the impact of intentional kindness and to empower individuals to act according to that awareness, thereby changing our world."

On March 29, 2002, 3-year-old Ben suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. A parent's worst nightmare had come true and his parents say that if it were not for Ben's older brother Matthew, "perhaps we would have died..."

From their pain came this:
"Slowly, we began incorporating coping strategies into our lives. We came up with a design for Ben’s Bells and started making them in our back yard studio with friends. The therapeutic effect of working with clay was amazing as was the power of being surrounded by people talking and working toward a common goal. We decided to make hundreds of the Bells and distribute them randomly in our community to encourage the kindness that we so depended on to get through each day. Since Ben’s death, it had been the kindness of others, strangers and friends, that had helped us begin to heal. We wanted to find a way to pass on that kindness and to help others in the process...The riple effect that followed was wonderful and startling. Individuals finding the Bells had stories to tell - lots of them - about grief and healing and hope."

Please visit the Ben's Bells website to learn more about this admirable organization. Ben's Bells honors a "Bellee" weekly  - someone who spreads kindness to make for a better community. They also established a "Kind Kids Program," offered free of charge to schools, which offers children education and inspiration to recognize and create a culture of kindness in their school.

365 Days of Service salutes Ben's Bells!

Good Tidings to You and Your Family!

After decorating the family Christmas tree this was my niece's unprompted response! The joy children share... the greatest service of all!

Murasaki means Purple

Recently I had a craving for some sweet potato pie but not just any sweet potato pie, Okinawan sweet potato pie - a Hawaiian specialty. I called Nijiya, my local Japanese market, to see if they had these specific sweet potatoes and the kind woman from the produce section said they didn't have Okinawan ones, but they have purple sweet potatoes. Good enough for me and my sweet potato pie craving.

I found a recipe on my favorite Hawaiian recipe website and off to Nijiya I went. When I arrived there were a couple of different sweet potato options. I wasn't sure which was which but I semi-assumed all Japanese sweet potatoes are purple. Any Japanese sweet potato I ever had has been. I asked what the difference between the two potatoes were and the woman (who I'm sure is the same woman I talked to on the phone) said this one (handed it to me) was the purple one. The other one (she pointed to it) was white. "Purple!" I said, thanked her, chose my perfect potato, and went straight to the check-out line.

I made the pie - delicious! - and took the rest of the pie to work for co-workers to enjoy. One colleague, who I call "CB," really loved it and coined it "Hawaiian Pie." A couple of days later we made a deal that if he taught me 3 of his tricks on Excel then I'd trade him a "Hawaiian Pie." I couldn't ask for a better bargain! (I love spreadsheets. I have a canvas bag that states it and at work I'm even a member of "LOCAS" - Lovers of Checklists and Spreadsheets.)

So with another "Hawaiian Pie" to make, tonight back to Nijiya I went. Same store, and unfortunately, same predicament. Which one was the purple sweet potato? Back to ask for help. I saw the kind woman again and with the potato I thought was purple in hand, I asked, "Is this the purple one?" She looked at it, read the label and said, "No, no. I show you..." At this point I'm sure she recognized me from last week. There surely can't be that many customers that ask for purple sweet potatoes. She walked with me back to the potato section and said, "This is the purple one. Murasaki. Murasaki means 'purple' in Japanese." "Ah," I responded, "thank you. I should know that." She laughed at my comment because I'm full Japanese and being a "good Japanese girl" growing up, one of my two years of Japanese language class should have taught me that "murasaki" means "purple." But now I know and I will not forget!

What I appreciated most about this was that my local grocer took a moment to teach me. Plus, now I know exactly which potato I need for my "Hawaiian Pie."

I thank her - and I'm sure CB thanks her too!

