"Good" Friday: Thank-Yous

Today one of my students thanked me for coming to campus to teach on a bitterly cold Friday. Yep, someone actually thanked me just for doing my job. This unexpected kindness reminded me how easy it is to get busy and distracted and to forget the simplest mitzvah of all: saying “Thanks.”

This also reminded me I’m overdue in thanking several fellow bloggers for their kind mentions of Daily Mitzvah. Last month Upgrade: Travel Better and inFlightOut both referenced my December 14 post about donating frequent miles to charity. More recently, on Monday The Lost Albatross gave us a very nice hat-tip mentioning the January 19 Keep Wisconsin Warm post, which our local collaborative blog Dane101 also kindly included in their January 19 “Breakfast Links.” I really enjoy reading each of these blogs: thank-you to all!

Today’ mitzvah: Thank someone who isn’t expecting it, either in person or with a surprise eCard.

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Yep, It’s Cold

Good morning, it’s a balmy -7° here, with a wind chill of -22°. We’re predicted to hit a low of -15° by evening, with who-knows-what as a wind chill at that level. The extreme cold is the primary topic of conversation today here in the region, so I gave a little extra contribution to Keep Wisconsin Warm this morning. With this kind of weather, it’s hard not to. A local group estimates 50,000 Wisconsinites are living without adequate electricity and/or heat, and that’s before the crazy weather. The need for assistance is even more pressing than when I last wrote about this in November.

Today’s mitzvah: If you have some extra cash rattling around, consider a donation to a heating assistance program in your area. For no cost, drop off used coats and warm sweaters at Goodwill — or see if a local group is sponsoring a blanket drive in your area.

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Keep Your Neighbors Warm

A happy group basking in the fireplace’s warm glow: it’s a lovely image, and one I tried to keep in mind slogging through a cold rain and shivering at the bus stop last night. I was so happy to get inside where it’s safe and warm. My heat is included in the rent, so I don’t have to stress about sky-high unpredictable heating bills, or make the thankless choice: food or heat.

This is the time of year I try to make a contribution to Keep Wisconsin Warm, a local program that provides financial help for heating bills. I wondered what programs other states offered — it turns out the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a heating assistance web page for every state in the country. This LIHEAP (Low Income Heat and Energy Assistance Program) database includes many heating assistance programs — both public and private — in your area. Want to give? They’ll tell you how. Need heating assistance, or know someone who does? Applications and info here, too.

Today’s Mitzvah: Check out LIHEAP in your state.

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