Small acts of kindness: 21-day challenge report

“Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world.  For indeed, that’s all that ever have.” ~ Margaret Mead

The 21-day Kindness Challenge hosted by KindSpring has ended. 6,000 people from 98 different countries joined in this effort to help make our community kinder.  It was fun to try to expand my usual repertoire of kind acts and it was amazing to read people’s updates about spreading joy and kindness in their lives… reconnecting with their neighbors or their children, helping friends and strangers, giving for giving’s sake and because it feels good.  And this is only the beginning.  (If you’re up for a challenge, you can join their next effort: a 21-day gratitude challenge beginning November 7. )

It felt good to know that others around the world were spreading kindness too.  I was conscious of making an extra effort to talk with people, like the helpful guy I encountered at Lowe’s or our quirky mailman, and make their day a little brighter.  I would always have passed the crying woman a tissue, taken a huge carload of toys to Goodwill, or thanked my dental hygienist for being so gentle.

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” ~ Mahatma Ghandi

What I may not have done if not for the challenge is:

• help an elderly couple in the Costco parking garage.  The wife was attached to an oxygen tank – he was helping his wife into the passenger seat and getting her buckled up. I helped him load their groceries into the trunk.
• go over to a woman at the library who was holding a baby and trying to maneuver a stroller out of the library bathroom with her other hand.  I went over, told her I’d been there many times and held the door for her.
• leave an extra nice tip for an especially friendly and helpful waitress.
• allow myself some quiet time to recharge.
• renew the practice we’d forgotten of giving compliments to each other at bedtime.
• write little notes and leave them on cars for the owners to find.  This was my favorite… I saw a “little old lady” (for lack of a better way to describe her) pull up to the grocery store as I was leaving in this white sports car.  Once she went into the store, I put a note on her window.  I wonder what her face looked like as she found it.  For others, I had my daughter help me in choosing which cars to put the notes.
• showed my daughter, who wanted these things for herself, the care package I was sending to surprise some kids who are probably at Disney right now.  It was hard for her but she wanted to help me make it and I was proud of her.  She got a kick out of the “Dear Mickey” note we got back and we talked about how good it feels to do these kinds of things that make other people happy.

“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean.  But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” ~ Mother Theresa 

Resources to get you started:

• Random Acts of Kindness Foundation
• Inspire My Kids
• HandsOn Network
• Kind Living
• Points of Light Institute
• Past blog kindness posts

Share in the comments how you are spreading kindness in your corner of the world.  I’d love to hear.

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