Smile

Earlier in the month we had World Laughter Day. Well, today is National Smile Day. Smiles are powerful! I'm told that smiling has a direct link to our brain and can help to reduce stress.  A friendly smile is always a kind act.  Let's do a lot of smiling today!

Ending with more

I'm ending the week with a few more ideas. Volunteer to read to kids in the library. Donate time at a senior center. Give a pair of tickets to a concert or baseball game to a stranger. Send a gift anonymously to a friend. Pay for the person behind you in the movie line. Tell your parents/children why you love them. Give another driver your parking spot. Give flowers to be delivered with meal delivery programs.

more kindness ideas

Give your full attention to someone in need and simply listen.  Stop by a nursing home and visit a resident with no family nearby.  Have a clean-up party in the park.  Bring coworkers a special treat.  Give the gift of your smile.  Draw names at work/school and have people bring a small gift or treat for their secret pal. Deliver fresh-baked cookies to city workers.  Share your smile generously.

Thursday ideas

Take an acquaintance to lunch.  Sponsor people in fundraising walk-a-thons.  Buy cold drinks for the people next to you at a ball game.  Spend some time serving food at a meal program for the needy.  When drivers try to merge into your lane, let them in with a wave and a smile.  Volunteer to be a tutor in a school.  Remember the bereaved with phone calls, cards, plants, and food.  Make a point of finding the name of a supermarket or drugstore employee and then praise him/her through that company’s corporate office.

midweek kindness ideas

Tell your boss that you think he/she does a good job.  Pay for the meal of the person behind you in the drive-through.  Donate blood.  Bring flowers to work and share them with coworkers.  As you go about your day, pick up trash.  Call or visit a homebound person.  Make telephone calls in support of equality urging others to put aside hate.  Pay a compliment at least once a day.

Additional ideas

Here are some additional ideas - Transport someone who can’t drive.  Say something nice to everyone you meet today.  Send a treat to a school or day-care center.  Volunteer at an organization that needs help.  Go through your closets and find several nice items and then donate them to a shelter.  Buy books for a day care or school.  Give toys to the children at a shelter.  Volunteer to fix up an elderly couple’s home.

Monday Ideas

Buy a pack of brightly colored stickers and give them to children you meet during the day.  Let the person behind you in the grocery store go ahead of you in line.  Invite someone new for dinner, either in your home or in a restaurant.  Say nice things randomly to followers on social media.  Buy some bottles of water and randomly hand them out to strangers on the street.  Drop off a plant or a plate of cookies to your nearby police or fire station.  Clean graffiti from neighborhood walls and buildings.  Buy a stranger a free pizza.  Mow a neighbor’s grass or sweep a neighbor’s walk.

A Week of Kindness

Out of ideas?  All this week I intend to share some.  Offer to return a shopping cart to the store for someone loading a car.  Treat someone to fresh fruit Sing at a nursing home.  Open the door for another person.  Leave an extra-large tip for the waitperson.  Tell a bus or taxi driver how much you appreciate their driving.  Call an estranged family member.  Give a bag of groceries to a homeless person.  Give coffee to people on their way to work in the morning.  Leave a treat or handmade note of thanks for a delivery person or mail carrier.

what can I do?

Someone who reads this asked me what they can do. Being kind is just too vague. Well, there really are no rules. We can all be kind in different ways. Sometimes, a good starting point it random acts of kindness that we plan. All next week I will share some ideas here. Please feel free to add your own ideas as well!

Nine years later

After writing this for nine years, you might think I would run out of things to say. I'll admit that some mornings the words come easier than others. At the core though the message is always the same: Be kind. I cannot stop until we all become kinder, me included. It really makes a positive difference. Helping to make other people happy is very rewarding.

Oh joy!

Perhaps I sound like a little kid on Christmas morning, but there is something magical about seeing another person experiencing joy.  When you know that you helped to bring it about, well that seems to make it even more special.  I love trying to make people happy.  It's probably my favorite thing to do!

it's coming

Growing up, this was one of my favorite times of the year.  School was nearly finished for the year.  Summer was just days away.  The weather was getting nicer.  Oh my!  What not to like, huh?  These days I prefer to not think of what's coming but instead, what is already here.  I prefer to try to make each day great and each day full of kindness!

