The BRIGHT SPOT Awards: No. 076

Friday, September 8, 2023

Recipient: Mama and four month old baby @ Steam Espresso Bar, Platt Park

nub·bins

/ˈnəb(ə)nz/

noun

NORTH AMERICAN (witt dialect)

plural noun: nubbinses

        a child under the age of 12 months

        "the nubbins had just figured out how to insert her whole fist in her mouth"

Mama and the nubbins were sitting outside as I was leaving; I couldn't help but pause to say hello. Evidently, the little one had decided to forgo their morning nap, so Mama decided a trip to Steam was in order. We chatted a bit and I thanked her for letting me get my nubbins fix. "It just makes you feel better, makes your day," she observed, and I agreed. I continued on my way home, smiling. Halfway down the block I came to a standstill because a tug-of-war was taking place in my brain.

Smiling! That meets the brief of the BRIGHT SPOT Awards.

Well... 

We do feel a little lighter than we did a half hour earlier, yes?

Yes, and, we've already walked away. Wouldn't it be awkward to double back now? 

Maybe, although...

Parents and children. That can be tough. They might think we're a creepy weirdo rather than a kind stranger.

Our heart is in the right place, though. That's bound to shine through.

The real question is about motivation. Are we moved by the experience, or by the need to get to the finish line?

Come on. We've always been a sucker for the nubbinses. 

Fair point. So what do we do now?

I had to sit down on the wall in front of someone random person's house, check in with my mind and heart. The pull toward daring was stronger in the end. This project, which started out as a way to shake off the pandemic blues and turned into a calling, deserved my best and bravest effort.

I wrote out an award, walked back, handed Mama the award, explained a bit about the history of the project, took a picture (with permission) in such a way to uphold their privacy, and headed down the street again.

...

Additional Musings:

The more I think of it, the more gratitude I feel toward the nubbins's Mama. She responded with such grace, and showed genuine interest and care. I walked away energized and full of gladness for having taken the risk. 

Thank you, Mama, where ever you are. I am wishing you a wonderful day. 

I am also wishing the both of you a restful, restorative night's sleep.

The BRIGHT SPOT Awards: No. 075

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

Recipient: Gabby @ IKEA Restaurant, Centennial, CO

Are you still convinced a BRIGHT SPOT Award-worthy occasion needs to be a big deal?

I wanted a piece of salmon *and* the Swedish meatballs, but not too many meatballs. Gabby suggested an elegant solution -- order the meatballs in a kid's meal, and the salmon a la carte. That worked out perfectly because I wasn't after huge portions. And she had a lovely smile (not pictured here because she is camera-shy).

That's it. The very definition of low barrier to entry.

The cynics may say I just needed to meet my quota.

The haters may say my optimism is childish/unrealistic/too much to stomach.

I say, Have at it, people! You are absolutely entitled to express your opinions. That ain't my business.

I think ready access to delight is part of my original packaging -- so fortunate! -- and a low barrier to entry where happiness is concerned is a gift.

The good news for everyone else is this: You can access it as well. The more you look for those moments in your day, the more you will find them.

SEE THE BRIGHT SPOT. BE THE BRIGHT SPOT.

xoxo

The BRIGHT SPOT Awards: No. 074

Tuesday, August 29, 2023

Recipient: George @ Whole Foods, Wash Park

"Unconditional love is in all of us." ~ George

My experience of George is exactly what Gillian Sandstrom described in this NPR article (Why a stranger's hello can do more than just brighten your day) when she would pass a particular hot dog stand:

"I never bought a hot dog, but every time I walked past, I would smile and wave at her and she'd smile and wave at me...She made me feel happy," she says. "I felt better after seeing her and worse if she wasn't there."

George is just one of those people. I'd see him in the produce department of my local Whole Foods -- nice smile, bright yet calm energy -- and it would give me a little lift.

On this particular Tuesday, I saw George, felt that small surge of gladness, and went in search of berries. Then I remembered that article. Instead of letting the moment pass and walking out the door I wrote the award and handed it to him. He was very sweet. He said he was honored to receive the award. He mentioned that he's a student of self-knowledge, and consciously works on exuding love and acceptance.

(Aside: He said a bunch of other cool things I thought would be wonderful to add to this post. I went back to gather the information. This was a terrible idea and also a reminder to myself why I usually refrain from further digging. I am a *very, very slow* note-taker and he is a very, very busy guy. I tried to jog his memory of what he had originally said and I took too long and he finally said he didn't want to get in trouble for chatting and not finishing his work. Message received, and lesson re-learned.)

