Today’s guest blogger is Mysterious Ways associate editor Diana Aydin.
This month, Mysterious Ways kicked off “12 Days of Wonder” on Instagram. Over the two weeks leading up to Christmas, I spread a little wonder–and mystery–at the office and beyond with random acts of holiday cheer.
On Day 1, I left a Santa Hat Hershey’s Kiss on the copy machine with the message, “Whoever finds this first–happy holidays!!” (I also hid candy everywhere around the office–the staff mailboxes, the refrigerator, even our library.) On Day 3, I took a tip from managing editor Adam Hunter and left a kind message and doodle on my lunch receipt. On Day 7, I “snowflaked” a colleague’s computer monitor. And on Day 11, I secretly pinned a flashing Christmas tree pin on my roommate’s winter coat.
As the days of wonder went on, I noticed something. The kindness came back around! On Day 4, I’d gifted a stranger with a cup of Starbucks hot cocoa. A few days later, editor Dan Kessel came into work and handed me my own giant cup of Starbucks. “Merry Christmas!” he said with a big smile. On Day 8, I got something even sweeter than all that candy I’d spread around–a homemade sugar scrub from our editorial intern, Jessica. On Day 9, I mailed a Christmas card to a former coworker. That very same afternoon, I received a Christmas card in the mail from a different coworker. Could my random acts of wonder be making life, well, more wonderful?
Of course, there’s always good happening around us, especially during the holidays. But the funny thing is, the more you spread wonder, the more you begin to see it yourself. In fact, I couldn’t wait to get to work, just to see what little miracles unfolded as the result of my office hijinks.
With that in mind, my goal for 2014 is pretty simple: to make more room in my life for wonder. That means even more mischievous plotting and planning on my part. Stay tuned!
What secret acts of kindness have you been involved in this Christmas season? We’d love to know!
