Have you ever been in the never ending line for coffee on your already
late start to Monday morning? Just remembering it, I bet you can nearly feel the agitation that slowly grows with each passing minute. Now imagine reaching the front of the line and being told our order was paid for by the stranger ahead of us, the miraculous feeling subsides any previous agitation and we feel reset! This has happened to me a couple of times and every single time it’s like the universe knew It was exactly the mental shift I needed, the reminder in simple humanity and my day was magically transformed! This is the time of winter we all could use a mental reset. Not only are we knee deep in winter timing wise but the weather by this weekend is going to make us truly feel the season. With the ongoing short days and long nights, it can be easy to forget spring is coming. This is when most of us feel the emotional and mental impact of the winter, we are one month into most of our hibernations with at least a month in front of us. Our goal is to stay warm and comfy however this needs to be the time we challenge ourselves to come out of our isolation and turn our energies outward. Spend a couple days looking around and you will see far too many needs. I would hardly say a cup of coffee constitutes a “need” in the same way donating blood might however it’s the impact that creates the significance. One of the most effective remedies for low affect or seasonal affective disorder is to serve someone else. Don’t get bogged down in the word serve, it simply means to do for someone else. This commitment pushes us out of our own headspace and reminds us to look at those around us, both those we know and those we may never meet. I sent my oldest into school today with a treat for the school nurses after they have been particularly supportive as my family learns how to navigate and cope with my son's recent asthma diagnosis. It took me less than 5 minutes to add something to my cart at the store and write a note of appreciation yet the phone call of thanks I received let me know I made a difference in their day. They felt seen! Even more encouraging is how it engaged my son in the process of kindness and left us both feeling really good inside.
Can you do one random act of kindness every day for the rest of the month? Spend some time journaling both now and after the month to see if you personally notice any connection between your affect and the behaviors around intentional giving. To help you get started, I’ve listed some of my favorite RAK’s below. The joy that comes from knowing at the very least you put a smile on someone’s face or made a meaningful and deep impact in someone’s life will stretch far beyond the time it takes to do so. When we serve those around us, we are reminded that we are all in community together,
that while we are infinitely different, we are part of a collective whole with shared purposes for a meaningful and full life.
1. Help someone load their groceries/return their cart 2. Buy someone a coffee 3. Donate blood 4. Leave a treat and encouraging note on someone’s car 5. Donate clothes or household items 6. Host a neighborhood kid party to give parents a break 7. Have lunch delivered to a local business 8. Write a thank you card every day for the month 9. Send someone flowers, cookies, or edible arrangement 10. Bake someone something 11. Run errands for someone 12. Visit a nursing home 13. Volunteer 14. Bake cookies for shelter 15. Donate to a charity 16. Buy someone’s groceries 17. Teach someone something new 18. Send a care package to someone in college or a soldier 19. Walk your neighbor’s dog 20. Call extended family members 21. Compliment a stranger 22. Give a stranger words of encouragement 23. Make dinner for a family in need 24. Babysit for free 25. Send a treat in for the school nurse 26. Buy school supplies for a teacher 27. Leave a positive note in a library book 28. Organize a fundraiser 29. Plant a tree 30. Leave a positive review online 31. Help your neighbors with a task (shoveling, garbage, lawn care) 32. Ask someone how they are REALLY doing 33. Make kits for the homeless to keep accessible in your car 34. Pay a parking meter or someone else 35. Over tip next time you are out to eat 36. Build book box / Free library box 37. Donate a sick day to someone with a chronic health condition 38. Leave appreciation notes of coworker’s work stations 39. Buy someone’s gas 40. Leave a coupon on an item in the store
I hope we’ve all had the fortune to be on the receiving end of a random unexpected act of kindness, maybe it's a free coffee, a kind note left in your new library book, an unexpected compliment, a family dinner dropped off on at your door, or maybe a stranger holding the door and saying a genuine “Good Morning”. We can feel how gratitude quickly engulfs us and hopefully leads us to not only have a better day but provides the encouragement to intentionally pass on the kindness. That’s exactly what I am doing today, I am encouraging you to intentionally pass on some kindness.
February's Armchair Bookshelf
Notable Words
“Remember, there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” —Scott Adams
" Kindness is loaning someone your strength instead of reminding them of their weakness"
"Everyone wants to be the sun to lighten up someone's life. But why not be the moon to brighten up the darkest hour"
Upcoming Events
Now enrolling for the spring session of Financial Peace University. Email me for additional class enrollment and schedule information. Click here for more information on FPU.
Stay tuned for upcoming information on the spring Wellness Workshop at Marsh Creek State Park
Office space available for rent. Email for more information
Until Next Time ~ Be Well, Do Kind