Stand for the Survivors

By Alycia Anderson, 365 Days of Service, HI Region

I was working the December 7th ceremony at Pearl Harbor. This year we had a HUGE ceremony with over 200 Pearl Harbor Survivors in attendance with another couple thousand people in the audience to watch the ceremony and go into the brand new museum exhibits that would open after the speeches. My job of the day was...nothing. haha. I had not been assigned anything so I roamed around the grounds to see if I could help anyone. After more than an hour of watching thousands of people making their way to the seating area, I find a survivor and his wife looking a little lost and go up to help them to their seats. Only to find when I got to the survivor area there were soooo many survivors without seats. Biggest sadness but I knew that would not be acceptable. So after seeing some military volunteers caring seats, I find out that they took them from the back of the seating area, where general public were allowed to sit. When I get there I see that only a few chairs are open. Quickly thinking what to do I say, "Ladies and Gentlemen, some of our Pearl Harbor Survivors do not have a seat. Is there anyone willing to donate their seat to them?" and what I expected to happen did. More than a dozen men and women, civilians and military stood up and said you can have mine. :D Very happily I took the chairs to the men and women who fought 65 years ago for my freedom today.

Light Up the Neighborhood

"When the sun goes down over the Santa Monica Boulevard..." These almost Sheryl Crow lyrics meant a lot more to me when I moved right off of SM Blvd a handful of years ago. Aside of the many benefits of living along this infamous street comes living near the Los Angeles Temple, a Mormon temple that sits on 13 acres of land, stands 257 feet high, and was the largest temple of the Church when constructed. Quite a ladmark!

This fall I visited the LA Temple on my "neighborhood day," a day I set aside to enjoy the sites in walking distance from my humble abode. I see this temple literally every single day but it was this visit really opened my eyes! The LA Temple has a Visitors' Center, open 9 am - 9 pm daily where you can learn more about the Church and it's foundation and construction. In addition, the temple features a gargantuan lawn and during this visit I walked the lawn, enjoyed this new found view, and learned that the lawn is open to anyone and everyone everyday! How welcoming!

And, in addition to these great services the LA Temple provides neighbors year-round, every Christmastime they cover their gigantic lawn and surrounding foilage with thousands of holiday lights. Another reason to celebrate the season! While these pictures don't do the temple justice, trust me, it is a real sight to see and brings a smile to my face every evening... when the sun goes down over Santa Monica Boulevard.

Pono... Do What is Right!

Submitted by Trisha Grimley, 365 Days of Service, Kula Chapter

New store will have brief stay in Wailuku — but movement to do what’s right gaining momentum

The Maui News, December 5, 2010 - By KEHAULANI CERIZO, Staff Writer

WAILUKU - The new Pono . . . Do What Is Right! Store in Wailuku on the corner of Market and Vineyard streets is getting off to a bit of a bittersweet start. Just as the Viela family set up shop there Nov. 5, they will be closing the location on Dec. 28.

"So many people wanted the product," said Maile Viela, as she explained one of the reasons behind opening the store.

"We knew we might take a loss," her husband, Jon, added. "If we break even, we're happy."

Their popular Pono products mix material and message: The unique designs combine relevant aesthetics with a call to do what is right, or pono, in Hawaiian. From stickers, T-shirts, bags, water bottles, visors, hats and more, the Pono line appeals to locals and visitors, young and old.

Maile's mom, JoAnn, had been urging the couple to open the store, and the Vielas finally did it last month, knowing that endeavor would be a temporary, month-to-month situation. The cheap rent and good location were incentives. And the family has the support of friends who volunteer their time as the store's only staff.
"We work full time; all the people helping are volunteering. We all take turns," said Maile, who explained the store's closure is due to lacking finances, time and manpower. "We don't want to ask them for more time; we feel bad already. We're like, 'OK, thanks for working. Here's some shirts.'"

Even before opening the store, the Vielas, of Kahakuloa, knew that it would be tough to sustain without more money and more time - things that are hard to come by for the already busy parents and professionals. Jon is a guidance and health teacher at Baldwin High School and serves as the school's head baseball coach. Maile is a full-time Waihee Elementary School counselor and serves as a coordinator for other school programs. They both founded and lead the nonprofit All Pono Organization, which includes a youth sports organization that's grown to 43 teams in baseball, softball and soccer.

Despite all the extra hours and work involved, Jon and Maile see the store's short time as successful in spreading the message of Pono.

"Strangers come in who have said, 'We've been looking for you for months. Where have you been?'" Maile said with a laugh. "I tell them, 'Nowhere. We weren't around."

Before the Pono store, select products could be found for sale online and in Maui Thing store in Wailuku. Shirts range from $16 to $22; stickers start at $3; and bags, hats and water jugs range from $8 to $15. Exact sales are hard to track, but Pono . . . Do What Is Right! items have been making appearances around the world.

