The Power of Simple Good Deeds

Perhaps it's the Christmas season, or maybe people are finally getting out of their own bubble.. who knows?

I've been a receiver and giver of good deeds lately! Damn, it feels amazing. Amazing in a sense that you realize that the world has an ultimate flow and that it is best to live life being helpful to others as what goes around, comes around.

One cold fall day, I was preparing to go about my daily routine of bringing Ninja to the dog park so he can go about playing with his friends. As I was starting up the car, I realized that I had forgotten my coat so I stepped out with the intent of quickly grabbing it. In haste, I accidentally locked my car doors, while it was running and while Ninja was in it too. :(

In a sense of panic, I went to my computer and started Googling tow trucks in the area. There must be one right? Fail. I literally called about 10 different companies in the area and none were open. Mind you, it was before 7AM. I also tried CAA but again, as I was not thinking straight, I mistakenly pressed the wrong buttons and got forwarded to a local line instead of their emergency hotline and got their voicemail.

I finally reached this one company that just opened and she said that the driver was on his way. Unfortunately, the driver was about 1 hour away from where I lived but I took what I could get and asked them to send him my way. Because I was such a wreck with the thought that I may have potentially harmed my dog (:((((!), I was doing this little routine where I would tap on the glass to ensure he's okay, blitz to the front door to flag down the tow truck/ service person while also bawling my eyes out. I was pretty upset.

I didn't notice anyone else within that time frame when this construction worker who was working on these houses nearby approached me and asked if I was okay. I swear, just having someone reach out to me like that made me feel so much better. His name is Victor and he literally within a few minutes, rallied a couple of the other guys and they pooled their collective random pieces of paper that had a tow truck or CAA number on it.

I was so surprised. These are people I did not even know and they were all willing to help me out.

After I finally got the dog out and he was safe and sound, I went about my day and started being more conscious about people around me. If these strangers could stop what they were doing and help a random person like me out, I can certainly do the same. I should. I must. After that incident, I was overwhelmed with a feeling that despite the initial heartache, the moment was such a gift, that I had to do my best to share the wealth of that experience with others.

So, I did! And I continuously do so. The lesson of that incident will remain with me forever and I hope that the people I touch will do the same too. Doing a good deed is one of these hobbies that is free to do but has lasting impacts.

The video above is a great summary of the power of simple good deeds and its cascading effect. It's aptly called the "Kindness Boomerang".

Have yourself a wonderful day!

XO,

Care

Cost: Free

Tools Used: Youtube, Chrome, Blogger

What a difference a day makes..

(Insert Dinah Washington's tune..)

Woh!! The greater Toronto area had its first major snowstorm yesterday and boy, it came with a bang. From no snow to the ground a couple of days ago to at least a couple of inches yesterday!

Ninja loves the snow. Well, he loves everything. Inside, outside, cold, hot, whatever. He just loves going for a "walk-walk" and also loves giving "hugabugawuggy". OMG, what am I evolving into? Why am I baby-talking with my dog?! LOL.

Anyways, I took the camera out with us for the afternoon stroll. It was FREEZING and I chose to not put gloves on so I can have a better grip of the camera. I know right? Silly me! I will not do that again as I risk my fingers getting amputated from frostbite. No joke, it was cold!! Needless to say, the sun was putting on a little explosion in the sky which was a nice contrast to the sparkle of the snow. It was breathtaking and despite the cold fingers, I had to stop and take some photos so I can immortalize nature's present.

I'm thinking of getting a Picasa account but on my own laptop (please just arrive ASAP!) and will give you an update as to how it goes. I'm currently using my work laptop which is not ideal but I just can't wait to share these pictures, hehe. My day job is pretty intense and this blog is proving to be a mighty distraction. In a good way I think. More on that later.

Enjoy and keep warm!

XO,

Care

Cost: Free

Tools Used: Blogger, Chrome

Snowflakes

Ninja watching snowflakes fall on his face. Happy Snow Day!

Cost: Free
Tools Used: Blogger, Chrome

Sunny pockets

As I wait for my brand new spanking laptop which can help me further customize this blog (hooray!), I will be uploading unedited photos taken by moi. :)

I initially wanted to start a blog that was sort of like a gratitude journal but I really couldn't commit to that concept of a blog and hence, the Frugal Hobbyist came about.

Needless to say though, I am certainly grateful of life's everyday miracle. I'm just so fortunate that I'm able to actually capture them on a specific medium at that specific time which allows me to share the moment with the rest of the world.

A couple of days ago, the sun was blazing and the sky was just gorgeous despite the nippy December weather. I went out with Ninja for his afternoon walk and captured IMO, amazing scenery. I don't even know how to describe some of the photos below so I'll just let the photos speak for itself!

Location:  By the local water reservoir in Stouffville, ON


Wasn't the sky just so amazing? I truly enjoy capturing sunrises and sunsets and is something I look forward to everyday. I just love it. Definitely something I'm grateful for.

Again, I need to reiterate that these images have not been edited and were directly transferred from my camera to this computer.

XO,
Care

Cost: Free 
Tools used: Blogger, Chrome

Greetings!

Hi everyone! Thanks for visiting my blog.

I'm a woman of many hobbies. Sometimes it's photography, maybe on some days, painting! I also like to write, knit, do crafts, and basically anything that allows me to express myself creatively.

These are the three purposes of this blog:

1) I wish to document my hobbies, the little creations I'm oh-so-proud of and also perhaps the process. I usually feel a specific emotion which comes about a certain hobby and I wish to be able to put that down in words or a photograph. It is my fervent desire that my future spawns will be able to look at this blog and say, "Oh wow, my mom was pretty cool back then..", LOL. I'm just kidding!

2) Let's face it! Hobbies are pretty darn expensive. There are obvious investment pieces that needs to be purchased in order to further oneself into a hobby but I do believe in finding the best deals for them. I also would like to be able to share deals and the different resources I use to help others further along. In short, I'm striving to build a mini-community of some sort where ideas are shared for the greater good. 

3) Third reason.. this is a pretty interesting one. I'm a huge Google fan and feel that the different platforms they've come out with (along with the acquisitions) have really helped me out in my daily life (Um.. GMail? Chrome?). I've had blogs on other platforms before (WordPress, Tumblr, etc.) but it's never a 'full' solution where it is just within one organization. I realize the cons of investing my whole blog within one company and I'm sure as I delve further into my hobbies that perhaps, a more specific solution may be more appropriate. However, as I am just a beginner, I'm sure that Google or one of its entity will be able to help me out! 

As the tagline on the "Dear Sophie" commercial (so heartwarming and amazing!) states, "the web is what you make of it". I truly believe that and this blog serves as my own experiment to see if Google could indeed provide me with all of the resources I need at a minimal cost. 

The photograph above is of my beloved Ninja. He's an almost 2-year old puppy mill survivor and you'll see him often as my trusty sidekick and my breathtaking muse. He brings me so much joy everyday and definitely helps me put things in perspective. 

I can't wait to start! 

XO,

Care

Cost: Free 

Tools used: Blogger, Chrome, GMail