MISSION: Pampering with the P’s

I am continually overwhelmed and deeply touched by the emails I get from complete strangers in which they share with me some of the most personal parts of themselves. Affiliated Agent K’s mission–and narrative–are no exception. Thank you, Affiliated Agent K, for your kindness, your love, and your bravery. We are so, so glad that you are still here with us.

DATE:
Friday, 26 August 2011

OPERATIVE:
Affiliated Agent K

LOCATION:
bus stop
McKeesport, PA

TIME:
not specified

I work in McKeesport, PA, where most of my job entails what could be described as social work. I often see people on their (or what feels like) worst day.

I have suffered from severe depression since I was a teenager. Last November, I had a crisis where I attempted suicide. Most people do not know this about me, but I am not embarassed by it at all! My trigger was a small event that for most people would have just meant a ‘bummy’ kinda day. For me, I tried to end my life.

 

I survived my attempt that day because so many people cared about me (I had no idea!), took full advantage of therapy and skills training, and now I am working on a fundraiser for suicide survivors and getting involved with various organizations.

It is my modest hope that this small gesture – a gift bag of items of pampering, playing, and postage – brightens someone’s day. Moreover, I hope to encourage others to do something nice for another person. Because, as we know, you never know what someone else is going through.

My gift bag includes:

• a card with postage stamp – so someone can contact a loved one, just because!

• a candle and a bird tea light holder

• tic tac toe game – who doesn’t love to play some Xs and Os?!?

• body spray and bath soaps – for pampering

Thanks for this opportunity. You will be hearing from me in the future. I have more missions to complete.

Skillfully and Lovingly,
Affiliated Agent K

Secret Agent L

Secret Agent L says, "Be Kind. No Exceptions."

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MISSION: Send Secret Agent L on a Scavenger Hunt

What I love is when people turn the SAL tables on me and send ME on a mission of kindness–the receiving end!

Today, while I was at work, a colleague of mine drew my attention to the doorway to my office.  “Laura,” she said, “you might want to come take a look at this.” She sounded concerned. “It looks like it might be a trick.”

I got from my desk and slowly made my way over to the doorway. My colleague stood there, staring at something, a puzzled look on her face.  “I don’t know what this is,” she continued.

I stepped around the doorway and saw this:

It was an envelope, hanging from some string, fishing wire, and a fishing hook. And it was clearly marked for me.

I took it to my desk and opened it. A clue was waiting for me:

I. Got. So. Excited.

On my lunch break, I met with a fellow cast member with whom I am currently performing in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. We ate our lunches, ran some lines, and then he walked around campus with me to find the second clue.

Sure enough, under a bench, near a tree, I found it:

Again: SO. EXCITED.

Here’s what it said:

My friend was like, “You HAVE to text message me when you find out what it is.”  And off I went. I went into the building where my office is, which is also right near the bench where I found the second clue. I took the elevator up three flights to the TV that’s mounted on the wall by the Journalism and Multimedia Department. And then I looked left: to the door of that very department.

I walked in, told my colleague and fellow administrative assistant Sally what was going on. I looked at her desk.

And I found this:

Clearly, I was on the right track.

So I opened it up. And much to my happy surprise, I found these:

I was so, so touched. I later found out that one of the graduate students in the Journalism and Multimedia Department put it all together for me.

And it completely made my day.

THANK YOU, VITO!!!

Secret Agent L

Secret Agent L says, "Be Kind. No Exceptions."

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MISSION: Traveling Treasure

I’ve never been to Iceland. I think that’s not exactly an uncommon sentence. I mean, how many people do you know who have been to Iceland? That’s not to say that I don’t want to go. In fact, I really do want to visit Iceland some day. And, thanks to Affiliated Agent C, an unsuspecting person will get to experience a little bit of Iceland right in the palm of his or her hand.

Love it.

{And P.S. Thank you, Affiliated Agent C, for your service to our country!!}

DATE:
Wednesday, 1 September 2010

OPERATIVE:
Affiliated Agent C

LOCATION:
top of paperbox
Bojangle’s
Charlotte, NC

TIME:
10:30 a.m.

