It’s been a while since I’ve written a kindness-themed post, so I wanted to take the time to share a few of my adventures from World Kindness Day and perhaps inspire you to do the same!
Each year on November 13, people all around the world join in the fun of completing kind acts for others. This year, World Kindness Day fell on Friday the 13th, an ironic twist on adding light and love to the world. (Who would expect anything less for the craziness we’ve already experienced in 2020?)
My day began by loading up my car with two huge shopping bags filled with books from my son’s bookshelf. Many were like-new condition and I hated the thought of tossing them out. As he transitioned to middle school, I knew the time would come when we would need to let go of the beginning reader and simple chapter books. What I didn’t know was who would benefit from our treasured texts.
I called a few local charities. Some were closed due to COVID. Others said they weren’t in need of children’s books. I thought about donating them to a daycare center, but many were elementary-aged books so they might not be a good fit for the youngest of readers.
I decided to drive around and put a few books here and there in Little Free Libraries I saw in front of schools and businesses. One elementary school closer to the city had a message on their front marque reminding students and parents to please return their library books to the container on their front steps. I felt that little nudge to leave all my books there, for them to distribute to any child who want a “new-to-me” book to read.
I figured if they had COVID concerns, they could quarantine the books for several days (or even weeks) before distributing to others.
After giving away all my books, I stopped by the Dollar Tree to hide a few surprises for children to discover – enough money to purchase any item with tax included!
Can you imagine the joy of being a little kid again, finding a dollar bill, then realizing you have enough money to buy ANYTHING IN THE ENTIRE STORE?! Oh my goodness! Thinking about the children who would be blessed by this surprise made my heart soar!
On my way back to my car, I noticed quite a bit of litter strewn about in the parking lot. I picked up all the trash in my path, then walked back to the store to throw it away in the appropriate receptacle. Along the way, I passed a shopper who was also wearing a kindness-themed shirt (and face mask!) and wished her a Happy World Kindness Day. Another woman overheard us and said, “World Kindness Day! I like that! We should be kind every day!” I absolutely agree!
Next, I headed to the grocery store to purchase a gift card and a congratulations card. The owners of my favorite little coffee shop had a baby a few weeks ago, so I wanted to surprise them with a gift they could use.
While there, I also bought a box of white chocolate macadamia nut cookies for my family to enjoy when I returned home!
As I made my way to my favorite little coffee shop, I decided to pay-it-forward by purchasing a drink for a stranger. I went into the shop, purchased a coffee for myself, then purchased a $10 gift card. When the cashier handed me the gift card, I gave it back to her. “Please use this to purchase someone else’s coffee until the money runs out!” I then wished her a Happy World Kindness Day and thanked her for all her hard work.
As always, my coffee was made to perfection, and I was able to hand-deliver my congratulations card to the owner himself. He added a few finishing touches to my Dulce de Leche which I sipped on as I wrote thank you cards for the administrators at my two schools, thanking them for their leadership in what is undoubtably one of the toughest years of their careers.
To wrap up a wonderful World Kindness Day, I decided to give away an autographed copy of A Passion for Kindness and a $25 Amazon gift card in a random drawing I held on Twitter for anyone who tweeted an act of kindness using the hashtag #passionforkindness. I put the names of people in a bag and had my son choose the winner!
There has been great discussion lately about whether or not we should share our kind acts publicly or complete them in secret, without the world’s eyes peering in. I respect the perspectives on both sides of the proverbial fence and have found joy in scattering my seeds of kindness in a multitude of ways.
When I began my kindness journey in 2012, I was terrified to share my stories with the world as I was convinced there would be a landslide of negativity with people misunderstanding my purpose and intent. It took a lot of courage to share my stories then and I find it takes courage to share them now, eight years later.
The one thing I have learned throughout those years of being a kindness cultivator is that I can’t always worry about what others are thinking. Many times I don’t know the outcome of my RAKs. I rarely meet the recipients of kind acts such as these. I simply trust the process of listening to the whisper on my heart that nudges me to “Go. Do.”
When I feel that undeniable pull to write about my adventures and share them with the world, there is always a chance that my stories will be twisted into something they are not.
It’s a risk I’m willing to take.
I believe each act of kindness we complete makes a positive difference in the life of someone else, even if only for a moment. It’s that little spark of light that reminds people that they matter, they are seen, they are valued.
I know from personal experience that kindness can change lives, because it has changed mine.
I am no longer the person I once was before.
I am transformed by kindness seen, given, and received.
Happy World Kindness Day everyone! I hope you continue to shine like the sun with your kind acts for those around you. Thank you for being such faithful readers and always sharing in my joy with the stories I write!