"We've had calls saying, 'We saw your shirt in Japan' or 'We saw your shirt in San Francisco,'" Maile said.
Still, the Pono . . . Do What Is Right! products were not created to make a profit, the Vielas echoed. All of the money put into apparel and accessories is their own, and they see the payoff in helping spread the message of living righteously.

"It's not a moneymaking venture," Jon said. "The more the message gets out there, the better."
Closing the store doesn't stop the skyrocketing momentum to their Pono . . . Do What Is Right! brand of clothing and other merchandise that can be seen on street signs, cars and clothing for youth and adults around the islands and beyond. And really, no facility, no matter how large or successful, could contain the bigger picture of pono, the call to live with integrity.

Pono's message is global. It serves as a reminder that choices don't just impact one person; decisions affect our family, our friends, our community, our world. Thus, pono runs counter to other slogans of living for self.
"It's more than just a shirt; it's a message," said Shane Dudoit, a firefighter and longtime family friend who designs much of the Pono clothing. "It's a hope that there's good out there."

Pono, as a movement, is something the Vielas are quick to say cannot be credited to their family.

"We don't take credit for this pono campaign, as big as it is," Jon said. "It's very important to every one of us. The value of pono is not because of our store, our product or our tragedy."

On June 22, 2004, the Vielas' son, Pono, who was 3 at the time, was a passenger on an all-terrain vehicle that Jon was driving when it suddenly flipped over. The boy's sudden, tragic death left a void that can never be filled for Jon and Maile, or Pono's sister, Jrae, and brother, Jai. But his legacy remains a lasting reminder for the Vielas, their friends and family to do what is right.

During a St. Anthony Mass to remember and celebrate Pono a year after his death, the family handed out 300 stickers that said, "Pono Do What is Right!" T-shirts in Pono's honor were made and Christmas cards sent off, all with the message of righteousness attached.

From there, the demand grew among family members and friends - even strangers sought out the products and its simple statement. The Vielas copyrighted the slogan in 2005, and started spreading the word about the pono movement through their nonprofit and sports organization in the same name.

The Vielas give talks on Pono, their son, and pono, the concept and way of life, to businesses, students, youth and others throughout the year. And daily, the family strives to live and breathe pono, and help others do it, too.

"Jon discusses choices, how choice affects hundreds of people around us," said Maile. "He tells his students: Your choice that you make is not going to just affect you, it's going to affect your mom and dad, your family, and everyone around you."

"I talk about attitude," Maile added. "Ten percent is what happens to you and 90 percent is how you react to it. We live by that."

Helping a Neighborhood Pet Find Its Way Home

By Dr. Brad Wong, 365 Days of Service, Makawao Chapter

I have one for you.  My father on the day before Thanksgiving found a frighten Malteze dog in his yard.  He knew that 4 of our neighbors had malteze so he went door to door to see if they lost their dog but no one claimed to have lost the dog.  My father then call the humane society and was told a woman called a few minutes ago regarding a lost malteze in his neighborhood.  The woman called my father and she lived a street above my father.  My father took the dog to the house and the woman just complained about her irresponsible children who lost the dog while walking him.  My father felt good that he could return the dog to the rightful owner but a little unapprehiated that the woman never thank him for returning the dog.

Parking Karma

By Alycia Anderson, 365 Days of Service, Kailua District

So I was just driving into a busy parking lot tonight, thinking it would take me awhile to find a spot. Fortunately, I found one right away! Now this spot is able to access from both aisles and when I was all the way in I realized a car that was in the parking lot before me was about to take that spot too. My mood going from Yay! I got a spot! to Oh I just stole this from someone else..., I quickly honked my horn to get his attention and pulled out of the spot so he could take it. I felt good about it and thought I'd share. And for the icing on the cake...I found another good parking spot right away...part of karma in life :)

Be Good to People

By Paige Ryland, 365 Days of Service, Florida Region

I was in the Florida Hospital gift shop not so long ago when I spotted a t-shirt that read ‘be good to people.’ Then I saw the water bottle. And pencils. And ball caps. I loved this stuff and wanted to know all about it. Be good to people. It’s so simple it’s black and white. It’s a movement that will make the world a better place. It’s a movement I’m personally excited about and I immediately thought of it when I first heard of 365 Days of Service.

