National Random Acts of Kindness Day and Week

You, dear reader, are a very intelligent and attractive individual. See? That random act of kindness on my part was quite easy to perform. In today’s society, random acts of kindness are needed more than ever, especially those directed towards people who are having a rough go of it lately and those who sacrifice for the public good, like first responders, teachers, members of the military and health care workers.

And yes, random acts of kindness should be performed through out the year, not just during National Random Acts of Kindness Week. However, these “national” days and weeks draw attention to the very fact that we need to do more acts of kindness. They’re like a reminder, because Lord knows, we forget sometimes.

Anyway, Random Acts of Kindness day began in 1995 in the United States (or in 2004 in New Zealand, depends who you ask) as did the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, located in Denver, Colorado. It was then taken up and promoted  internationally by New Zealand (Kiwis are known for their kindness) in 2004 and is celebrated annually there on September 1^st. In the US, the day is celebrated every February 17^th as is the week that surrounds that day. This year that is the week of February 14^th through the 20^th so you’ll be able to perform random acts of kindness for your Valentine. Of course, you should be doing that every day, but who am I to offer you unsolicited advice?

So, you’ve got a little under two weeks to prep for Random Acts of Kindness Day, which means you’ve got time to practice. How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice. How to you practice for Random Acts of Kindness Day? By coming up with some ideas and then applying them in a real-world setting (It helps to practice on friends and family first in case something goes wrong).

Below you’ll find a plethora of ideas, 26 to be exact, that you can utilize, not just during Random Acts of Kindness Week, but throughout the rest of your days. Pick and choose the ones that appeal to you, tweak them if you like and maybe even try to come up with your own additions to the list.

• Shovel/snow blow your neighbor’s sidewalk and/or driveway.
• Allow another driver to enter traffic in front of you (as long as it’s safe to do so).
• Give up your seat to someone else while on an overcrowded subway or bus.
• Have flowers delivered to a random person in the hospital or nursing home.
• Write a thank you note to a member of the military, first responder, teacher or health care worker.
• Leave a valuable coupon at the grocery store self-checkout register (like a BOGO or free item).
• Leave an extra-large tip with a thank you note next time you eat out.
• Leave a special treat for your mail carrier at your mailbox.
• Donate a vacation or sick day to a co-worker who needs one more than you.
• Bring in some donuts or bagels and leave them in the break room.
• Leave post it notes with happy messages in random places (on mirrors in workplace or public restrooms, on grocery store shelves, on people’s windshields in parking lots).
• Next time you bake cookies, bake two batches and deliver the other to your neighbor.
• Call a family member or friend just to tell them you love them.
• Take the kids for a day when it’s not your turn.
• Deliver a casserole (or send some MagicKitchen.com meals) to someone who is having trouble cooking.
• Hide heartfelt messages for your significant other to find throughout their day.
• Leave change at a vending machine or coin operated car wash.
• Hold the door open for strangers.
• Offer to babysit for free for someone who needs a break.
• Leave a few bucks to help pay for the person’s order behind you at the drive through.
• Drop off some snacks at your local fire department.
• Keep some non-perishables in your car to give to homeless people at stoplights.
• Scrape the ice from the windshield of the car next to yours.
• Compliment a stranger.
• Feed a parking meter that you see has expired.
• Share your umbrella with someone who needs shelter from the rain.

You might be doing some of the above things already and, if so, thank you. Just remember that random acts of kindness should become part of who you are, things that should be done on a regular basis. Imagine (as John Lennon liked to do) if everyone performed random acts of kindness all the time and not just during National Random Acts of Kindness Week.