My First Grader

First Day of First Grade Picture!

My sweet, sweet little baby started 1st grade yesterday.  Don't ask me how that's possible.  I'm just giving you the facts.  I can't believe it's been one year since I posted on his first day of kindergarten.

I'm happy to report that he had a great day yesterday and that we've been blessed with the same teacher that he had in kindergarten thanks to her decision to move up to first grade this year.  She has essentially kept her entire class from last year, so for Maddox starting the first grade probably feels more like going back to kindergarten after having a break for the summer.

I managed not to cry yesterday morning and I'm very proud of that.  I try my best not to see him growing up as a "bad thing."  Rather, I just try to think of how blessed I am that we're both here, healthy, and happy enough to watch his life unfold.  I'm not good at always seeing it this way, but I really try hard to keep those blessings at the front of my mind when I feel myself getting sad about him getting older.

My baby is growing up more quickly than I'd like, but I'm so thankful to have a front row seat to his life.  The things he learned during kindergarten blew my mind and made me so very proud of him.  I can't wait to see all of the things he'll do this year that will amaze me even more.

Your Daily Dose [Of Motivation]

I'm in a very unique position right now in that I'm about to end my life as a student (the only life I've ever known) and begin my career (by starting my own business.)  To be completely blunt and honest, I'm fucking terrified.

I've always said that all we have in life is time and we're either doing something with it or we're not.  And, we all have dreams and goals.  It's okay to be scared, but it's not okay to let that fear keep you from achieving something your soul desires.  (Easier said than done, right?)

So if you needed a daily dose of motivation today like I did to get you thinking about your life, where you're at, and where you want to be, here ya go.

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My only question is, what are you waiting for?

Inspirational Shoes

Most (if not all) of you have probably either heard of Toms, seen people wearing them, or own a pair (or two) yourselves.

If by chance you haven't, Toms are shoes.

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But this is not a post about shoes.  This is a post about vision.

Before there was Toms, there was just a guy.  A guy named Blake Mycoskie (who just happens to not be too hard on the eyes, if you know what I mean).

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Blake did something so simple.  He saw a need and he addressed it.

While visiting Argentina he noticed that most of the children did not have shoes.

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Shoes.  How simple.  How easily taken for granted.

Without shoes these individuals are susceptible to many diseases transmitted through the soil, a leading cause of illness and death in the country.

Additionally, many children without shoes aren't allowed to attend school and therefore won't receive an education.

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An education.  Something so simple.  Something so easily taken for granted.


So Blake gets an idea.  "I'm going to start a shoe company.  And for every pair that we sell, I'll give a pair to someone who needs them."

GENIUS!!

But his idea wasn't the best part.  He actually did it.  He actually made this happen.  I'll say that again in case you missed how awesome this is...

He actually MADE this happen!!

[And that is the part that blows my mind, my friends.]  

Because of his actions over one million pairs of shoes are now on one million pairs of feet that never would have had shoes otherwise.  

One million.

That's a lot of shoes.  

But it's so much more than shoes.

One million little feet.  One million opportunities for an education.  One million smiles.  One million improved lives.  

One million.  From one idea.

And this is just the beginning for Toms.  This company is less than 5 years old and is continuously growing in popularity.

Yesterday, June 7th Blake announced the newest venture for Toms.  Rather than telling you about it, please just take a minute to watch this short video clip.  

We see needs around us everyday.  Everyday.  

Sometimes we even have ideas of how to help.  But how many of them just stay ideas inside of our heads and never become more than that?  

I am inspired by Blake Mycoskie.  He didn't just see a need.  He didn't just want to help.  He put himself out there.  He sold a business to fund this venture and he actually made this happen.

I want to be that person.  I want to have the courage to put action behind an idea and make a difference in others' lives.  So thank you to Blake Mycoskie and all the others like him that remind me of just how possible this is.

I am only one, but I am one.  I cannot do everything, but I can do something.

And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.

--Edward Everett Hale

Raising a Good Person

How wonderful is it that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. 

--Anne Frank

If I had to sum up my goal is a parent it's to raise a good person.  As part of this goal, it's very important to me that my son grow up with the confidence that he can change things, that he can make a difference.  

But how do you teach this to a five-year old?  To me, thinking of others and of what we can do to help is a habit.  It's not something big we do once a year at Christmastime.  

I want to show him that it's the little things we do each day that really add up.  What better way to show this to a child than by example?

Looking back over just the past two months since I've been keeping this blog, I thought of three examples of "the little things" we've done to improve our little slice of the world.

Charlie

In March, we picked this sweet little stray dog on our way home from our trip to Branson.

As you can see, she was in very bad shape.  (Makes me so sad to look at these.)

But although we had no intentions of getting another dog, we couldn't leave her there.  My son has watched us take her to the vet several times, give her medicine, and nurse her back to health.  Now she is a much-valued member of our family and we feel like the lucky ones.

Notice how her tongue hangs out when she sleeps.  :)

They have the entire yard to lay in,

yet they're always on top of one another.

The Homeless

About a week ago, my son and I decided we were going to pack a picnic to take to the park downtown.  I mentioned to him that I was going to bring extra food for the homeless I often see in the area.  

My son's little mind began to work and we had a wonderful conversation about what it means to be homeless.  It made me so happy when he got excited to help.

So, we set out enough food to feed the two of us plus four more lunches.

And, as promised, he was right there to help out.

After handing out the extra lunches we sat down to enjoy our lunch.  Madd said it felt good to help other people.  

It was a good thing we passed out the lunches when we did because out of nowhere, it started to pour.  We got soaked, but it only added to the fun.

Recycling

[First, just let me say it's very hard to take myself seriously right now with that picture staring me in the face.  I'm sure you're having the same problem... so let's scroll down.]

Okay, much better.  Now where were we?  

On Earth Day, I gave my non-traditional views on saving the planet.  Then I stated that our household would be implementing a change, but didn't mention what it was.

Well, now you know.  We decided to start recycling.  My hope is that my son will develop a habit of recycling so that he'll continue doing so as an adult.  

I must admit, when I started recycling I didn't think we'd have much to recycle.  WRONG.

These bins are pretty big and they're practically overflowing by the time we set them out for pick up every Monday.  

So yes, these are three very small examples.  And yes, I'm sure my son won't remember these exact events when he's older.  But it's about how they add up.  It's about developing a habit to look around you and to see how you can help.  

And in the process of doing these little acts of kindness and thoughtfulness, I know I am making my greatest contribution to the world:  I'm molding my son into a good person.