If you live in a part of the world where cold weather exists for a good portion of the year, you understand why the first signs of spring are a sigh of relief. I walked out of work every day this week and instantly felt excitement/happiness from feeling the warm temps and seeing the ice melting on the Detroit River. It’s amazing how something as simple as warm weather can instantly brighten a person’s mood. I took the above picture to share a little piece of the happiness I’ve been feeling all this week.

Engaging in good-natured trash talking can be fun, right? Add to that a 70’s-themed tennis tournament (complete with a disco ball) that will benefit The Dictionary Project I’m supporting, and you’ve got Word-Up (Facebook event page).

On Saturday, February 27th, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., area bloggers and social-media enthusiasts will step out from behind the safety of their monitors and iPhones to face off at the Birmingham Racquet Club.

For a group of metro Detroiters accustomed to scrapping out turf in the cyber world by skillfully lobbing poignant barbs, placing the perfect spin on headlines and relying on the fastest servers, the opportunity to see who rises to the top in a face-to-face battle of good ole’ fashion trash talk was too much to resist.

Want to help me give dictionaries to third graders in the Hazel Park School District? Click on the widget to the right!

Trust me, I know everyone is overwhelmed with “please donate” requests. This is a particularly hard time because of the recent disaster in Haiti. Even if you can only spare $5, know that every little bit counts!

This past Wednesday, 58 third graders at John F. Kennedy School received new dictionaries thanks to the dictionary project I’m participating in with local bloggers, PositiveDetroit.net and Operation: Kid Equip. The whole team (Jen Wright, Becks Davis, Lauren Weber, Erin Rose and Menachem Kniespeck) was there to witness the kids beam from ear to ear when we put the dictionaries in their hands.

The kids showed their appreciation with plenty of “thank yous” and hugs. The principal called on a few students and asked them to share how they were feeling. Answers ranged from “special and loved” to “very happy and excited.” A few of the third graders asked us questions about the dictionaries and our personal blogs. I was impressed that the kids knew what a blog is!

You can read more about the distribution and the dictionary project in this article in The Oakland Press. Becks Davis has more photos on her Flickr page.

I’m taking part in a very cool and creative initiative that will help make a difference in the lives of metro Detroit children.

Female bloggers from the local Detroit area are joining PositiveDetroit.net, in collaboration with Operation: Kid Equip, to provide at least 25 percent of Oakland County Schools with dictionaries for third graders.

Erin Rose of Positive Detroit, Becks Davis of Detroit Moxie, Jennifer Wright of Looking Glass Lane, Lauren Weber of Staircase to Earth’s Loveliness and I spend much of our time writing on our respective blogs. We want to help give the same opportunities to local students as we were given in our writing classes as children. We want to encourage local students to become better writers.

With the assistance of Operation: Kid Equip and its participation with The Dictionary Project, we will be distributing dictionaries specifically written for third graders who are at the dividing line between learning to read and reading to learn.

Now through March 15, 2010, we are raising money to provide roughly 2,700 third graders in Oakland County with brand new dictionaries. To give you an idea of the impact you can make, for a $20 donation, you can supply at least eight third graders with dictionaries.

An anonymous donor has graciously offered to match donations, dictionary-for-dictionary, up to the first 100 dictionaries. Just think – your donation today can double the amount of children who are being served tomorrow.

Reading and writing have always been an enormous part of my life. I started reading earlier than most children (basically as soon as I could form sensible sentences), and I was the speed reader who finished all the reading assignments first in elementary school. Knowing how to read goes hand-in-hand with knowing how to write. As a public relations professional who spends gobs of time writing, I understand that it’s an art and a craft. Loving to read early on in life, coupled with constantly using a dictionary to build my vocabulary, helped me polish my writing skills. I wish every child in this world could learn how to become powerful writers. Together, we can play a part in shaping the futures of children who enjoy reading and writing by giving them dictionaries.

Here is how you can help:

1. Click here to make a PayPal donation for $100, $50, $20 or $10.

2. Mail a check payable to:

Operation: Kid Equip
PO Box 364
Royal Oak, MI 48068-0364

Be sure to write Dictionary Project in the memo line.

3. Contact menachem@operationkidequip.org to make a credit card or
other form of payment outside of PayPal.

4. If you would like to join the female bloggers collaboration
with your blog, contact Erin Rose at positivedetroit@gmail.com.

