Filed under: Odds and Ends
Believe it or not, I am having a hard time with this Fun Monday assignment. I’m debating the difference between acting responsibly and doing a good deed. Is there a difference? I keep thinking about Boy Scouts helping little old ladies across the street. Is a good deed simply helping another person or persons in some way? Donating money or time to a charity feels more like a responsibility than a good deed. I feel the same way about putting money in the offering plate at church. It isn’t so much a good deed as it is a responsibility that I have taken upon myself. I’ve always thought of a good deed as going out of your way, making a sacrifice in order to help someone else. In which case, I could say that sacrificing part of my income to a greater good is actually a good deed.
Well, you certainly didn’t come to my blog to read about a debate I’m having with myself. So what have I done in the last two weeks that could be considered good deeds?
My mom is involved with a service organization that sponsored a chicken dinner today to raise money for community projects. Mom was supposed to make baked beans, potato salad and a cake for the dinner. I volunteered to bake the cake so Mom wouldn’t have so much to prepare.
It rained five inches in the wee hours of this morning. I knew my neighbor and dear friend, Mrs. M., would not brave the flooded and washed out roads to attend church or to partake of the chicken dinner. I bought a chicken dinner to go and Jasper and I walked over to check on Mrs. M. and deliver the dinner this afternoon.
I wrote a check and sent it to Habitat For Humanity as a memorial for my Aunt Ava Mae .
I bought snacks for two of my students who faithfully help me set up chairs for choir every school day morning at the high school.
Ok, that’s enough. I’m very uncomfortable writing about these little things that I did for people I care very much about. I feel as though I’m bragging about myself. Honestly, I don’t necessarily consider these acts to be good deeds. I think of them more as my responsibility as a daughter, neighbor, niece and teacher.
Before I begin arguing with myself again, please head on over to Antics of a Crazy Mom and check out what other folks consider to be good deeds!
18 Comments so far
Leave a comment
A Day In The Life 
I agree that it is hard writing about the good we do and some of the things we do are without thinking of as good deeds. I was then trying to think of a big deed but it the continous little ones like you’ve mentioned that matter just as much.
Comment by beccy September 10, 2007 @ 2:45 amWhy, even doing the laundry for one’s family is, for me, a good deed!!!
I think a lot of good deeds go unnoticed ’cause of the way we are…willing to share our time and efforts for a smoother life.
Happy Fun Monday
Comment by Hootin' Anni September 10, 2007 @ 3:22 amAll the things you debated about are good deeds, taxes are a responsibility.
Comment by Willowtree September 10, 2007 @ 3:48 amYou did great!
I agree with WT “All the things you debated about are good deeds, taxes are a responsibility”
😀
Comment by Debbie September 10, 2007 @ 6:09 amI bet you made Mrs. M’s day by bringing over the dinner because she couldn’t make it. I think did an awesome job.
Comment by nikki September 10, 2007 @ 6:22 amYES! You put down exactly what I was thinking. I may open the door for others, I may bend down and pick up an item someone dropped, I may let someone jump ahead in line if I am not rushed, but these aren’t “good deeds” to me. This is just being a decent person.
Going out of my way, changing my life up, giving above and beyond and perhaps primarily sacrifice is a good deed to me.
Thank you for explaining it better than I could!
Comment by Fianna September 10, 2007 @ 6:58 amYou did great 🙂 you are awesome girl!!
Comment by Tonya September 10, 2007 @ 8:28 amI would go with the others because you didn’t actually have to do any of these things. The fact that you think of others as part of your everyday life is to mind what doing a kindness is all about 🙂
Comment by chrisb September 10, 2007 @ 9:12 am” I think of them more as my responsibility as a daughter, neighbor, niece and teacher.”
VERY well said!
Comment by barngoddess September 10, 2007 @ 9:50 amIt IS hard to write about, but I think it is important because it might inspire others to be kinder. Thanks for mentioning some of your good deeds – I think there were probably many others that you didn’t mention.
Comment by giveitatry September 10, 2007 @ 9:57 amYou forgot one: educating other musical educators about correct lyrics in music, so that their students don’t suffer from misinformation!
Oh wait, you haven’t done that – YET!
Comment by Tiggerlane September 10, 2007 @ 10:07 am“…difference between acting responsibly and doing a good deed.” Exactly!!! You’ve nailed it. This was a great post. All good deeds because in your heart of hearts you just do them. No having to think about them. Love it.
Comment by Joy T. September 10, 2007 @ 10:07 amIt is verry hard to toot our own horns, especially when we feel we are doing our duty not going out of our way.
Comment by Lisa's Chaos September 10, 2007 @ 10:28 amIf you stop and think about it – there are TONS of people who DO NOTHING for anyone else. So, regardless of whether you think a good deed is also a responsibility – you are better than over half the population out there.
Comment by Karmyn R September 10, 2007 @ 12:00 pmI had the same debate with myself. I mean, sure I do things for people all the time but are they neccessarily good deeds? I don’t know the answer.
Yours seem very good-deedy to me. Happy Fun Monday!
Comment by Kiraa September 10, 2007 @ 12:24 pmI agree, it’s hard to talk about the good things we do. It’s much easier to admit to the bad.
Comment by Rachel September 10, 2007 @ 12:56 pmIt is hard, but sometimes you need to get congratulated for doing the right thing. Way to go.
Comment by Anglophile Football Fanatic September 10, 2007 @ 1:18 pmhmmmmm…. I was so excited that a good deed presented itself… like serendipity … that I didn’t even think about how it might appear that I was bragging.
Because she asked to hear them, I think you are off the hook for patting yourself on the back.
I think that teaching kids to sing is one of the best good deeds someone could ever do.
so! la, te, do!
Comment by Pamela September 10, 2007 @ 10:47 pm