A Laundry List of Kindness
I think most of us get caught up in our own lives and the daily busyness that we put on ourselves, forgetting that the simplest of things can make the most significant impact on someone else. A smile, a compliment, paying for a meal.
There are many ways to show kindness toward people, and I have often thought the best act of kindness is forgiveness. Turn the page and start fresh.
Leaving behind a bit of kindness without someone knowing it was you, such as leaving a basket of fruit or a box of food items on a doorstep with a simple note saying, “Have a wonderful day.”
Take someone who is having an emotionally difficult time out to lunch and just talk ... and listen. It can do wonders for that person knowing you care enough to listen.
Pick any soldier overseas and write them a letter expressing your thanks for their service.
Thank a First Responder for all they do.
Perhaps donate to a charity.
Donate Christmas gifts to an orphanage.
Bake cookies and bring them to Senior retirement centers.
Volunteer to serve food at a homeless shelter.
Get involved in a fundraiser.
Learn to say hello in a different language: Bonjour ... Hallo ... Ciao ... Kon’nichiwa ...
Hola ... