Oceanside with Olivia

Today was a spectacular New England summer day.  It was also the day of committing an act of kindness conceived when the blog first began and the letter "O" was being considered.  I recall "Ocean" came to mind.  This lead to today's trash collection on a relatively narrow but long stretch of sandy, seaweedy beach in town.  I spontaneously phoned a friend and asked if she and her sweet daughter would like to join me during this oceanside hour of trash collection/disposal.

Join me they did at a park they've never experienced though it is only a few miles from their home as well. We donned our garden gloves.  One of us carried the recycle bag, another carried the trash bag and the third used her young, eagle eyes to spot refuse dirtying the shoreline.  I now must mention that this day of oceanside trash collection was made even more perfect because Eagle Eyes has a name fit for this very entry because, you guessed it, her name begins with "O."  OLIVIA gave me permission to shout out her good deed done and use her name since it fits so perfectly into the ABC's of Kindness.  We accomplished a lot in our hour of collection.  Styrofoam galore and glass, glass and more glass.  Our recycle bag was filled as was our heavily laden trash bag.  There was a family and their little seagull chasing dog, Bubba, who took time to thank us for picking up.  There was a gentleman who requested we figure out a way to clear the bugs as well as the trash.  Olivia explored the many different kinds of seaweed ashore and held her nose due to that unique, salty, low tide odor.  A tug boat worked hard to push a barge into the harbor.  Sailboats tilted and spotted the horizon.  The sky was blue with white, puffy clouds and bright sun.  A breeze blew lightly.

At the end of our endeavors ice cream treats were purchased.  Olivia had Cake Batter ice cream.  Carolyn had Maine Blueberry, and I had Black Raspberry yogurt.  Umm umm good.  Then Olivia was the recipient of an act of kindness at the carousel we were planning to ride.  She was given a ticket for a ride by a thoughtful older woman.  Just like on the carousel, what goes around comes around.  It sure did on this perfect summer day!

Thanks for joining me OLIVIA and Carolyn!  It was a great day of "O" kindnesses.