Five years, 468 tiny pals, and a 501(c)3

It’s Sunday evening and I am still drifting along on a great big, beautiful, soul-filling high from all of the extraordinary events of the past week.

Five years ago I had the idea to leave a tiny needle felted gnome on top of a bag of puzzles I was dropping off for a sweet toddler. I added a quick note, explaining that he was Pip, the Puzzle Gnome, and that he was a trickster who liked to hide puzzle pieces, and cautioned the little one to keep an eye on him. The joy I felt in that moment was the impetus for this project.

Five years later, we’ve sent 468 gnomes to strangers all over the world, formed a Board of Directors comprised of some of the most badass women I know, were able to open up Gnome Requests again after a long hiatus and WE BECAME AN OFFICIAL 501(c)3!!!!

Today I found myself going along, doing the ordinary chores that make up our days - vacuuming or folding laundry or cleaning the litter boxes - and I’d pause a moment to think of where this tiny, weird project started, and where it is now, and I’d just start crying. I am wildly grateful and can’t adequately put into words how much it means that so many of you have stuck around since the beginning - cheering me on and encouraging me when I doubted myself - and never wavering in your kindness to me, even when I had to take a year off. You are the loveliest community of Kindness Ambassadors and I just want to hug each of you and look you in the eye and let you know deep in your gut how much you mean to me.

Besties, I know the world feels scary right now for many of us. But you and this community that you have helped build continue to give me hope that together we’ll be okay. And that kindness is never wasted.

Thank you for five extraordinary years. And here’s to many, many more.

i heart you.