Brenda Knight (author of Random Acts of Kindness) describes a kind of green thumb kindness in her latest blog post.
May Day was a sacred celebration of Spring in ancient times and remains a special day for common folk. I have attended several marvelous festivities complete with garlanded Maypoles; one held by Z Budapest is a treasured memory. I have my own tradition for this merry month, which is a really simple and easy way to celebrate spring: I plant flower seeds in neglected plots of land all around the Bay Area, particularly nasturtiums, which thrive on neglect and can bloom anywhere and under any circumstances. I could give a driving tour of San Francisco and the East Bay and show you the brightly colored patches that are the result of my Johnny Appleseed-style scattershot approach. You can even eat them! I always have a lot of nasturtiums growing in my garden and I collect the seeds once they have flowered in plastic baggies. I joke to my friends that I would like my legacy to be that I was “Fiesta Brenda,” the name of a mix that yields a riot of color that can turn any former parking lot or weed patch into a pocket of red, yellow, and orange sunshine. I will add that some of my tenth-generation crop mutated into a lovely variegated leaf, which only adds to the glory. This bit of freeganomics feeds my should like almost nothing else. I would say it is a sensible act of beauty.
Random Acts of Kindness
365 Days of Good Deeds, Inspired Ideas and Acts of Goodness
The change you want to see in the world. This good-humored guide to being the change you want to see in the world is filled with suggestions for making a real difference, in ways both large and small. From improving someone’s life with just one penny to ensuring all children are well fed, the day-by-day positive proposals of Random Acts of Kindness combine inspiration with action. Despite the hurly-burly of our busy lives, we can all make a beneficial impact on the environment, throughout out local community, and within our own hearts. This book of inspired ideas and good deeds conveys how “the power of one”―that is, you―can make a better world, starting today!