Going On Break

Hello JustCuz fans…

Just a message to let you know that I’m taking a break for the remainder of the year.  What was a one-per-day JustCuz act will be a more sporadic one until 2009.

In the meantime, keep doing karma-bosting good stuff, just cuz, while I’m out.  And peruse some of the old posts that you may have missed.

I’ll be back full time in 2009 for some great stuff.

Tim

If You See Something; Say Something

It’s a big deal in the big cities, but I think it’s important anywhere it seems odd.

If you hear or see something that could be illegal or potentially hurtful to someone, take the time to say something.  You don’t need to necessarily call 911 unless it’s an immediate danger-like situation.  You can call your local police, sheriff or fire department.

If you see a duffel bag sitting next to a mail box, bring it to a security guard’s or policeman’s attention.

Better safe than sorry.

Just cuz…

Stand Up For Yourself

For the most part, I think our lives go pretty much uninterrupted. We tend to do the right things, make the right choices, and live a fairly normal life. That’s not to say it’s not a roller coaster ride at times, but again, for the most part, these road bumps aren’t too bad. And yes, there are those HUGE things that happen to us that are unexpected, and can be life changing. Most of the time, there was very little we could have done to avoid them, and we – thankfully – have the strength and skills to barrel through these adversities.

I think we tend to play it safe, too. And a lot of the time, it doesn’t have any adverse affect.

These are the things I would like to talk about today. Those times where we may play it safe because we don’t want to stir things up, or because we don’t want any negative attention. I’d like to think for a moment, about the other side of the coin.

Scenario

You are getting coffee in your workplace break room. When you walk in, you see a group of coworkers, smile, and proceed to get your coffee. Then you overhear someone in the group say something about a coworker that isn’t there. It’s a disparaging comment. You didn’t misunderstand it, you know that it’s a comment that should not have been made. It could be a racist comment, or a rumor about personal details of a coworker’s life, whatever, you know that it’s gossip or it’s downright wrong.

Do you ignore the comment and walk away? I mean, they weren’t talking to you, or about you. Do you still confront the group on the inappropriateness of the comment? This could brand you as a snitch, a rat, an eavesdropper. Do you take the risk?

I can’t say what to do, but it’s something to think about.

I am trying hard to stand up for what I believe. I’m not pushing my beliefs on others, but if I see or hear something that I object to, I say something – or I try very hard to muster up the courage to say something.

So why not consider it?

If someone in the coffee line makes a sexist or racist comment or tells an off-color joke within earshot, and you don’t like it, say “I’d appreciate not hearing comments like that” or “I don’t feel that’s appropriate for loud conversation.” Do not, by all means, put yourself in a dangerous situation, and don’t be confrontational, but try to help people realize that there is a time and a place for certain things – and some things there is not time and place for at all.

Just cuz…

Ask, Offer, Help

Remember the old scenario of a Boy Scout helping a little old lady across the street?  Ah, those were the good old days.

These days, it may be wise to NOT grab the elbow of someone on the street corner in order to escort them.  But there IS still something you CAN do.

If you’re in line at the grocery store and you see someone of advanced age ahead of you, or leaving the store around the same time you are, why not offer to walk them to their car, helping them with their groceries.

Same goes for helping someone across the street, a smile and a kind, “would you like some help?” can go a long long way.

Just cuz…

Fw: fw: fw: (Stop It!)

I get a lot of emails.  Most are advertisements and spam, but I do have a few that are from friends and family.

One of the things I don’t appreciate though are those emails that have been forwarded over and over.  Some are cute, some are outrageous, and some are outright fakes.

If you DO forward an email to a friend, why not take the time to remove all the clutter of the email.  This would include all the addresses of the previous recipients, the extra characters like “>,” etc.

If it’s not worth the time to clean up the message, then perhaps it’s not worth sending forward.

Also, before you forward an email claiming to be true, why not do some fact checking first?  You can go to snopes.com or urbanlegends.about.com, enter some of the text from the “true email” and see what they come up with.

It’s a courtesy.  Just cuz

Clean Up After Coco

It kind of goes without saying, but I’m going to.

If you have a companion animal of the canine type, make sure you take the time to carry something to pick up his or her little messes on your walks around the neighborhood.

Your neighbors will appreciate it!

Just cuz…

Register, Register, Register

In case you haven’t watched television, listened to a radio, read a newspaper, opened a magazine, or communicated with people in the US, this is an election year.

Whatever your views, whatever your party affiliation, it’s so incredibly important as an American citizen to vote.

I’ve mentioned these addresses (below) before, but in case you need information on how to register to vote, check out:

United States Election Assistance Commission (http://www.eac.gov)
League of Women Voters (http://www.lwv.org)
Rock the Vote (http://www.rockethevote.com)
Declare Yourself (http://www.declareyourself.com)
Project Vote (http://www.projectvote.org)

Just cuz…

Don’t Buy Recycled Products…

…unless the “footprint” is actually smaller.

I’m all for recycling, but it is within reason. When you consider the recycled product purchases you are making, take into consideration some of the potential downsides:

• Is the recycled product a locally-made product, or has your recycled product been shipped thousands of miles to your store shelf, thus causing fuel usage and added carbon footprint. Is there an alternative that may not be a recycled product, or have a lower percentage of post-consumer materials, but is locally made?
• Will you cause other waste by using a recycled product? For example, recycled toner cartridges are slightly cheaper, and negate the need for all the new components that hold the toner in the cartridge. However, it’s been my experience (recently, even) that recycled toner cartridges can leak, causing me to have to reprint important documents, thus wasting a lot of paper. In addition, some printer warranties may be void if you don’t use them according to the warranty (i.e., using non-recycled replacement cartridges). Check your warranty or contact the manufacturer to be certain.
• Are you buying a recycled product just because it’s recycled? Do you really need it, or are you just feeling better because you think you’re being greener? Consider whether you actually need the product.

Just cuz… it’s not our planet.

Help A Friend (Part 5)

Listen to your friends.

This is advice that I definitely need, because in my very close circle of friends, I tend to monopolize the conversation and events because, well, it’s all about me.

But it’s not. (Please don’t tell them I said this.) *grin*

Next time you’re trying to listen to your friends while trying not to make it all about you, pay particular attention to things that you could possibly assist with. Here is an example (a friend telling you):

Next weekend my husband and I are finally taking that vacation we’ve been wanting to take for five years. It’ll be nice. We’re going to drop the kids off at my mom’s. Buster, the dog, will be kenneled for a week. We’re so excited. I really need to drop five pounds so I can fit into that swimsuit.

Here’s where YOU come in. Before this friend asks for your assistance, think of things you can do to make it a little better for them:

• Offer to take care of the kids.
• Offer to Buster-sit their pooch.
• Offer to take them to the airport, or bus station, or train.
• Offer to add some power-exercise days to burn some calories.
• Offer to power-diet with them for moral support.

Again, these are just little things, but they can really add some karma to your day… just cuz

Write A Letter (Part 7)

Thinking of you!

How nice to receive a note from someone you haven’t taken the time to keep in touch with.

Take the first step… go to your nearest dollar store, and pick up some “blank on the inside” note cards.  Then stop at the post office and get some fun postage stamps.  Finally, go home and open your address book and find the 8 or 12 relatives you haven’t spoken to in a while.

Just cuz…