Wrapped up a fun mission this week… when I was in the military, I was stationed in Iceland for 15 months (back in 2002-2004). While I was there, I saved black basalt sand from the beach in Vik y Myrdal.

For this mission, I decided to share a ‘little’ treasure with someone out there. I chose a small box. Inside the box, I placed the black sand along with some Herkimer ‘diamonds’ from Herkimer,NY. I’m an avid mineral collector. Together, the two look like treasure or a night sky full of stars! I cut out words from a magazine to stick to the box and made a little card with a note.

The drop was this morning at approximately 10:30, Sept.1, 2010 on top of the paperbox at Bojangles on South Tryon in Charlotte,NC. Someone saw me walking up to the box but I don’t think they knew what I was up to (since the box was still there after I went through the drive-thru). I do hope that this brought a smile to someone’s face. A little treasure really does go a long way!

Secret Agent L

Secret Agent L says, "Be Kind. No Exceptions."

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MISSION: A Few of My Favorite Things

I love:

1. books
2. writing
3. people
4. kindness
5. Pittsburgh

This mission is PERFECT!

DATE:
Wednesday, 25 August 2010

OPERATIVE:
Affiliated Agent S

TIME:
9 a.m.

LOCATION:
Forbes/Morewood bus stop
near Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA

Today was officially my first Secret Agent drop! See attached photos to see the gift.

Long ago, a friend bought me these pens that can be used as bookmarks. They come in a CD case. Each pen has a quote on it about love — love between lovers, between friends, love in general! I never ended up using more than one of them, and most of the time they stayed in the case because, as a writer, I just have way too many pens. They were basically in brand-new condition, and I thought they’d be a great first gift to drop. So I attached a note which you can see in the picture — I mentioned how much I love to write and that maybe that person did too! I also placed a bow on the case so that it would feel like opening a present.

Then, this morning (Aug. 25) at 9am, I dropped the gift at the Forbes/Morewood bus stop right at the edge of CMU’s campus (where I work and go to Graduate school). I figured there it had an equal chance of getting picked up by a student or a non-student. I took a few photos of the location, trying to be covert, but it’s hard! A few people driving on Morewood/Forbes looked over, but I pretended to be waiting for the bus, set the gift down on the bus bench, took a quick photo, and hit the road! I didn’t get to see anyone pick it up since no one was at the stop or walked over to the stop while in my line of view, but I’m sure someone has by now!

Being a secret agent is fun! Especially when it means making someone else’s day.

Secret Agent L

Secret Agent L says, "Be Kind. No Exceptions."

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MISSION: Presents from Pier 1

I feel as though I’ll be going through my inbox for years and finding missions that never got posted around the time they were completed. But, as I always say, better late than never!

Here’s the first mission completed by Affiliated Agent J of Pittsburgh!

DATE:
Wednesday, 4 August 2010

OPERATIVE:
Affiliated Agent J

LOCATION:
Barnes & Noble
Monroeville, PA (outside of Pittsburgh)

TIME:
just before lunchtime

Hi SAL,

I completed my very first random act of kindness today (8/4). I found three cute photo holders at Pier 1 (while I was looking for my very own flying pig as given out by one of the other affiliated agents). I though they would make a cute gift for someone so I wrapped them up and added a note on the front similar to what I’ve seen others do (“This is for you, yes you”) and put the Secret Agent L business card with the gift as well. I was having a difficult time trying to determine where I could leave my gift as well as photograph it without getting caught. I finally decided on the Barnes & Noble in Monroeville just before lunch time. I put the gift in the diet/wellness section because I figure anyone that is looking for a book in this section might like a pick-me-up. When I placed the gift on the shelf, I quickly snuck my camera out and took the photo. I waited around for a bit in a nearby section to see if anyone wandered over, but no one did and I figured I better get back to work. Next time I’d like to actually be able to see a reaction.

Can’t wait for the next time.

This is a great mission! Thanks, Affiliated Agent J!

By the way, I’ve been thinking lately about the post-9/11 age we currently find ourselves living in, so I’m asking that when Affiliated Agents are completing future missions, please not wrap gifts or place them in gift bags. This is just a safety precaution, as we don’t want to cause anyone any unnecessary worry or suspicion.  Thank you for understanding!