About Operation: Kid Equip
As an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit community benefit organization, we realize that to break the cycle of poverty and hopelessness, we have to meet some very basic, yet overlooked needs. Operation: Kid Equip acts as a conduit for collecting and distributing tangible educational and school supplies to school-aged children. Operation: Kid Equip effects long term improvement in the community by providing at-risk kids with the core necessities they need to prosper in school and in life. Visit our website at www.operationkidequip.org.

About The Dictionary Project
The Dictionary Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The goal of this program is to assist all students in completing the school year as good writers, active readers and creative thinkers by providing students with their own personal dictionary. The dictionaries are a gift to each student to use at school and at home for years to come.

**Photo credit: jovike

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone. I’m writing this post from my couch right now with a stuffed stomach, which means I took full advantage of the one day each year that we are expected to over-eat.

I love Thanksgiving because of the food (who doesn’t?), but also because it’s a holiday where we reflect on why we are thankful. I’ve been participating in the 30 Days of Gratitude challenge this month (I won’t lie, I’ve missed a few days). This post expands on what I touched on in that post when I introduced the gratitude project.

The daily themes have helped me dig deeper to reveal gratitude for things other than what’s usually top-of-mind – family, shelter and health. This project has reinforced that expressing gratitude as often as possible is a must. I’ve discovered that while I’m grateful for countless reasons, I’m really, REALLY thankful for friends and family who show care and appreciation. These are people who care about others just as much (if not more) than they do for themselves.

It’s important to be successful in life (I realize success is defined in various ways), but it’s just as important to make others happy. The most minimal expressions of care and gratitude can go a very long way. Here are a few personal examples:

• A client at my agency who I don’t work with on a daily basis but who I have connected with on and off line mailed me a congratulations card after I got promoted. I would have more than appreciated a congratulatory message on Twitter because that’s how we frequently communicate, so I really appreciated him taking the time to mail me a card.
• I did something nice for a friend/neighbor recently that probably only took up a few minutes of my day. As with the above example, I would have been satisfied with a text, phone call or e-mail to say thank you. Instead, my neighbor gave me a card and small gift. He wrote in the card that what I did made his wife and kids so happy.
• A friend who recently went to Europe sent me a postcard from Italy. I’m Italian, and she knows Italy is on my short list of cities I want to visit. I was really touched that she thought of me on her trip and made sure to send me a little piece of Italy.

The moral of the story: Find a way to express gratitude and show people that you care. This doesn’t need to be in the form of a card or a gift. Words are powerful. And please, don’t wait until next November when you’re surrounded by reminders that Thanksgiving means it’s time to show thanks. <

**Photo credit

There are countless fabulous restaurants close to where I live, but MAL had been telling me for awhile that I HAD to visit Ernie’s Market in Oak Park. He promised me it would be an experience and never would I encounter another person who loves to make sandwiches as much as Ernie does.

MAL didn’t lie. Happy employees can make or break a customer’s experience, and I can’t imagine one customer walking out of Ernie’s Market unsatisfied. Ernie is a 60-something happy-go-lucky kind of guy. After welcoming us with a hello and a big smile, Ernie immediately pointed out that I hadn’t been there before. He asked me to put an open palm on the counter, and he dropped three Hershey’s kisses in my hand. Now, one thing you need to know about Ernie before you go there is he’s loud…very loud! Not in an annoying or overwhelming way, but more in a “I’m so excited to see you I could scream!” kind of way. Ernie’s signature phrase is “Yeah baby!”, which he exclaims whenever he gets the chance. Letters spelling out that phrase and this sign are front and center on the counter:

While Ernie piled our sandwiches high with the toppings of our choice (yelling out each topping as he added it to the sandwich), he asked me to guess how long he’s been running the market. I didn’t believe he had been there more than 50 years, but Ernie said it’s been close to 60 years. He also said he’s been making sandwiches day after day for decades because it’s what he loves to do.

Before we left, Ernie made sure to tell us there’s a Facebook fan page for Ernie’s Market. He doesn’t use a computer, but two of the sweet ladies who work for him update the page. It’s obvious from the comments and photos on the fan page that Ernie has made quite an impact on his customers.

Ernie drew a smiley-faced heart on my heavy sandwich (and I opted for the smaller size!) before sending us on our way with a “Yeah baby!” and a request that we return often.

Ernie’s energy and passion for his business is inspiring. If you live in the Detroit area, take a trip to Ernie’s Market the next time you’re in the mood for a hearty sandwich and a few smiles. You won’t be disappointed!

