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! ☺

Random Acts of Kindness Should Happen More Often

I've always been a firm believer in Karma, paying it forward, and doing good towards others- even perfect strangers and with that I've always been touched anytime I witness others engaging in good deeds.

On a personal level, I try my best to be someone who does nice things for people I don't know, people who haven't always been kind towards me, and of course those who have gone out of their way to do both nice things for me and nice things for others. I may not be perfect at it, but I try. I think there's very few things in life that make you feel as wonderful as doing good for others does, which leads me to a recent Random Act of Kindness I experienced while simply getting a cup of Joe.

The other day I walked into my local coffee shop near my house. It was just another trip to fix my craving/need for caffeine- I did my usual scan of the shop to see what everyone was up to (reading and laptop immersion), then took a look at the menu on the wall as if I was really contemplating changing my everyday Non-Fat, Vanilla Latte. I noticed the two people in front of me happened to have ordered the exact same drink (some sort of frozen, green concoction), and I also noticed they didn't know one another. I thought about the randomness and neatness of two strangers ordering such an odd drink and then proceeded to order mine. The man in front of me quietly whispered to the Barista that he would cover the woman's drink. This of course leaving me with rushing feelings of happiness.

The woman was shocked and grateful, almost speechless. I suppose it's not TOO out of the ordinary, but I did think it was a neat gesture, especially since it didn't follow up with any kind of cheesy pick-up line or, "I want to get to know you's". As I ordered my drink, the woman proceeded to stand at the front of the line; assuming she just needed something, I thought nothing of it. That was until she informed the barista that she'd be paying for my drink. Immediately, I was flabbergasted. As she smiled from ear to ear in happiness over what the man in line had done for her, her smile had become contagious. Now, I was smilinig from ear to ear, the barista was smiling from ear to ear, the man who purchased her drink was smiling from ear to ear. The positive energy could literally be felt throughout the entire coffee shop and as I looked around, everyone in the coffee shop was looking up and smiling.

Unfortunately, there was no one behind me to pay for to keep the paying it forward at that moment going, and while one day soon I will make sure I do, I left the coffee shop that day filled with happiness and gratefulness brought on by two perfect strangers simply providing a random act of kindness. Could you imagine if every person did just one random act of kindness a day? Talk about being a better place....