Secret Agent L

Secret Agent L says, "Be Kind. No Exceptions."

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MISSION: Travelin’ Treat

If you live in Pittsburgh, you know how stressful it is to get around. The joke here is that we have five seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Construction. You literally need to allow an hour to go 3 miles in this town. It’s really the only thing I dislike about Pittsburgh. Public transit and getting around are not its strong suits. Last night, as a matter of fact, it took me an hour and a half to drive from my apartment in the neighborhood of Shadyside to the neighborhood of Bellevue, which is only 6 miles away.

An hour and a half.

When I finally arrived at my destination, I just sat in the car for a few minutes and cried.

So this mission hits home today. Any little bright spot that can be found during traveling is a bright spot indeed!

DATE:
Tuesday, 30 August 2011

OPERATIVE:
Affiliated Agent C

LOCATION:
Great Lakes Service Plaza
I-80W in Ohio

TIME:
9:40 a.m.

After visiting with family in my hometown, I was headed west through Ohio, already missing Pittsburgh. Stopping at one of the service plazas in Ohio I thought of this mission as a way to brighten my day and I hope another travelers day as well.

I had blank cards with me, so just needed to purchase a gift card at the Panera Bread located in this service plaza, and then returned to my vehicle to write a note. Sorry Secret Agent L, I did NOT have one of your cards to include, so I added your website to the bottom of the note instead.

After putting all into an envelope, I wandered back into the service plaza, looking for somewhere to leave this. The only place I could find where I would be unobserved was the women’s restroom, and so I left the envelope on the counter. Hope someone found it – I did place it where there was an arrow to direct attention to the envelope.

Secret Agent L

Secret Agent L says, "Be Kind. No Exceptions."

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MISSION: The Power of One.

I’ve been itching to do a mission lately, and I finally decided to do one today. As many of you know, I work at a fairly large university here in Pittsburgh. Today marks the end of the second week of the beginning of the academic year, and I thought it might be nice to leave a little act of kindness on campus for someone to find in the hopes that it will inspire him or her to start the semester off with the desire to make a positive difference in the world. I’m a huge fan of Quotable Cards‘ products {as is evidenced by the fact that I have my very own SAL magnet with them} and thought this was the perfect way to send the message that one person truly can make a difference.

DATE:
Friday, 2 September 2011

OPERATIVE:
Secret Agent L

LOCATION:
Women’s Restroom
Bayer Hall
Duquesne University
Pittsburgh, PA

TIME:
10:48 a.m.

Around 10:30 a.m., I typically pry myself away from my desk at work and go to the Starbucks on campus to get a treat. I don’t have a window in my office {yes, feel sorry for me}, so sometimes I just need to take a few minutes to go outside and breathe in some fresh air and feel natural light on my face. It’s gorgeous in Pittsburgh today, so I definitely picked the perfect time to do a mission.

I was excited to use my updated SAL business card–much simpler and cleaner. I like it.

And, of course, I’m a huge fan of Quotable’s products, especially their cards and magnets. I’ve used them in numerous missions, and the company even offered me a licensing agreement to make a magnet out of the SAL official motto: Be Kind. No Exceptions. {You can purchase a magnet of your very own!}

This quote by John F. Kennedy is one of my favorites, because I really believe the truth in it. One person absolutely, positively can make a difference. And every single person on this earth should try.

I am really proud to work at a university where service to others is the absolute focus of the mission statement. We have loads of student volunteers on campus, and we even offer classes where a service component is built right in so that students are required to go out into the community and engage in a way that makes the learning experience about more than just themselves.

On my way to get my morning Starbucks treat, I slipped into Bayer Hall for a few minutes to complete my mission. There were students everywhere! I didn’t have any other choice but to sneak upstairs to the third floor ladies’ restroom and complete my mission there.

It felt good to be “in the field” again. I was able to complete the mission without anyone coming in while I was there, but no sooner did I exit the restroom than a woman slipped in right after me. There were also two women standing directly outside the door, talking up a storm, but I just stayed focused, moved with purpose, and got out of there. I definitely earned my iced decaf caramel mocha after that!

Secret Agent L

Secret Agent L says, "Be Kind. No Exceptions."

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