#26 Acts of Kindness

So I don’t know if you have seen the campaign that has taken off  started by Ann Curry about doing 26 Acts of Kindness for  the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting. I think this is a fabulous idea.

Of course, some people are up in arms and asking why are we just doing this now, etc. And while, I definitely do not think it should take a tragedy for us to act and be nice to each other; I do think doing this can only help all of us. I think this may inspire us to take time each week to be doing random acts of kindness for others.

We all deal with tragedy differently and I am not even going to try to understand how the families and those directly affected feel. I know all of us are just trying to make sense of something that in all honestly probably will never make sense. It just won’t. So I think taking time to remember what is important, and helping others out will help all of us.

A Facebook Page has been started, 26 Acts of Kindness and when you tweet out there are hashtags #26acts & #26actsofkindness.

I do want to say that anyone using this tragedy for their own means, to gain followers, etc. is absolutely despicable and horrible. I could not imagine why they would feel that is appropriate BUT, I also feel like getting the word out about this is truly honoring those innocent victims, and those brave teachers and administrators who lost their lives. It recognizes the brave firemen, policemen, detectives, emergency personnell and others who risked their lives running into the scene where they had no idea what to expect or if they would potentially be shot at. There are so many heroes to come from this tragedy, and I am sure they would tell you they are not a hero but were just doing what they would hope you would do. They deserve to be honored.

Now, these are just ones I have come up with. I am sure there are lots more!  One thing I think you should do no matter what Acts of Kindness you do is include a note with the hashtag or in memory of the victims.  I am sure anyone who is a recepient of a random act of kindness would want to pass it on.

• Hand out cards with a few dollars in them to random strangers
• Put quarters in the candy machines
• Leave giftcards/notes on cars
• Beds/towels/food to an animal shelter
• Leave a treat in someone’s cart
• Random thank you notes to people who have made an impact on your life
• Food to a neighbor
• Visit the sick/elderly
• Cookies to the firestation
• Donate to a cause
• Pay off someone’s layaway for Christmas
• Toys to the hospital
• Pay for car behind you at drive-thru/Starbucks
• 100% tip at a restautant
• Buy some candy and attach a nice note
• Donate airline miles
• Christmas cards or packages to those serving overseas
• Writing Thank You Notes to the First Responders (addresses here)
• Pay someones meter

And there are SO many more!  I wrote this more as a help to me as well to remember things to do, not just now but always.  Imagine if everyone did 26 Acts of Kindness or even in normal day to day just one act a week… how many millions of Kindness acts would we accomplish.