Like stepping on to the surface of the sun

It's 99° where I live, and it's only 7am.  I keep hearing about other really hot cities.  In Phoenix I'm told it was 122° yesterday!  I told someone that is like stepping on to the surface of the sun!  On hot days like these, kindness is more and more important.  People are not comfortable, so help them with a pleasant attitude.  Stay hydrated.  You might want to carry an extra bottle or two of water to share with others.  Don't forget the animals too.  They won't be liking this heat either!  The good news for me is I am moving this week to a much cooler city!

YOUR kindness

I could easily go on and out speaking here of being kind, 

but I would also love to hear about your kindness.  

Seriously.  

Using the comments section below, tell us about a kind 

thing you regularly do or you are trying to do, or maybe 

some suggestions for all of us to do!

overflowing with kindness

Hello everyone!  Happy Sunday!  I hope you are having a good week, overflowing with kindness.  If not, you know what to do.  Get out there and be extra kind.

honoring our LGBTQ+ elders

Today is a time to recognize and celebrate the contributions and struggles of older LGBTQ+ individuals who paved the way for equality and social acceptance.  It is National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day and I think this is a great idea.  Let us continue to build on the path they have begun.

middle of the month

I can't believe it's the middle of the month already! Oh my!  There's a feeling of spring in the air but summer is just around the corner. In so many places, this is one of the most beautiful times of the year. Mother nature is so kind to us, be sure to return the favor. Be kind to the environment. Enjoy the beauty of the earth and share that beauty with others.

Be patient

Never give up. 

Great things take time. 

Be patient.

dream BIG

In life, we are often encouraged to dream big. But what happens when you have several dreams? Is it possible to have many projects going at once? Well, I firmly believe our time here is way too short to get to the end and wonder what if I had tried that. I have several projects I am involved with, and I encourage you to do likewise. Kindness is always part of the picture.

this blog

There are many types of blogs on the internet covering a variety of subjects. This one is about kindness, a type of behavior marked by acts of concern for others, rendering assistance, and generosity. As I have said here before, I'm not an expert, but hopefully by writing about it every day, I will become better at it. Do feel free to share your own thoughts on the subject and continue to check in daily to see what I have to say.

surrounded by family and friends

Last night a woman died in the apartment building where I live.  That is not unusual.  She was old and had health issues.  What is especially sad to me is that she died alone.  Often in obituaries it will say "surrounded by family and friends."  That wasn't the case for this woman.  Police discovered her while doing a welfare check.  My message today is to cherish your family and your friends.  Nobody should have to be alone.  

Mother's Day thought

On this Mother's Day, here is something that actress Sophia Loren once said: “When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.”

A little help please

What can be said that hasn't already been said about kindness?  A little help please.  Some days I feel like I am repeating myself.  Sometimes a fresh point of view is helpful.  What are your thoughts?  What does kindness mean to you?

almost 100

Folks seem to live longer these days and if you can have a long life and a healthy one, how wonderful, right? I have a neighbor down the hall who is 99. He is in a wheelchair but seems to be happy and is always smiling.  He recently wrote a song and is hoping to have it professional recorded.  He talks about his 100th birthday which will come in August and he is really looking forward to it.  He seems to be such a kind man.

Many seeing kindness

Many of my friends have been reporting on social media, about seeing various acts of kindness.  I'm always happy to hear stories of kind acts, and especially now that there seems to be so many.  Let's keep it going.  We can never have too much kindness!

National Nurses Day

Today is National Nurses Day. My mom was a nurse and as a longtime hospital volunteer, I am in daily contact with many nurses. Hardworking, compassionate, and kind is how I would describe most nurses. Let us celebrate their profession and their dedication and most of all, be kind to our nurses.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo isn’t Mexico’s Independence Day. It actually commemorates a significant battle during the Franco-Mexican War that took place in a town called Puebla. Tacos are a staple at any Cinco de Mayo party, but the holiday's most beloved dish is mole poblano. Did you know that? Of course, today is also a very good excuse to be kind, just like every day!

volunteer to be kind

Yesterday I was at a women's health fair with the hospital where I volunteer.  What a wonderful event.  I saw so much kindness and so many people were thanking me and my fellow volunteers for our service.  Giving my time really makes me feel good, and it is also a great feeling to be appreciated.

World Laughter Day

World Laughter Day is celebrated annually on the first Sunday of May to promote health, happiness, and global peace through laughter. What a kind idea. Dr Madan Kataria, a family physician in India, was inspired to start this and I recently learned that there are actually thousands of Laughter Clubs in more than 115 countries.

Princess Diana said

I love the encouraging words from Princess Diana who said, "Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you."

today, tomorrow, and every day

Always be kind.  Not just sometimes, but today, tomorrow, and every day!