MISSION: Midwest Winter Kindness

Sometimes, something bright and cheery is all you need to turn those dreary winter frowns upside down!

DATE:
Friday, 7 January 2011

OPERATIVE:
Affiliated Agent M

LOCATION:
1. Friendship Shell; Bay City, MI
2. Jack Wirt Library: Bay City, MI
3. Ohio Turnpike

TIME:
11:25 a.m. and 3 p.m.

While I was searching for inspiration for this mission, I started thinking about the little the little things I always seem to forget in the winter. I started out getting gloves and tissues, because I can always use extras of both when the weather turns frigid! Then I saw these adorable little packs of mints, and who doesn’t like a mint when you’ve been huddled over mugs of coffee all winter long? I also found this neat little first aid kit, and decided to incorporate that into my mission, since there is nothing like needing a bandaid or aspirin and not having any in sight. Everything was packaged up in cheerful bags, since there is far too little color in a Midwest winter.

I chose to put the first aid kit near the fountain at the Friendship Shell outdoor amphitheater in downtown Bay City, which sees a lot of traffic from all walks of life, from boutique shoppers to high school kids to the homeless. I balanced the bag on a pole near the park entrance to make sure it was visible to people walking by. As goofy as some people think the fountain looks, the message of friendship and community it stands for seemed like the perfect setting for a Secret Agent mission!

The first of the glove/tissue/mint bags went on a bench outside the main branch of the Bay County library. I had to rush to make the drop and get a photo in between library visitors, but I love the library and wanted to make sure a patron found a surprise after a day of research, job hunting, or just staying warm.

I couldn’t decide on a third location, so I decided to wait and place the last bag later that day when it felt right. It rode along in the front seat of my car as I made the trip from Michigan back to Pennsylvania for school. About halfway across Ohio the weather turned from sunny to dark with big, wet flakes that made driving a challenge. Everyone who stopped for lunch at the rest area during the storm looked miserable! Just as I was ready to pull back out onto the highway, there was a perfect break in the parking lot crowd (a rarity for anyone who knows how busy the turnpike is!) and I quickly left the last bag on the windshield of the car next to me. I didn’t get a picture in my rush, but it was exciting to know someone’s wintry road trip was going to be just a little bit brighter.

Awesome mission, Affiliated Agent M! It sounds like it was a perfect trifecta of wintry kindness!