25 Random Acts of Kindness
Today, we’re changing up the pace of the blog a bit by sharing some inspiration that will hopefully stimulate our readers to help and give to those who they interact with directly in their own lives. Furthermore, we wanted to share some ideas with you that didn’t necessarily involve donating funds to an established organization. There are many ways to be charitable without sending money to a charity.
On our Hummingbird House Foundation Pinterest page, we dedicate an entire board to collecting ideas about Random Acts of Kindness. This is where we are drawing our influence from today.
What exactly is a Random Act of Kindness?
According to makeadiff.wordpress.org, it is “…a selfless act performed by kind people to either help or cheer up a random stranger, for no reason other than to make people happier. Either spontaneous or planned in advance, RAoKs are encouraged by various online and offline communities.”
The idea to perform random acts of kindness became more widespread about twenty years ago. After the movie “Pay It Forward” came out, the notion of doing good deeds for others randomly and unexpectedly spread like wildfire.
Now, there are stories all over the Internet about people who have peformed extraordinary and not-so-extraordinary acts of kindness. These random acts can range in simplicity from giving a compliment or paying for someone’s coffee to something greater, like purchasing a plane ticket for someone who can’t afford to see a loved one or taking someone lonely into your family.
Today, we’ll share 25 random acts of kindness that impressed us. Our hope is that they will impress you, too.
25 Random Acts of Kindness
- Put a surprise note or sketch in with your spouse’s or kid’s lunch.
- Write a love note and hide it in a magazine your partner is reading or somewhere else he/she will find it.
- Call a parent or grandparent to say hello, give them thanks, or simply to tell them you love them.
- Tell someone the truth. Sometimes it’s really hard, but it’s what friends do.
- Send a letter just to “let you know how much I care about you.”
- Keep an extra umbrella at work, so you can lend it out when it rains.
- Sincerely compliment your boss, who probably doesn’t often get feedback from his or her reports.
- When people are gossiping about someone, be the person to chime in with something nice.
- Learn the names of your office security guard, the person at the front desk and other people you see every day. Greet them by name. Also say “hello” to strangers and smile.
- Invite someone to dinner – especially at the holidays, when it is difficult for some people to be alone.
- When making dinner, get ingredients for one more helping. Then, put the extra portion in a spare container and give it to a neighbor, drop it by a friend’s house, or pass it on to a homeless man or woman.
- Leave your neighbors a note that tells them how much joy you find in admiring their garden.
- Let another car merge in front of you, or stop to let a pedestrian cross the street.
- Carry around a $5 gift card so you can give it to someone who does something awesome.
- Purchase some extra dog or cat food and drop it off at an animal shelter.
- Donate your vacation or sick days to a person at work who is struggling with an illness.
- Give someone a book you think they’d like.
- If you are in a long line, invite the person behind you to go first.
- Offer to return a shopping cart to the store for someone loading groceries in their car.
- To melt away his or her blues, send a friend a funny video from YouTube.
- Hang a sign on a bulletin board that says “Take What You Need” — with tear-off tabs at the bottom for Love, Hope, Faith, and Courage.
- Help a friend see today in a wondrous new light: Hand him or her a kaleidoscope.
- Leave a bouquet at the hospital — the nurses will know who needs it the most.
- Forgive someone. Repeat as necessary.
- Ask others — sincerely — what you can do to help.