26 Acts of Kindness

I have always believed strongly in random acts of kindness. I think they are hands down one of the best things you can do not just for someone else, but even for yourself. There is really no better way to lift your spirits than to see a smile come from a stranger after doing something nice for them- for no reason at all except to be nice.

While I enjoy giving random acts of kindness whenever possible (truthfully, it’s always possible and I probably don’t do it nearly enough), I feel that they are gestures that should be shared between you and that stranger. It should be done without the need for attention, without the expectation that you will receive anything in return. They should just happen and you should go on keeping that between you, the stranger and whoever the stranger decides to share it with.

However, I am going to share with you my most recent random act of kindness experience- not because I want to gloat about the good, but instead share with you just how much these little things can do for others in hopes that maybe it will inspire you to the same.

After the Sandy Hook Elementary shootings in Newtown, CT occurred, Ann Curry of  The Today Show encouraged people via social media to participate in 26 Acts of Kindness in honor of the 26 fallen victims at Sandy Hook Elementary. The idea was to find a way to highlight goodness in the wake of horrific tragedy and spread good around, especially during the holidays (although, we really should be doing this all the time).

I, much like I assume every single person who reads this post, was shaken by the tragic events in Newtown. A devastating tragedy that I still can’t really wrap my mind around- so I felt instantly inclined to participate in this 26 Acts of Kindness. Perhaps, in some way I saw it as a way to help, even though at the end of the day I wasn’t helping anyone involved in the shooting at all.

I read about 26 Acts of Kindness on a plane ride from SF to Seattle and couldn’t wait to land and get started. I decided that for this, I would keep it, “simple”. So, I went to Starbucks, bought 26 $5 gift cards and happened to find a holiday greeting card set that fittingly had 26 greeting cards in it and handwrote the same note to 26 strangers and inserted the gift card.

I spent the next few days handing them out in various ways. Most of the cards I left on the car windows of people I parked next to, a fair number I handed to the people who checked me out at registers when I was doing my holiday shopping and a few of them went to homeless people I crossed paths with.

I’m not sure why, but every time I physically handed them to strangers, I felt shy about it. As soon as the register transaction was over, I would awkwardly take the card from my purse and say, “This is for you” and walk away. But, even in the split second between handing the card over and walking away- each time the card took the person by complete surprise and every single person smiled. When I handed them to homeless folks, they gave me the biggest smile of all and excitedly said, “Thank you!” without even knowing what was in the card! It was as if they were just happy to receive a card. The thought of some of their smiles makes me well up with tears as I write this- what an awesome thing to witness.

When it came to the cars, I never got to see the faces of the people I left the cards for, except for one woman. I left it on a car in front of me as I went in to get a coffee from a local coffee shop. When I walked out, the woman was in her car reading the card. I tried not to make eye contact, but she immediately jumped out of the car and said, “Are you Ashley!?” I admitted it was me who wrote the card and she burst into tears over the card and the purpose of the card, which in turn caused me to burst into tears. So, there we were- two complete strangers sharing a moment of kindness and expressing our sympathies for what happened in Newtown. It was truly unforgettable.

While I can’t promise I will always be purchasing gift cards to hand out to random strangers every single day, one thing I can promise is that doing this reminded me just how important it really is to treat everyone, even strangers with genuine kindness. It can truly make someone’s day and it can literally change yours for the better.

Whether you, too choose to participate in 26 Acts of Kindness or simply walk away from this and decide to do something nice once- whatever you do for another that is positive really does make a difference. Big, small, material or immaterial- it all matters and it is bound to make someone’s day.

Well… What are you still reading this for? Go do something nice! ☺