Family Togetherness: A Random Act of Kindness

Filed under: CREATING MEMORIES, THE BOOKSHELF

Photo: property of Heath Brandon via Flickr

One Tuesday morning I was waiting at a stop light when I noticed the van in front of me was none other than my friend Ednelle. She was on her way to grab her morning coffee from Starbucks. She texted me to tell me that the person in front of her paid for her coffee. The person in front of them had paid for theirs. Apparently the chain had been going on for much of the morning rush.

Ednelle’s kind act reminded me of a similar random act of kindness on the Florida Turnpike. Many times I was the recipient of a free toll. In turn I happily paid for the person behind me. It is a simple thing that amazingly brought a smile to an ordinary day.

The attribute I love most about my kids is their passion for life. They are so excited about the world around them. I decided to harness that joy and put it to good use. This summer to pass the time away we will perform random acts of kindness in the community. Our first victim was the pest control guy. We gave him a gift certificate for an icy treat at the frozen yogurt shop. He was a bit confused and suspicious at first. Once he realized it was a legitimate act of kindness and nothing fishy he smiled and graciously accepted the offer.

Our goal is to target the people in our community who tend to get over looked (like the hard working pest control man) and could use a little appreciation. In return I hope my children will see that it is far better to give than receive.

1. Leave a gift of appreciation for the mailman in the mailbox.
2. Take a tasty thank you treat to an area fire station.
3. Make lovely artwork to take to a local assisted living residence.
4. Make tissue paper flowers to take to patients at the hospital.
5. Take balloons to the kids at the children’s hospital.
6. Hand out flowers to cashiers at a grocery store or other place of business.
7. Put coins in several parking meters.
8. Mow your neighbors lawn.
9. Leave a small prize for the waitress.
10. Pick up trash at the park and in parking lots.
11. Donate food to an animal shelter.
12. Pay the toll for the car behind you.
13. Hold the door open for patrons entering a business.
14. Volunteer at a blood bank passing out water and fruit.
15. Deliver notes of appreciation to all your doctors. (including the Pharmacist.)
16. Take dinner to someone who is alone or financially strapped.
17. Send a homemade thank you gift to someone in the military.
18. Do an hour of yard maintenance for a preschool/daycare.
19. Donate several small stuffed animals, and coloring books with crayons to the police department to give to traumatized children.
20. SMILE!
21. Tape a thank you note to a police car window.
22. When going to the store call a friend to see if they need anything.
23. Give a flower to the receptionist at your next appointment.
24. Help an overwhelmed mom.
25. Help a co-worker.
26. Pass out tissue paper filled saches of candy to people at the park.

Technorati Tags: charity, happiness, pay it forward, random acts of kindness

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