day 119 : support local & purchase gifts that support others

this weekend, i had a craft show, selling my knit cowls and hats. 

i havent been knitting much & my focus has been shifting lately. i have a lot of pieces i have created over time & was hoping to sell a bunch of them. 

{the show went really well & i actually did sell a quite a few!}

at each show, i like to walk around, meet other artists & support them.

throughout the year, i always purchase items & store them so i am never short when i need 'the perfect gift.'

i am a huge fan of local, handmade soap. i give them as gifts all the time & we have about 15 bars in the closet, waiting to be used.

i am convinced that once you start to use homemade soap made with REAL ingredients, you will never go back to the 'value pack' junk sold in stores.

i purchased 4 bars of hand cut soap, made with local honey. they all smell awesome! i will give three away & keep the pumpkin spice bar for the bathroom.

{if you want to purchase from myla, her shop is here}

{bonus : i told her about the be nice box & i have a few ideas on how we can work together!!}

have you started holiday shopping yet? 

do you have gifts that are always your 'go-to?'

day 118 : the kindness carousel {week 1}

happy friday, everybody!
todays good deed? 
i am going to share a few heartwarming // super rad stories with you.
on my other blog {which i havent been on in weeks...}, i do a weekly round-up of cool things {recipes, products, stories, ect}
i decided to bring it over here & call it the 'kindness carousel.'
the goal : each week, i will share awesome 'nice-ness' from real people from around the country.
sound good?
here we go!

1) have you seen this video? {i think ive watched it 6 times!} he is driving through rush hour traffic in LA & blasting 'build me up buttercup' ; encouraging folks to sing along. the guy in the truck gets me every time!

2) this guy in california runs a bakery & gives recovering addicts and ex-convicts a second chance! right now, he has 80 employees ; think of all the families he has helped! i also love when folks break down stereotypes like this!!

3) this is an older story ; but this disney security guard asks a little princess for her autograph!

4) this little boy {jack} is a huge nebraska huskers fan. he was diagnosed with brain cancer & the team let him come to a training game. they also let him take the field {bawling!}
{update : a couple weeks ago on the news, they said that jack is now cancer free!}

5) and have you seen this? a photographer put random people together & took their pictures. the photos are beautiful!

6) and did you see that twitter & starbucks teamed up? you can now send someone a $5 starbucks e-gift card through twitter. its a fun little 'thinking of you' gift!

any other awesome links to share?
put them in the comments so we can all enjoy them!

day 117 : embracing the 'big-ness'

when i first started this project, i was all about it staying small and simple.
holding a door open, smiling at a random toddler at the coop, being really nice to my grandparents.
and obviously, those things are important.
those are things that we should all be doing, each and every day.

but, in the past few weeks, i have wanted more. more from this project. more from myself. more from strangers.

that night that blake and i were walking daphne, the night that the 'be nice box' was born, i was so outrageously inspired. i wanted to stand up and scream and work for a million hours in a row, only eating chocolate bars and popcorn {done and done}. i am thinking about this project ALL THE TIME! ways to connect people. ways to show others how important they are. ways for ME to grow as a human.

i have done a lot of things in my life. i have lived in europe all alone. {i got a tattoo from a guy in spain that didnt speak any english at all}. i have spent time in haiti, only a few months after the country was destroyed by a natural disaster. i have fallen in love. and then totally had my heart broken. i said goodbye to my grandpa & felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest. i have had jobs that have been hard. jobs that i didnt love at all. moved across the country with $300 and a 2-door car full of my life.

my point is : i want to be a person that does big things. a person who jumps off the cliff when others are saying 'wow, that looks dangerous.*' i want to be a person that takes huge chances and continues to be inspired by people i have never even met.
i am totally convinced that a small group of humans can change the world.

today i was at the store {buying chocolate popcorn} and i got really overwhelmed. i feel so lucky. to live where i do. to meet so many amazing people. to have the opportunity to brighten the days of people i might never see again. to be able to listen to YOUR stories of changing the world.

in the beginning, this was just a project about doing one nice thing a day, but over the past 5 months, i realize that it has really become a part of my life. i am noticing that i am constantly seeking out situations where i can smile at a stranger or hold the door or send a handwritten note to a friend. and while i feel awesome doing good deeds for others, i am also realizing that being more aware of others feelings, emotions and situations has made me more compassionate.

so the good deed in all of this? realizing that all of us {YOU} really do have the ability to make the world better. its not about money. its not about who you know. its not about who you think you are.
the idea that we can change the world is totally life-changing in itself!

*just a note : i wouldnt ever jump off a cliff in real life. i dont like water and jumping to my death has always been a fear of mine. but, you know what i mean ;)

day 116 : grab some groceries for a neighbor

yikes! how did this week get away from me?
right now, I am taking on three part-time jobs, along with trying to get the Be Nice Box going ; so I have been finding myself with less time that usual!


We have an older neighbor who has quite a few medical issues. She doesn't leave the house much and doesn't have an in-home care.

Before heading to the co-op, I stopped at her place to see if she needed anything. She needed milk, so I bought her a container.


Super easy to do! She felt taken care of, I was already going to the store and we got to support a great local business!!

