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Katrina and I at the Mayo Clinic Advocate
Recharge Event |
Hello. My name is Danielle Teal. I’m a Mayo Clinic employee, I do
stand up comedy, I’m a mom of a 5 year old and I’m a United Way
Volunteer and editor of the “Be the 1” blog.
Truth be told, I know and have the secret to happiness. Let me explain.
Several years ago, on April 2 (yes, I remember the exact date) I
was leaving work and as I’m sure a lot of you may do this too, I
noticed I was driving on fumes. I always tended to wait till the last
moment or as close to my next paycheck as I possibly could before I
filled up with gas again. I pulled into the gas station, filled up my
gas tank, walked into the station, went right up to the counter, said
pump #10 and smiled.
The cashier behind the counter looked at me with a spark in his eye
and said “It’s paid for.” Just slightly confused, I said “Ah. You must
have the wrong pump” I pointed at my car and said “It’s the car over
there, pump # 10. I haven’t paid yet” The cashier smile got bigger and
he said “Someone paid for it. It’s all taken care of”. I looked at him
in shock and said “That was $37.56. Someone paid for that?” (grinning
from ear to ear) The cashier said “Yep.”
I looked at him in shock and said bluntly “All of it?”
He laughed and said “Yep. All of it”
I then began to ask who was it, where is this person, is he super hot, etc. etc. I
quick skimmed with my eyes all over the store and outside parking lot to
see if I could figure out who this generous kind soul was. As I was
doing this, I quickly stopped asking questions because I realized in
that moment that this person, didn’t want me to know. They did this
random act of kindness as a gesture pure and wholesome.
I walked out of that station with a new bill on life and different
perspective. I swore to myself that I would not only pay that kind act
forward, but honor that person by living my life in a way that could
help others.
Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. – William James
I just wasn’t sure on how I would do it. When I would do it and what I would do.
~~~~~~~~
In October of 2008, I stood on stage for the first
time in years, not to sing or dance …in fact, I use to have a severe
case of stage fright. I was willingly ready to put myself out there in
the most vulnerable way possible and do stand up comedy…. My friends
always told me I was funny and I believed them. :-p Wonder if they still
feel the same way…..? haha.
What started out as just a “bucket list” item turned love affair of
writing jokes and deploying them on stage, turned into something much
bigger.
It all connects. Just wait.
Fast forward, Thursday, September 23, 2010. 32+ counties in
Minnesota received threatening amounts of rainfull. Many were displaced
and lost their homes, many in Olmsted County. I knew this was a moment
where I couldn’t sit back. I recruited friends of mine, we went to
Zumbro Falls and personally helped mucked out houses. The woman we
helped, lost her home and I was going to go home to my place that was
intact and she lost her home.
It was then that I remembered what that kind person who simply bought my gas, did for me and the impact it made on my life.
I walked away from that experience telling myself that I had to do
more. And I would. And others would too. Through United Way, I continued
to recruit friends and coworkers through mass texting, email and social
media, sending them through the Volunteer process to go help muck
houses. It didn’t stop there. United Way and my now vast network of
entertainers, comedians, bands, singers, media, many, many volunteers
and I pulled off an event of epic proportions to raise over $9000 for
those affected by the flood.
It didn’t stop there either. :)
This story isn’t about me. It’s about the act of one kind stranger,
who did something for someone else and that small act was an
extraordinary act to that person and that person turned that act into
another kind act.
It’s called the Dragonfly effect. Small acts create big change. Social Change.
That’s where the Be the 1 blog comes in. Dave Beal, VP of
Communications and Advocacy through United Way of Olmsted County and I
were sitting for a routine lunch to catch up and brainstorm about ways I
can help, as well as inspire ways for others to help. I shared with
Dave that several of my friends would tell me that they would love to
join me on my volunteer endeavors and that I should write a blog about
my volunteering. Right then and there, a blog was born. But it wasn’t
going to just be about myself and what I was doing. Nope. It was going
to be about you, and you, and you, and you.
Be the 1. What does that mean? It's simple. Be the 1 = to volunteer.
Be the 1 = to lift a hand. Be the 1 = to make a difference. Be the 1 =
to inspire.
A good friend of mine shared this in a Good Deed Story he submitted for the blog
Every day, when you get out of bed, you have three options:
Do nothing. Be inspired. Inspire.
Every week, on the Be the 1 blog, we post different stuff. It could be Quote of the Week, a
good deed story that’s submitted by a reader or volunteer, volunteer
opportunities, people who make a difference, the blog continues to
evolve and making momentum. If you have a story or experience you’d like
to share, you can go to the blog and submit it through the email listed
there. Please feel free to advocate and share the blog on your
facebook, twitter, google+, etc. etc. etc
Mayo Clinic United Way Advocates and Volunteers, today you are my
inspiration. I stand before you in awe and gratitude for your work and
work to come. I encourage you to read the blog weekly to see how your
simple yet extraordinary acts impact the lives of other people.
A child goes to school wearing a backpack proudly , a young teenager
is being mentored by a supportive adult instead of being distracted by
the fake camaraderie of a gang, a single mother is able to feed her
child a healthy wholesome meal, an elderly adult is able to be
self-sufficient much longer with the support of an advocate, an entire
family is able to stay warm this winter wearing coats donated.
The pledges raised here are not just monetary. They’re small acts that create big change.
You are that change.
Thanks for Being the 1, Mayo Clinic.
Oh. And the secret to happiness?
Becoming selfless. Because when you help others, you ultimately help yourself - and THAT, my friends is the ulitmate happiness.
:)
[
Editor note: Found an old email I had sent out about the person that paid for my gas and clarified the pump # and date. Oops! I was close!]
Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday. People walk around with a spirited skip in their step and hope in their hearts. The thought of Christmas just changes a persons mood in general! But, there are many in need, many alone, many who would love to feel that magic too.
