#300GoodDeeds - Day Thirteen - Of Christmas Dinner and Christmas Presents

The mind behind the

One Pup War on Litter

There's a saying: Look after the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves.  Well, money is a good way to help charities, but it's the meaning of the phrase I'm really thinking of.  The point is: it's the little things that count.

Here's the list of our good deeds of the day, none are Earth-shattering but all will hopefully have a knock-on effect.  These are like the pennies which will grow into pounds!

1. V took Mum and Dad down to Inverness. Mum is nervous driving so far and it would have been a long way (220 mile round trip) for Dad to drive alone. C is learning to drive at the moment, so she'll be helping out soon too!
2. After yesterday's coconut exploits, we found a tree on the square which would hold a coconut and hung it there this morning.  We haven't checked tonight to see how much is left.
3. J took presents to the Post Office for our German friends.  Because the car was in Inverness, she walked down, braving the inches of ice which were sitting on the pavement...
4. ... J also called in to collect Dad's medicine, so that he wouldn't have to.
5. J had a busy day home alone, including making Mum and Dad's Christmas Cards.  This is the second year she's done this.
6. J wasn't the only one with a busy day!  C had her Christmas Dinner at school (she's a teacher, not a pupil!), and as part of being allowed to have a Christmas Dinner, she had to serve dinner to her pupils.
7. After walking Orlando this morning, we discovered how icy the paths still were and warned the neighbours who were just heading out to school.  I even demonstrated by almost falling flat on my back!
8. J cleared the ice from the back yard.  As aforementioned, the parents both suffer from stubbornness and if they take it into their heads to go outside, they will.  So J cleared enough of the yard so they wouldn't slip.
9. Orlando was as conscientious as ever, collecting littered bottles to go in the bin once more.
10. One of the best good deeds is to share a smile and kind word with people.  If everyone we smiled at today went on to smile at someone else, Caithness would already be a much smilier place!  Throw in some kind words and shared conversations with friends or acquaintances and even more smiles are raised.  C said hello to people outside the church and J&V shared a conversation on snow with Alfie's owner.  [If you are a dog walker, you'll appreciate that you know the dog's name long before the human's who walks it!]
11. C also gave directions to some people who were lost.  Thankfully her sense of direction is pretty good!
12. Another driving related good deed.  So that Mum and Dad won't have to negotiate the ice and the squished spaces of the car park, V pulled the car out and the parents were able to just hop in.
13. Finally, the last good deed goes to J&C.  C has prepared presents for her pupils and J helped her to wrap and label them all.

Doing a gargantuan task is so much easier when there is someone to help you, and being alone is far less lonely when someone shares a smile with you.  Happiness is infectious - so by looking after the smiles, other's happiness is looking after itself!

Time for sleep.

V x