The BRIGHT SPOT Awards: No. 073

Thursday, August 24, 2023

Recipient:

Karma @ Bonnie Brae Ice Cream, Bonnie Brae

First of all, you may have noticed I have given more than one award to someone who works at an ice cream shop. That may lead you to believe I frequent ice cream shops more than the average bear. 

No comment.

Second of all, can we just take a moment to revel in the awesomeness of our awardee's name? It's simply perfect and I will use it as often as possible. 

On the day in question I am driving past Bonnie Brae Ice Cream on my way home from a beautiful walk through the Denver Botanic Gardens and do a double-take. No line! This is unusual. Then again, this is also a Thursday morning at 11 am and perhaps not everyone is game for ice cream as breakfast. Except perhaps me.

No comment.

I've also never stopped in before (usually because every other time I am passing by there are 100 people waiting to be served) so I follow my spontaneity and circle around the block to find a place to park.

Karma greeted me warmly and made sure I knew in no uncertain terms that she was there to assist, whether it was to explain what was actually in the ice cream if the name didn't make it clear, or to offer up a sample, whenever I was ready.

After a sample of Triple Death Chocolate I decided to get a split single of that flavor plus Mocha Oreo on a chocolate waffle cone. (A no-holds-barred order for the perennial spoon and a cup gal.) Then -- and I truly love this -- Karma asked if I had a preference regarding which flavor was on top. I let her know how much I appreciated the question as it showed an attention to detail that's wonderful for people who are...particular. She said that even when someone does not express a preference, she will make a considered choice that she thinks will be best in terms of the tasting experience.

It's this thing that gets me every time. A person doing an everyday job in such a caring way that it elevates it to something special. I appreciated being the recipient of Karma's thoughtful service and told her as much. She told me she truly enjoys the job (shift lead), and that after being there for a year, she now has regulars, people offering to let others go ahead of them so she can be their server, and kids asking if she remembers their preferred order, which she does, and all of this is delightfully unsurprising.

P.S.: An Honorable Mention goes to Jake, the other person behind the counter. He took over Karma's customer so I could give her the award and get home in time for my appointment window with ADT, about which I had completely forgotten.

P.P.S: The ice cream was rich and delicious, the waffle cone was sturdy and tasty. Two thumbs up.

The BRIGHT SPOT Awards: No. 071 and No. 072

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

Recipients:

Angie (071) and Norma (072) @ the Denver Botanic Gardens (York Street)

Salad in hand, I was searching in vain for an open table at the DBG's Hive Bistro, a delightful open air affair overlooking the lotus pond. I sat down on the stairs, thinking I was out of the way, and then realizing I was very much in the way of anyone who actually needed to use the handrail. I stood up again and surveyed the sea of occupied seating and wished there was a communal table.

A moment later, two women offered me a chair at their table.

I offered to remain an unnamed occupant if that was their wish. I didn't want to intrude. I also let them know I was open to a conversation and left it up to them. They chose to chat.

I found out Angie and Norma are pals who met in Texas. Norma is from here originally, moved to Texas, and then moved back. Angie was visiting Norma to escape the heat and catch up. They were having a grand time. We talked about a variety of things: the movies they'd seen, the consequences of the pandemic, and the current state of political affairs, Norma's travels as a minister.

For that brief time, they graciously expanded their close-knit circle of two to include a third. I am smiling right now as I remember how lovely it felt to be in the presence of these intelligent, open-hearted people. Their gift continues to give.

The BRIGHT SPOT Awards: Origin Story

The first BRIGHT SPOT Award, before I was even calling them by that name.

Friday, September 1, 2023

Question: What are The BRIGHT SPOT Awards?

Answer (Reader’s Digest Condensed Version): The BRIGHT SPOT Awards is a challenge I created for myself. If a stranger does anything (directly or indirectly) that makes me smile, I give them a little handwritten note thanking them for being a bright spot in my day.

And now, in the immortal words of Paul Harvey, I present you with ‘the rest of the story’.

Sadness and anxiety weighed upon me like a millstone across the chest in early 2021. I had been out of work for over a year. My job search was going nowhere. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and I was caught in a vicious circular conversation with myself.

You need a job.

Yes, I need a job.

Look on LinkedIn.

Hard to use LinkedIn or any of those other job boards when you don’t know what you’re looking for. What the heck do I plug in for search parameters?

Look for jobs within a five-mile radius. Start with an easy commute.

Well, ok.