*fun note : the boxes go out on Monday!! I am so pumped*

day 115 : know when to walk away

happy Tuesday, everybody!
{I am laying in bed & need to get this out before I can sleep}
today's good deed could end up being super wordy ; but I will try to control myself.
{also, no photos because I am on my phone & using the blogger app}

this morning , I posted an article and my opinion on Facebook. {that is what it's for, right? ;)} and someone totally misinterpreted my point // meaning {also what Facebook is all about, yeah?}

she blew up my comment wall and somewhere along the line became combative and argumentative. after 8 comments, she started private messaging me. over the course of the DAY, she continued to send messages. she said her feelings were hurt and thought I was rude for the opinion I inserted into the article // my status.
she called me names, questioned my character and accused me of faking the idea that I promote kindness.

eventually she deleted me from all social media channels and posted some passive statements about behavior and being nice.

so, where does the good deed come in?
I stopped engaging with her. I am assuming she so badly wanted to get her point across and 'win' the argument ; so I let her.
I let her get the last word. she wanted to end the conversation and take a few jabs before she deleted me, and she did.
{sometimes chasing someone who has their mind made up is just a massive waste of energy}

I know who I am.
I recognize that in life, some folks might not agree with our opinions. some folks want to ignore your explanation and continue to fight.
I do not believe that having an opinion makes you rude.
I don't believe that standing behind your statements makes you inauthentic and hypocritical.

I really do believe in kindness. I believe in being nice to people. I also believe it's dishonest to assume that we all wear 'rose-colored kindness glasses' that enable us to stay away from conflict for all the days of our lives.
when challenged, there is a time to talk and there is a time to step away.
it's important to know the difference.

see you all tomorrow!

day 114 : send a postcard to a little boy

you guys!
this one is so fun! and super easy.

a couple weeks ago, i got an email from aundra. we met at healthy living summit & she was looking to start her own kindness project.
last week, she launched it& its called a year of chestertown nice.

her cousins son is the class geographer at school & they are looking for postcards from around the world.
so cute!

i have a handful from minnesota, so i wrote his class a little note & sent it off!

if you are interested in sending his class a postcard & sharing a bit about where you live, leave a comment or send me an email & i will get you his address!
{dianapantz at gmail}

also a quick 'be nice box' update : all of the november boxes are SOLD OUT! [thanks so much!!]
there is currently a waiting list for december. if you want to get on the list {you will be guaranteed a spot for december} send me an email!

day 113 : talking about fear & encouraging others

happy saturday! 
you guys, i have been overwhelmed by all the texts, emails, tweets, messages & support regarding the be nice box!
i think the coolest thing is that there is a group of people floating around the world {YOU} that believes in the same thing i do! 
you believe in spreading kindness. you believe in sharing goodness. you believe in making this planet better. i love that. we are doing it! 
thank you so, so, so much!
{gosh, i really do appreciate it!}
{side note : there is only ONE box left for the month of november! so, when that box sells out, there will be a waiting list for the december box. subscribers and waiting list folks are GUARANTEED a spot for the new box BEFORE it gets opened up to everybody else!}
{to snag the spot, head here}
_________________________________________________________________________________

fear! 
this could be a huge post all on its own ; but ill cut it down for you ;)
currently, i am 4 weeks in to my first adult swim class. it is once a week & hosted through community education.
there are four of us ; all grown adults. and all with deep fear of the water.
when i was a little, little kid, i use to take swim lessons ; but have ALWAYS been afraid of deep water. always.
i had a few bad experiences as a kid with deep water that still haunt me now. i am fine dunking my head under. fine bouncing around. but, the second my feet cant touch ; panic.
i cant swim. i cant tread. i dont even know how to dunk under without plugging my nose.

so, i turn 30 in a few months & while i was training for my duathlon, i kept thinking about how gratifying it would be to kick my fear, learn to swim & complete a triathlon.
{thinking about swimming in open water still gives me knots in my stomach, so im not sure if it would happen next summer ; but i would LOVE to complete one}
in my four weeks of class, i have learned to breathe underwater, to swim {like, actually swimming!!!} half-lengths of the pool, to tread water {for a few minutes at a time!} and to feel more comfortable in the water.
{i really have been terrified of water for YEARS, so this is such amazing progress for me!}

there is a women in our class. shes late-50s or early 60s and almost drowned when she was younger. each class, she grabs a few pool noodles and just sits in the shallowest part of the pool and just bobs. {she sits at the 90* angle of the length & width of the pool, so shes wedged in the corner} for her, this is huge. each class, she & i talk about fear. about progress. and swim caps. ;)
last week, she started walking, with her pool noodles and got about 10 feet {distance, not depth} into the pool without holding onto the side. she said thats the farthest shes been in a pool since she was 8 years old.
i sat there & watched her with tears in my eyes. it was really like watching your child go off to college.
im sure i looked like a total creep watching her in the pool, but we made eye contact & told her that she was so incredibly inspiring & i hope she realized how amazing she is. i told her to go home & tell everybody she knows about the progress shes been making!
the fact that she has been so afraid to step foot in a pool for 45 years & we get to watch her progress is awesome.
fear is one nasty emotion ; the hold it can have & the memories it can bring can be pretty rotten.

your job : tell somebody that you are proud of them!
for working hard, for being a great parent, for being thoughtful ; anything awesome!
if you are on twitter, share your good & add the hashtag #benicebox, so we can all be inspired!