A Matter of Perspective

As I drove to work yesterday near the Jordan River, I came upon a gaggle of tiny white chicks in the middle of the road. I squinted to see them better from 200 yards away as they spread themselves across both lanes. They were a square dance in unison; weaving among each other in little short lines; tipping, and bowing and doing a happy do se do. Like a mirage dancing out of hot August asphalt they flew up then fell, then up again. There we so many that they could not move out of the way of an oncoming car and my heart sank as many of the dancing chicks were scooped away.

The car passed with no concern of stopping! And as I neared, fearing a melee of tuffs and feathers I was surprised by the rise of white packing peanuts blowing in the morning wind.

Random Acts

We try to be a charitable family, so when Kristin and I tried to do five random acts of kindness one Saturday afternoon, we discovered that five are hard to do if you aren't proficient in philanthropy or charity. Aside from the several minutes we spent shopping, then donating, we hardly moved the kind-o-meter.

Our failure got me thinking of a couple things I could do to fill my karma bucket between major philanthropy opportunities that don't come along every day. I've been leaving pennies in parking lots and hoping someone feels the small rush of luck I do when I pick up one. We set books free on airplanes, park benches and train stops hoping the titles call out to someone to take them home. And I discovered that an, "I like your shoes," in elevators makes anyone smile all day.