Founder Kris Wittenburg decided to form “Be good to people” after a not-so-good encounter. She created a website with accompanying merchandise-all simply black and white-to further her belief that people should be good to one another. A portion of the profits go to recognizing do-gooders through out the world and the message continues to travel.
 http://www.begoodtopeople.com/ is the website. Take a look. Spread the good.

The Living Christmas

One of my most favorite smells is that of a Christmas tree. One year, when I was in intermediate school, I kept a branch of my family's Christmas tree in my room so I could keep smelling it - all the way through June.

Although to be expected during the holiday season, I was pleasantly surprised by the smell of Christmas trees at the local Santa Monica Farmers' Market. Even better yet, these weren't just your traditional Christmas trees. These were the trees from The Living Christmas Co. a local southern California company that, get this, rents live Christmas trees to individuals or families for the holidays. What a simple, yet brilliant idea!

All the trees are grown locally and potted so they continue to grow. Families or individuals pick their tree, have it delivered to their door, enjoy it all season long, and have it picked up after the holiday season so it's returned (still alive!) to the Christmas tree farm. You could even "adopt" a tree and request/reserve the same tree year after year.  Awesome, right?

You might think that these trees must be much more expensive than your traditional tree. Well have no fear, prices are comparable to picking and cutting your own beautiful tree from a Christmas tree farm. Except, your dollars to rent a tree go towards keeping these trees alive and growing. And, once the trees get too big to rent, they're planted and will continue to grow for another hundred years! 

Serve the environment... think about a renting a live Christmas tree!

Veronica, my local Ralphs Courtesy Clerk

Last weekend, with the daunting task of deep cleaning the carpets in my apartment, I stopped in to my local Ralphs to rent the Rug Doctor. Patiently waiting service, I was pleasantly greeted by Veronica, my local Ralphs Courtesy Clerk.

Veronica has a quieter but very friendly demeanor, while also amicable to make light of funny situations, like when she asked me for my ID and driver's license. We both laughed about it, acknowledged the early morning hour and continued on.

As she filled out the paperwork, she mentioned that I'd rent the Doctor for 24 hours. At that time I realized I inadvertantly signed myself up for an early morning tomorrow, having to return the Rug by 9 am. Going for an early run this morning didn't really put me in good shape for a sleep-in tomorrow! "I can put it for 9 pm," said Veronica. Music to my ears, she saved my Sunday. 

We continued on to retrieve the machine and in the process took a few minutes to chat. She asked if I black Friday shopped, which I admit to her (but not everyone!), I did. She did as well, mentioning that Express had a 40% off the entire store before noon. "I know," I responded, "I went there too. Their jeans are the best." "I love Express," she said. Me too.

We returned to the customer service area and finalized the paperwork. Veronica kindly directed me to the check-out line where someone would take over. I thanked her for her time and continued on.

Here's a little more of what I learned about Veronica: she's a high school senior, busy with schoolwork and works every weekend at Ralphs. She keeps a busy schedule and mentioned that when she leaves work today she'll face her Psychology paper due next week. After graduating she aspires to move to Switzerland to be closer to loved ones.

She's a hard worker doing a really fantastic job. And, while I generally don't engage in conversation with others at the supermarket, today I was thankful I did. Thanks to Veronica, that is, who reminds me to always be friendly and serve others with a smile and good-nature.

And, I will return the Rug Doctor as a happy, well-rested Ralphs customer.

Thanks, Veronica!

Big Sister, 4 Years Strong

By Gracie Deisler, 365 Days of Service, Thousand Oaks Chapter

Four years ago I decided that since I spend my working hours with older adults, I should do something to spend time with people younger too.  I got involved with Big Brothers/Big Sisters and I was paired with Angel, an 11-year-old girl.  Four years later (her 15th birthday happened two weeks ago) we are still meeting, maybe not as regularly as we did when she was younger, but at least a few times per month!  We seem to text more than talk on the phone these days too!  It wasn't easy to build a relationship with her and still some days seem like a struggle to get her to open up.  But it has been a very rewarding experience...both for her and for me.  I  hope to continue to be in her life for many more years.  Next week she gets her wisdom teeth out so we have a date for ice cream and a movie!