I think there is nothing more fun than blessing others. Random acts of kindness not only bless the person on the receiving end, but it leaves the giver feeling blessed as well. Back around Halloween, I decided that for my bday this year, I wanted to do 32 random acts of kindness.
If you're a pinterest addict like I am, I don't have to tell you that it is a gold mine of ideas for something like this. I also found some great
ROAK printables. Wouldn't it be fun if it became the norm to bless others on your own bday!?!
I knew I wouldn't do all these on my bday just because of logistics, so I figured I'd start whenever and got that chance on Christmas Day! I finished up last Saturday with Buggy's help.
1.) My tummy had been sick and I was really craving a cherry limeade and knew Sonic was open. I paid with a $10 and said, Merry Christmas! Keep the change!
2.) Treats for the guys that pick up our trash and recycling.
3.) Visited a Mommy friend over my lunch, surprising her with flowers on her
first day home alone with 4 kids.
4.) Treats for Kelton's class on the first day back after break.
5.) Sent a little gift for Kelton's teacher too.
6.) Ordered flowers for another Mommy friend that I thought could use the
encouragement.
7.) Mailed off a handful of notes to some patients.
8.) Sent a package of goodies for a special Mommy-to-be to pamper herself
with.
9.) Mailed some baby supplies I no longer needed to a Mommy friend who was
having trouble locating exactly what she needed.
10.) Left a thank you note and a bag of Hershey's Hugs in the mail box of the house that had this
beautiful nativity display that my family really enjoyed admiring.
11.) Sent flowers to a Mommy friend with a nonsleeping baby. I included a
card reminding her what an amazing Mommy she is.
12.) Katie and I distributed flowers to the ladies at the local nursing
home.
13.) We took muffins to the fire dept and the police dept.
14.) Gave a sparkly nail polish to the girl working the drive through at the local coffee shop.
15.) Shared muffins with a neighbor.
16.) Hid a few $1 bills in the toy section at Dollar Tree.
17.) Carefully picked up and disposed of an open needle syringe we
discovered laying on the ground near the entrance at Target.
18.) Handed out Yummy Earth Suckers to children we saw while shopping at
Target. This was Katie's favorite and it was so fun watching her give them out.
19.) Gave the barista at Starbucks a chapstick.
20.) Paid for the drinks for the people behind us in the drive through at Starbucks.
21.) Sent a few text msgs just to say,
"Hey, love you, glad we're friends."
22.) Taped some change to the soda machine at Immediate Care. I feel like we
are there so often and I hope a tired family finds it and is encouraged.
23.) Gave out a $5 gift card to Village Inn in the parking lot to some
people who were headed in to eat.
24.) Shared play dough with a little girl eating near us at AppleBee's.
25.) Left a Bath and Body works lotion for our server.
26.) Shared some of my homemade vanilla extract with some friends from
church.
27.) Gave a patient the protein bars I had in my purse because she had been
standing vigil at the hospital with a loved one and hadn't had time to eat.
28.) Left several bags of sunflowers seeds in Eric's vehicle for him to find
the next morning.
29.) Bought a sparkly nail polish named "Guardian Angel" for a
friend who's mother recently passed away.
30.) Made a donation to St. Jude.
31.) Painted a friend's toenails.
32.) I have made an extra effort to always be a courteous and generous
driver, always smile and say Hi to everyone I see and hold open doors whenever
possible.
Talk about a fun way to celebrate your birthday! It also was a really great lesson to see how opportunities to show kindness are always there, you just have to look for them.