[Looks for jobs within a five-mile radius. Gets overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the results. Starts looking at admin and finance jobs. Feels hopeless. Cries. Stops looking.]

[One week later] 

You need a job.

It was a paralyzing experience.

My dear college friend Jana (writing coach extraordinaire, Set Your Muse on Fire!) let me know she would be offering a workshop called Fanning the Flames: Using Writing to Launch Your Dreams. I signed up and started writing.

Every day I would complete the exercises, and every day the same sentence would appear: “I enjoy talking to strangers.” After what seemed like the umpteen-trillionth time of reading those words, I’d had it. [Cue internal monologue.]

“Oh, this again. ‘I love talking to strangers, blah blah blah.’ I’m sick of hearing it.

So WHAT? What are you going to DO about it?”

My brain immediately took the talking-to-strangers idea, added to it Jana’s mention of a 100-day challenge, then topped it off with the memory of the random awards I had printed out with some spare bits of card stock, stirred vigorously. And there it was. The first iteration of the BRIGHT SPOT Awards.

Aside: I feel the need to highlight this moment. Because I am something of an expert at thinking about doing stuff and never taking action. My capacity to let ideas come and go without ever breaking ground (or even getting out of the chair to go to the shed and grab a shovel) is limitless. To have reached this breaking point within myself is noteworthy. To have come up with a plan is amazing. To have then put the plan into motion that very day is a flippin’ miracle.

Every day for 100 days, I would hand out awards and record my experiences on my blog, Late Bloomer’s Digest.

In the winter.

In the middle of a pandemic.

Obstacles appeared right off the bat. There were days when I didn’t actually see any strangers on the street. Then there were days when I left the house for my temp assignment and didn’t come home until 12 hours later. I started to bend the rules in order to stay on the 100-day track. I gave the occasional award to someone I knew. Sometimes I’d run to the store and hope to hell an award-worthy moment would occur. On one memorable occasion I realized I hadn’t given out an award yet and it was already 9:00 pm. I was flinging the front door open to scurry out into the dark when Isaac asked, "Are you going to look for a stranger?" He must have heard me say "I have to go out and find a stranger!" a handful of times by now. Humor from the seedier interpretations of the phrase aside, I found it sad. Absent of spontaneity and joy, the project was reduced to a chore, one at which I felt I was failing. I decided to extend the timeline. Then I extended it again. And again. As of today, I am 940 days into my 100-day challenge. I have finally come to accept that finishing, whenever it happens, is still an achievement.*

I also struggled with the fact that my writings about this project tended to be more about me than the recipient. I had to ask myself why I was doing this in the first place. The award may be for the other person, but from the beginning I knew I needed to let go of the outcome. I had no idea how people would react when I first started. Even today, after so many of those kind folks told me I had made their day, I still make room for the possibility that someone may respond with fear and/or suspicion. That’s okay. It is absolutely their right to react however they will. And, while I love and admire Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York, this is not that. A staggering number of these awards go to people who are working – grocery store clerks, baristas, retail associates, waitstaff. They’re busy and usually don’t have time to stop and give me a quote or answer biographical questions. As a result, the story I write is usually something along the lines of, “I started out feeling crabby/stressed/discombobulated, a nice person did a nice thing, it turned my day around, and I gave them an award.”

Therein lies the two important takeaways.

Keep your eyes open. Those beautiful tiny iridescent moments are floating around, waiting to be noticed.

Also, be aware that the small kindness you offer out in the world could make a surprisingly large impact.

See the BRIGHT SPOT. Be the BRIGHT SPOT.

* That being said, wouldn’t it be cool if I completed the 100 awards in 1,000 days? And what could be cooler yet? Day 1,000 falls on Halloween!

The BRIGHT SPOT Awards: No. 070

 Sunday, July 9, 2023

Recipient:

Gabriella @ Liks, Capitol Hill

Likety Split (more commonly known as Liks) is a Capitol Hill treasure. Great ice cream, nice portions, and excellent service.

Gabriella smiled and joked with us, confirmed Mike's thought that they had done some redecorating in the shop, and her lovely energy was the proverbial cherry on top. The line was out the door and down the street, yet she served up our ice cream in record time and still had the personal bandwidth to make our experience a little extra special. 

I think this is noteworthy because being a scooper in the middle of summer must be something of a thankless job. So many samples to give. So many people waiting. It must seem endless! So, when someone goes above and beyond what's strictly expected from the role, I can't help but notice it and appreciate it. Thank you, Gabriella.