A whole year of doing good

Yes. Very nice blog. Well done Judith. But I'm not buying the book. Soz.

Although, the reviews on Amazon are very good.

Perhaps once upon a time I would have bought it.

I don't want to sound self righteous (far from it) but shouldn't we all strive to do at least one good thing a day? Making a conscious effort is surely not the right idea. It should come "second nature".

Love the name of the lamb ! I have never eaten baby sheep since the birth of my first grandaughter who was born just as the lambs were gambling around the fields wearing their little carrier bags to keep warm, and................

The people I admire are the ones who do good every day (like some of the ones Judith mentions in her blog) and say nothing about it. Perhaps it's just me, but I find that talk about one's good deeds is a bit nauseating. Sorry, but that's how I feel.

Yes me too bags I hate it when people feel the need to tell everyone how good they are!

Bagsagreed, and anyway should one TRY to do good? Shouldn't it just come naturally?

Totally agree with you both bags & gilly. People who tell you how good they are are totally nauseous! Why limit it to one a day? Why go and do good at someone just so you can tick a box? Random good deeds are good and come naturally to kind hearted people.

gilly your typo amused me, lambs gambling, what a picture!

He he he ! Glad you pointed that one out Movedalot I hadn't even noticed.

Obviously should have been "gambolling" not playing poker and betting on the horses !

Gillybob are you feeling a little sheepish about it?

Not really jeni just a wee bit whooly headed

Spelling and grammar was never my strong point anyway !

jeni & gilly perhaps I can lambast you?

I got the feeling that the author didn't really like her parents being so 'good' as they were impossible to live up to, and there was a sense that she begrudged having to prove she was as good as them.
Perhaps the book has a different feel.

moved

bags I agree, I think its the people you meet everyday who do good and don't blow there own trumpet who are the true goodoers.

Yes, glass - I quite agree.

I remember that, as a Brownie I was supposed to 'do a good deed every day', but can't remember ever consciously doing it.

I feel it's easier to find opportunities to do good if you are aware of the possibilities. I started going to a couple of regular social gatherings for lonely people and quickly found people who were in much worse conditions than me. What they tend to need most is just someone to sit with them and let them talk, or sometimes just sit with them. That was hard for me as I am such a chatterbox. I have just joined a team of volunteers who provide a telephone and email support service - a bit like the Samaritans - specifically for the LGBT community. Sometimes all we need is to recognise how much support we have received and try to give something similar.

I felt she was desperate for an idea for a book as she had had one in print(moving from the Smoke to the North East ) and it was such a dreadful culture shock that she had to write a book about it. Maybe she had a three book deal. If she had been doing something like Maryxyx then I think that would have plenty to read but from extracts I read in theST I felt her deeds were trivial. I think she opened the door for someone. The best deed was the jam jar thing but she got every one else to do it!

re janeainsworth: it is hard to sum up a book in a short featuretter, yes you are right the book does have a different feel and i love both my parents. infact the book is a way of honouring them because they havent ever been recognised for everything they did, and if I didnt sell a single copy, it would be worth the two years slog for the joy they have had out of it.
re maryxyx: good for you. exactly. and not everyone is aware of the possibilities. the book might be naiive but it is an attempt to put good deeds on the map and get people doing more than they might otherwise have done.
re gillyboy,baggs,jeni,movedalot,glassortwo: the media narrative focussed on me but the book is as much about the things everybody else does(check out my blog for Jean's story for instance) and the whole concept of goodness. I do have stuff to say and I am willing to stick my head above the parapet to say it. As indeed are you guys - more power to those of us with opinions.
re stansgran:the jam jar army was a huge amount of work for me. yes i encouraged others to give but rest assured it took a massive amount of work on my part and I am still working on it. the sunday times made their own choice of extracts, I'd have liked them to go for different stuff but their selection is down to them.
I would really like anyone who is interested to nip across to my blog www.wifeinthenorth.com. I have a few extracts up and that might give u a sense of what else is in the book.

Sometimes, the purpose of telling people about stuff with which you're involved is to share your experience and also to raise awareness of whatever need it is that you're working with. It's not for self glorification!

I agree with that wholeheartedly, ariadne, but that is not the flavour that comes across in the thread title or in the blog post (not to me anyhow).

I agree with Stansgran - my thoughts exactly but I was too cowardly to post them and in spite of author's post (which at least shows she has read gn) also agree with Bags about the 'flavour' - just something a little off for my taste.

I love the concept of committing to doing something good (every day or not), the reminder in the mantra as expressed in the title of the thread, and the recording and the telling of the good deeds. Sometimes I do good stuff and not tell people, but if the doing something good has made me happy I tell anyone and everyone and usually it makes them happy too. judith you and your parents sound lovely.

I agree that it's better if it comes naturally to do a good deed (every day or whenever), but if it doesn't come naturally, surely it's better to consciously try? But not just to brag about it afterwards.