Random Acts of Kindness Week

Next week is the week of Valentine’s, but not only that, it’s Random Acts of Kindness Week.

I have always loved random acts of kindness. They make me happier than the little pink wildflowers that randomly grow along the side of a dingy-looking road in giant patches.

I love being a silent observer to random acts of kindness. When I see them happen before my eyes it makes even my day, it warms me up and reminds me there’s good in the world. 

It makes me smile for hours.

I feel like things have sped up so much in our daily lives that acts of kindness often are too far in between, but the good part about that (if there is one) is that since there seems to be a general lack of random acts of kindness (unverified, only noted), they are especially meaningful to the receiver. No one seems to expect random acts of kindness anymore so when they happen, it really genuinely affects people. I know it does for me.

Have you ever seen the target of a random act of kindness? Have you ever seen their face after someone had just done something good for them?

If they’re walking or driving, they’re smiling all the way to their destination afterward.

I think the only thing better than being the target of a random act of kindness is being the performer of the act of kindness. You may not get to see the reaction, but you know that you most likely warmed someone’s cockles to the point where they will probably discuss this further with someone in their life. I try to take every opportunity I can to use the word “cockles.” We just don’t use “cockles” enough in every day language.

But even better than the feeling they get is the possibility that they may even want to pass it on. Before you know it, you’ve launched a series of events that change people.

Anything from taking a shopping cart up for someone to watching their children for a couple hours, to lending the little boy in front of you at Dairy Queen 50 cents to get his ice cream, it can be big or small and more often than not the opportunities actually present themselves.

It usually happens in one split second – the situation arises, there is one second where you can jump in or chime in and either you do and you’ve made someone’s day or you let the moment pass (which happens mostly by accident and if you’re like me, you think about that moment for weeks afterward and wish you’d have just jumped in and helped.)

I’m planning out some Random Acts of Kindness for the week (even though I know that I don’t have to do anything just because there is a week named for it, I can do it earlier or later) but this is a great jumping point.

Do you want to participate?

Here are some random acts of kindness ideas. (There is an entire website dedicated to it!)

I’m going to pick something for every day and if there is nothing picked for that day, I’m going find it throughout my day. But I’m going to get the kids involved too. Here are some of the things I’m going to do with them that I’ve always wanted to do but there will be more:

• Make lunches for the homeless and pass them out.
• Take blankets and towels to the animal shelter
• Send someone a card for no reason

I’ll post them on Facebook so feel free to add yours on there too! I also realize that part of the greatness of random acts of kindness is not needing the credit for it part, but this week I’ll be posting about it just to see if other people will join in. I’ll wrap it up with a post on Friday, February 17th, so if you make someone’s day and post about it, you can link it up that day! 

“Go forth and do great things…”

What are some of your ideas?

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