Photo credit

Thanksgiving is traditionally known as the holiday for giving thanks and expressing gratitude for our fortunes. We should ideally act this way all year long, but unfortunately acts of thankfulness aren’t always top-of-mind. So instead of waiting for Thanksgiving, why not express gratitude throughout the entire month of November?

I got an e-mail from a friend the other day encouraging me to take part in the 30 Days of Gratitude challenge. According to the project’s Web site, scientific research shows that practicing gratitude on a daily basis can increase your happiness and life satisfaction. The goal of this project is to bring people together to practice gratefulness during the month of November.

Sounds cool, right? To get started, register on the site and choose if you want to share what you’re grateful for once a day or weekly (you’ll receive an e-mail reminder to submit your gratitude daily or weekly, depending on which you choose). You can submit a gratitude of your choosing or one that goes along with the theme of the day. There are different ways to participate (as an individual, family, with someone who doesn’t have access to a computer, etc.), so check out the Web site for the details.

The Hagopian family (I ALWAYS see commercials for the family’s rug cleaning business) is the brains behind this creative project. According to the friend who sent me the e-mail, Edgar Hagopian is one of the most generous benefactors in the Michigan Armenian community. The family grew tired of all the gloom and doom in Michigan, so they decided to do something to bring people together to celebrate the positives rather than focusing on the negatives. They’ve reached out to people beyond Michigan, and now 29 states and 10 countries are participating in this project.

I know what you’re thinking, because it was my initial reaction, too: I don’t have time to do this. Seriously though, when you really think about it, it will take all of five minutes to do this daily. I’m confident I can think of 30 different reasons why I’m grateful. If practicing daily gratitude really helps elevate happiness, then imagine what 30 straight days of showing gratitude can do for your overall outlook on life.

I’m really looking forward to getting started on this tomorrow, and I’m interested to read what others submit. Leave a comment or ping me to let me know if you’re sucking it up and doing the 30 Days of Gratitude challenge!

Photo credit

Coca-Cola and crayon are working on a super creative campaign next year called “Expedition 206″. In a nutshell, Coca-Cola is enlisting three happiness ambassadors to visit all 206 countries where the company sells its products. The expedition will last throughout 2010. The ambassadors’ goal will be to “seek out what makes people happy and share their happiness and enthusiasm with the rest of the world.”

Naturally, social media will play a huge role in sharing these happy stories. The happiness ambassadors will document their travels by using social networking sites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Flickr. Fans will be encouraged to get involved by acting as “virtual travel agents” and giving the brand ambassadors suggestions on cool places to go and fun things to do in each country.

It seems as if the Coke folks may have taken a few notes from Ford’s Fiesta Movement. However, I don’t see anything wrong with taking a few ideas from an already successful campaign and adding in new elements to make it unique.

Check out this MediaPost article for more details: “Coke Ambassadors Taking Social Media Old School With Around The World Trip”.

I’ll admit that I’m more of a Pepsi aficionado (simply based on taste), but this campaign is intriguing and I’m looking forward to seeing how it plays out next year. What I like about this campaign is that real fans will be sharing stories of optimism and happiness…all related to this one brand. It’s a much better idea than Coke doing the storytelling. If I had to make a choice right now, I’d say this campaign will be wildly successful.

What are your thoughts? Do you see this campaign failing or succeeding?

I was working with one of our local TV stations Friday night on the Detroit Riverfront when I captured these awesome photos of a double rainbow. The evening started off pretty nice, but a storm blew in out of nowhere. There was rain for only 15 minutes before the sun peeked back out from behind the dark clouds, which is when the rainbows appeared. It literally happened before our eyes. We were watching the storm blow past us when all of a sudden the double rainbows emerged from the Detroit River.

Why am I sharing this? This was one of those “life’s simple pleasures” moments. Our group of four marveled about how brilliant the colors were and how it’s very rare to actually witness two rainbows form out of nowhere. We took a few photos and watched the rainbows as they faded away. Life slowed down for a few minutes while we took a breather to soak in the beauty. Then it was back to work.

There’s something I’ve noticed lately. The busier I get and the more I fill my time away from work with other activities (whether they be for personal or professional benefits), the less time I take to appreciate the things happening around me. I’ve been making a concerted effort to not always zip through each day in order to avoid missing those precious moments.

There’s something very serene about taking a few minutes to turn your brain off and quietly pay attention to your surroundings. You can do this anywhere – the cafeteria at your work, the grocery store or a park. You’ll pick up on a ton of detail that normally goes unnoticed.

So here’s the takeaway: Slow down every so often and take in your surroundings. I’m learning those sporadic moments of tranquility can do wonders for your mental health.