Random Acts of Kindness

Shouldn't Random Acts of Kindness just be called kindness?

The purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion and the will to help others. ~Albert Schweitzer

There are websites with 100's of suggestions for Random Acts of Kindness. One I read was 'if you spill sugar at Starbucks, wipe it up'. That's a random act of kindness? Isn't that called manners? Another; 'let the person behind you at the supermarket checkout with one or two items go ahead of you when your cart is full'. That's called consideration. I worry that we've become so self-involved that we forget that it's nice to be kind and considerate to others- just for the sake of being kind.

Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of human change. ~Bob Kerrey 

I admit I attempt to do a (Random Act of) Kindness each day, it makes my day better if I can help others when they least expect it. That doesn't include holding a door for a colleague or making a new pot of coffee when I see that it's empty (I don't drink coffee). At my place of employment on a daily basis I interact with somewhere between 600 and 1000 people.   It's easy to find a way to be kind and make a difference in someone else's day and it barely takes any time.   

Give Compliments- It costs nothing and can make the difference in someone's day. 

Say Hello! It doesn't cost a cent. I've noticed since I moved back to Southern California that people don't say hello or wave when walking by each other on the sidewalk or along a hiking trail. Join me in my campaign to 'say hello to strangers'. 

Volunteer- You can do small activities once a year or one Saturday a month at a Habitat House, read with children, walk a dog at your local animal shelter. The internet makes it easy to find volunteer opportunities in your area of interest.  A couple of hours takes you out of your own head, do for others and allows you to try something new, and meet new people. 

This is not meant to preach, just to help you think about what your days and weeks are comprised of and perhaps if we all do a little bit more for others you'll find your own world to be more joyful. 

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. ~Mark Twain

Lastly, if other's had not reached out to me with their kindness in my time of need, I would not have been able to function. Friends who I could count on for their love and support were my lifeline. A local priest I had never met knocked on my door shortly after my husbands arrest and asked if he could pray with me.