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Friday, December 19, 2008

Fun with Random Acts of Kindness

So…I’ve been hearing about all sorts of fun ways to do Random Acts of Kindness.

The first of these is the random Ornament Drop dreamed up by the ever-creative Creating Keepsakes…You can go HERE and print the tag, attach it to a hand-made ornament, leave the ornament for somebody to find and then go post about it HERE.

The second is the Pay for the People Behind You Random Act. This can take many forms. For example, there is the kindness challenge posted by Brene Brown on her blog Ordinary Courage. Or, you can try the Drive Through Difference that New Life 91.9 has been sponsoring. Just click on the link, download the letter and pay for somebody’s lunch!

You could also pay for groceries, for the people behind you…leave them the change.

Bake cookies for a neighbor or teacher, just because.

Visit a nursing home and bring cupcakes. Sit and visit with a few of the residents.
You'd be amazed at the loving reception you will receive as many residents rarely receive visitors.

Buy a new calendar for a workmate.

Leave an extra large tip for your food server!

Leave a bouquet of flowers on someone’s front door step.

Bake goodies and take them to the police station, fire station, or hospital.

Take a box of doughnuts to an elementary school for a classroom.

Leave your change in the soda machine for the next person. It's a nice surprise.

Write to management at places where you get especially good service and commend them (specify names!)

Tape a quarter to a pay phone with a note welcoming anyone who needs it to use it.

Volunteer at a local shelter, crisis nursery or soup kitchen. This will give more to you than you can imagine.

Volunteer to read to children at your nearest library.

Pay for someone's toll and/or gas.

Buy lunch for the couple or family sitting next to you as you pay your own. Be sure to be secretive!

Buy a toy for a child in the store and ask the clerk to deliver it after you’ve gone.

And my personal favorite – be somebody’s secret Santa. Don’t tell them who you are.

Happy Kindness-spreading, everyone!

Peace, ya’ll!

2 comments:

Hilary Kanwischer said...

I love those! What awesome ideas and you know, I think I'll try one or two. But I may have already...I've been tipping people more than the usual 20% and I just chapperoned my son's zoo trip last week, and I was in charge of 5 kids, plus my own and none of them had any money for a snack or a drink and I bought them each a starburst roll and a fruit punch! I felt so good about doing that...thanks!

**** April **** said...

I like to thank those who have thankless jobs... like our military...there are thousands of them. I took Josh to eat before boarding his flight to Iowa for Thanksgiving. I saw a lone soldier come in and we bought his meal, tipped his waiter and covered dessert... and asked our waiter to take him a note that I wrote on a napkin that read, "I'm thankful for our soldiers. Happy Thanksgiving."

Anytimg I'm out, if I see a serviceman or woman, I always pick up their tab or make eye contact and just say THANK YOU becuase the daily sacrifice they pay for us to be able to go about our day to day life without interruption is TREMENDOUS...