It's February and it's time for a new challenge.

February. Valentines Day and also my birthday. Mushy greeting cards, chocolate, flowers, love and extra revenue for Hallmark. It has only been in the last few years that I realized there are people who despise Valentine's Day. Being in the stores in the month of February might be a painful or irritating reminder of sans sweetheart.

On a brighter note, my February challenge DOES relate to love but in a different form. In thinking about a way to give and extend love in a broader context, my challenge for February is........

28 Random Acts of Kindness/Giving in 28 days. Not necessarily anonymous, but maybe sometimes. Not necessarily to strangers, but maybe sometimes. My rules are the same as last month's yoga challenge. Make-ups are allowed if for some reason, I miss a day.

Someone suggested I check out http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/. This website is loaded with ideas and inspiration. Serendipitously, I discovered that Random Acts of Kindness Week is Feb. 11-17. So I guess I am not alone or even original in this challenge. And by the way, this idea was inspired by a good friend who is doing this as her February challenge.

In the haze between sleep and wakefulness this morning, I began to think about the first day of the challenge. Neil was doing his usual getting ready for work by the light of a flashlight routine. After that I knew he would head into the kitchen to prepare his breakfast. In 32 years of marriage, I have never prepared his breakfast because he leaves for work so early (by 6) and I am either asleep or taking care of Kyle. He has never complained.

This morning I decided that a good place to start random kindness was with the person I live with and love... my husband. My initial thought was that I would like to get out of bed and surprise him by making his breakfast. On the other hand, I really wanted to roll over and get a little more sleep before Kyle woke up.

Here is where my first moment of mindfulness for the month came in. I knew I would regret it later if I let this opportunity pass. Soooo, mindfully yet reluctantly, I tiptoed out of bed and into the kitchen. Toast in the toaster, spinach sautéing, egg whites added to spinach and orange juice in a glass. I even got out a placemat and a plate from our fine (and rarely used) china.

This took all of maybe seven minutes. By then, I was wide awake and eager for Neil to come into the kitchen. He was pleasantly surprised to say the least. Shocked might be another way to describe it. What a way to start my day! And to think I almost passed it up for another fifteen minutes of sleep.

My February challenge is officially off and running. Later I randomly gave away a signed copy of Breathe.

Giving.

Mindful Kindness.

Makes the soul feel happy,

Which might sound a little sappy,

But it's so true.

Wanna play? Join me in the month of February and send me your kindness/giving stories. OR, what speaks to you this month? Make up your own challenge and share the inspiration.

"Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end."

~~Scott Adams (1957)
 Creator Of Dilbert Comic Strip

"How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment. We can start now, start slowly, changing the world. How lovely that everyone, great and small, can make a contribution toward introducing justice straightaway. And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness!"

~~Anne Frank (1929-1945)