Merry Christmas

Well it has been a year since we initiated the dak project. An entire year. I should qualify though, because last christmas the only people with dakbands were friends and family. We kind of beta tested the concept before we went public.

I remember the first pair of bands I ever gave out. I was nervous. Really nervous. I was shopping at a local upscale mall, and I had had plenty of opportunity to give them away, but I wasn't sure of my approach. It was the 24th of December (and yes, I was shopping yesterday as well - I am always surprised when it is the day before Christmas and my shopping list looks the same as it did at the beginning of the month!) and I was in a 30 minute line up with a lot of other miserable and tired looking shoppers. There were two lines, equally long, and the only thing more depressing than the length of the lines was the look on the faces of the poor girls at the cash register. However there was an elderly lady in front of me, and didn't she just light up that store! She was like little Christmas elf, happy and joyful, chatting to me, the people in front of her, the people beside her in the other line, to anybody and everybody. After she finally checked out, and was about to leave the store I reached out and touched her arm as she walked pass me. She paused, expecting me to wish her a Merry Christmas I'm sure, but I gave her two bands saying, " Thank-you for your joyful spirit, please take these dakbands in recognition of your kindness. One is for you to keep, the other is for you to give away when you see someone doing something kind." My heart was pounding. Then I realized that her eyes had filled with tears. She took the bands and said, "You have just made my Christmas. Can you imagine what the world would be like if everybody gave a pair of these away? Thank-you."

Of course, I can imagine, and that is why I created them.

I've never worried about giving the bands away again. In fact, other people in the line asked for some bands!

There are probably close to 50 or 60 thousand bands in the world right now. We certainly do not have stories for all these bands, but as the bands become more popular and people recognize what they are when they receive them, I'm sure the stories will come. Every story is truly a gift, the kind money can't buy. The stories are gifts to the whole world because they show us how kindness affects us, touches our heart, and gives birth to peace.

Merry Christmas!

Here are a couple of wonderful christmas daks, please check out band numbers: 143694, 21727 (Once on the track your dak page you have to enter the number in the 'Dak code' window and then click on the band number to read the story.)

Kindness Tree Daks!

Thanks to our dak queen Maryann (see post) we have some wonderful businesses in Pelham that are selling the dakbands to raise money for Pelham Cares, a not for profit organization that is raising money to create a permanent home for the Pelham foodbank.

We want to thank, The Voice of Pelham (the local newspaper. Please read the article they wrote about the dakbands!), Smart Cents, and Nature's Corner Bakery and Cafe.

Carol Lloyd of Nature's Corner Bakery and Cafe sent these photos of the 'kindness tree' she created in her store. So very cool.


If you have any festive dak pictures or dak stories please share them with us. We'll send you some dakbands in return!!

Please to our track your dak page to see where dak 37889 has been! Be sure to decrease the magnification on the map so you can see both points!

Drive by Dak!!

Suffice to say that I have given out dakbands for the slightest of excuses. Some people have mentioned to me that they only pass along dakbands when the act of kindness is really an obvious act of kindness. In other words, holding the door for someone is not something they would consider an act of kindness - it's just common courtesy. While I understand the position, I believe that by encouraging these 'common' courtesies (deliberate acts of kindness) the way that we all live in community changes - improves! So I look for any and every opportunity to pass the bands along.

Having said that, the other day I was driving along a fairly busy side street with traffic moving in both directions, when up ahead I noticed two large garbage bins blowing into the middle of the street. As I was slowing to avoid the bins, the vehicle coming toward us stopped. The driver, a woman, stopped her van (yes it was in the middle of the road), jumped out and ran all over the road trying capture those bins and then set them on the boulevard. I was pulling up beside her as she was hurriedly trying to get back into her vehicle, bravely ignoring the grumpy and unappreciative drivers behind her who were beeping their horns!! As I drove up, I rolled down my window and shouted, "Were those your bins?" When she replied that they were not, I reached out my window and handed her two dakbands - risking the frustration of the now the grumpy, unappreciative drivers behind me who were honking. "These are for acts of kindness in our community. Thank-you for picking up the garbage bins," I said, barely stopping my car. And I drove out of sight.

Here is her version of the story: #97440 (Once on the track your dak page you have to enter the number in the 'Dak code' window and then click on the band number to read the story.)

Aren't We Savvy!

Dakbands have been featured in the December newsletter for Savvy Mom! Need we say more? For everything
a savvy mom needs to know please check out their website: www.savvymom.ca! I cannot even begin to describe the wealth of information and sense of community you will find there.

First Pod Cast

Finally!! Our first pod cast. Please see the link under our podcast heading in the left column.
Kara and I 'interviewed' Lisa Philp, president of Transitions Group North America. Actually it is more of round table discussion than an interview. Lisa is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, visionary, mother, and did I mention that she is driven- in a good way! She keeps a journal by her bed, so when she wakes up in the middle of the night with some amazing idea, she can write it down. (When I wake up in the middle of the night it is usually to wrestle the covers away from my blanket hogging husband!)

Lisa learned about the dakbands through Kara, and she immediately saw the application to the corporate world. Within a few weeks, she had completely incorporated the dakbands into her company. She ordered custom bands in her company's colours (purple and green) with custom hang tags. She even had posters made and inserted material into her brochures and presentations. But what impressed me the most was how she walked the talk, using them personally everyday. You'll even hear her mention in the interview that she bought dak outfits, so she could coordinate her entire 'look'!

Lisa's approach to doing business is about creating relationships, teaching and modeling those positive relationship skills for her clients and community in general. Please have a listen, she is really inspiring. She knows and understands the profound impact that kindness can have on staff, on clients and subsequently, the bottom line.