hey. today is wonderful.
Hey. Today is wonderful. A personal project started by a college student but ran by strangers; we're just out here trying to remind people that today is lovely.
The 2003 Richard Curtis film Love, Actually opens with Hugh Grant's smooth British voice talking about the world's true hidden kindness:
Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around.
Mini Leder's 2000 movie Pay It Forward featuring Kevin Spacey and Haley Joel Osment is about paying favors forward to unknowing others, instead of paying them back.
This is the idea and inspiration of sharing and spreading wonderful.
Because
Hey. Today is wonderful.
For three weeks, bouquets of flowers were randomly scattered throughout Eugene, Ore. for strangers to stumble upon. Along with these flowers, letters of endearment were left reminding the finder that today is actually pretty great, and asking the finder of the bouquet to please pass the whole bouquet or a single flower along to other strangers, in order to make their days just as surprisingly lovely.
This project's purpose was to remind people of the power they have in making some passer-by's day, with just a smile and a random flower.
I've noticed that people don't really like to do random acts of kindness if a lot is asked of them. With this project, I placed the bouquets of flowers (with an instruction note) out and around Eugene and left the rest in the hands, literally, of the people who were curious of what this bouquet of flowers is doing here alone. It was a simple task, just pick up a flower and leave a flower somewhere else.
Wonderfully surprising myself, I received about a 50 percent response rate from people who found my flowers, passed them along to others, and then responded back to me through my @sharewonderful Twitter account and heytodayiswonderful@gmail.com email account.
A website was created where photographs, Tweets and emails were published.
People seemed to like this project; I received a few followers on Twitter - most of who were people who had found bouquets and became interested in the project. A few of those followers did seem a little sad when I Tweeted that this project would no longer be going on. And I do feel like those whom I did "encounter," we helped them remember just how much sharing a smile can really mean to someone and yourself. There is so much power we have to make others' days, why not do it everyday? To not brag about it, but just pick up a flower, leave a flower for some other stranger, and just know that someone else is out there smiling because of your leaving that flower in that exact location.
And remember,
you look lovely and today is wonderful.
“Found them in front of Black Sun Books. Thank you for your kindness and effort. Will pass some of them along!”
“Found them in front of the bookstore. I’m guessing the owner of the bookstore (me) was not the “intended” recipient, but I thank you for your message of hope and will pass them along, together with your card. You know, it still made my day!”
Via Twitter @montia
@sharewonderful Found these at SUNApark and handed both to anothersmiling stranger. Today is wonderfulpic.twitter.com/BOpMRHtWW4
“Via Twitter @CreamySwiss
@sharewonderful found your flowers here! Very cute made me smile :)”
“I received a pink carnation from my therapist. I went to her for love advice, and got a flower!”
Via Twitter @nina_dallas
I've always been in love withcarnations 😍💐instagram.com/p/kU3PtZt36
Via Instagram @ninadallas
Via Twitter @Lo_Greer
@sharewonderful Today I was blownaway by kindness.. Cant stop smiling!Special thanks to a great friend@janiebrow 💓pic.twitter.com/OvWQ3GLCL3
“Flowers were in my bike basket at the university of Oregon campus near the library. Thanks!”
“I found the flowers last on second floor Chiles in Lillis. I was closing up the building for the night, and had been having a really hard, stressful week, and knowing that someone wanted to do something nice for someone really made me feel better. I didn’t leave them anywhere because I didn’t want the cold to kill them, but they are drying in my apartment right now. Thanks for the smiles! :)”
“Via Twitter @sgent22
@sharewonderful thanks for the pretty flower and sweet note. Found it right before a midterm!”
“Via Twitter @JWhittt
Found some flowers on my way into a midterm. Thanks for the boost of confidence @sharewonderful”
Via Twitter @bnezbitty
These bad boys randomly poppedover the stall door while I was onthe shitter @sharewonderful #todayhasbeenwonderful pic.twitter.com/Hp9TQDwB2m
“I came across your flowers and sweet note today because they were left on a table at HEDCO! It was super sweet and really brightened my day! Thank you!”
“I couldn’t quite make the 7:30 bus, so I decided to not rush and get the 8AM bus to work. I was early of course and when I saw the flowers I thought, Oh someone who knows someone who will taking the bus brought them flowers.
Nosy me, I read the note and brought the flowers to work to share in my office. So, thank you.
life is full of little gifts every day. Monday I saw a hummingbird land in a tree and just sit there singing - I had never heard a humminbird sing!
Today is wonderful,”