Pay It Forward Thursday

Tomorrow is Thursday. Let's make it Pay It Forward Thursday. Let's do at least one random act of kindness tomorrow.

Why Thursday? Well, why not? You might choose a different day, of course. But it helps to have a specific day to remind you to look for opportunities to pay it forward.

"But, wait," you say. "No one has done anything for me to pass it forward." That is hard to believe. There are so many ways to be kind that there must have been some kindness this week. The key is to be aware. Look for it. Be aware of when someone is kind and be aware of ways you can be kind.

Awareness is a tricky thing. We get focused on work, or a game, or a hobby, or whatever, to the  exclusion of whatever else is going on. When we do that we lose sight of the interactions with people around us.

Or, you are so focused on the negative that you don't see the positive. These days it is easy to look at and for the negative behaviors of others. Turn that off. Look for something positive in what goes on around us.

Avoid labeling people and look for the positive in each one. When people become labels they become things. My grandmother always said that there is something positive in everyone and everything. She was a true silver lining person.

Once we had packed the car with her suitcase for a trip we were taking the next day. But the car had to be serviced. While it was in the mechanic's garage, someone stole her suitcase out of the trunk. Her response was, "Maybe they need those clothes  more than me." She wasn't even angry about it.

So, if you can't find any kindness you've experienced, start the kindness chain yourself! Being kind and thoughtful to someone starts a ripple effect. Make waves. Pay it forward. Make it a habit. Find a way to be kind to someone tomorrow!

Here's an Idea - or Two

The Kindness Campaign encourages you to do acts of kindness every day. Some folks have trouble thinking of things to do, at least until they get into the habit of finding ways to be kind. So, if you need some ideas I'll try to list some for you.

Be aware of what others are doing. Who might you assist? Take your time at the grocery store so you can be aware of someone who might not be able to reach the top shelf, or someone who could use help putting their grocery bags into their car. Is there an elderly person who needs help with something they are no longer able to do themselves? Do you know someone who dosn't have a car and could use a ride?

To whom might you verbalize your thanks for what they do? Be aware of all the things others do to maker life better or easier for someone and thank them for their behaviors. Have you told a wait-staff person thank you for their specific service? Or maybe you see someone in uniform [armed services, or emergency first-responders]. Tell them you are grateful for the work they do. There is a long list of service people that seldom get thanked, or even noticed. Thank your janitor at work and your spouse at home.

Look around wherever you are for little things you might do, like pick up litter, put shopping carts where they belong, re-shelve something that has been dropped on the floor at a store. Put away a family members scattered items when they are having a hard day. Take over a chore from someone who could just use a break.

Drop a card in the mail for someone you haven't seen in a while, or for someone who is ill or having a struggle with something tough. Write a letter to someone who seldom gets mail, maybe an elderly person confined to home or a facility.

Start visiting someone who has few visitors who is in a facility. Even if you have never met, you can make a new friend and make their day. Invite a friend or two to come for a meal. Maybe you can baby sit for a busy mom who could just use a couple of child-free hours.

Have you noticed that these acts of kindness are very inexpensive? You don't have to be wealthy to make a difference in someone's life.

           Yes, they might take a little time. So slow down a little and make time for being kind.

Still With Me? Recruited Anyone Else?

Are you with me as part of the Kindness Campaign to change the world to something better? 

Want to know ways to turn your caring into action?
Today's daily dozen to-do list:

• Gather a few neighbors to dopt an entrance to your neighborhood and periodically have a get-together to keep it weeded and cleaned up. Serve refreshments and make it a Saturday morning party!
• Send cards or letters of appreciation to people you read about in the news who have done good deeds. Send kind thoughts to people you hear about in your community who have suffered a setback. Send "Thinking of You" cards to acquaintances who may be struggling with some issue in their life.
• Write a note to the supervisor of someone who has been particularly helpful, letting him or her know how the employee helped you.
• Collect stories from family members about kind acts, both given and received, and create a family scrapbook. If you have photos, include them with the stories. As years go by and as your children grow, all of yu can review the many ways that kindness has touched your family's life.
• Spruce up the yard of a neighbor or friend who is ill or who has just had surgery or a death in the family.
• Smile and say "hello" to someone you don't know.
• Save box tops for education and donate to a local school, even if you don't have children.
• Create or donate floral arrangements for a senior center, nursing home, police station, hospital or the home-bound.
• Set aside a portion of your garden for a neighbor child to tend, and work in the garden together, offering ideas and expertise as you go. Or simply help a child start a vegetable plant, teach him or her how to tend it, and allow them to take the produce home.
• Sponsor a "Kindness Zone" or "practice Random Acts of Kindness" sign at entrances to the downtown area of your community.
• Put notes of encouragement in library books for someone else to find. [Don't write in the books, of course.]
• Prepare treats for neighbors, emergency workers, mail carriers, coworkers, military personnel, or other community members, along with a note of appreciation. Drop off homemade baked goods to the nearest fire station, police station, emergency room, post office, etc.,  to let them know how much they are appreciated. 
• Share the Kindness Campaign with others; share the blog on FaceBook, Twitter, etc. and enlist more recruits.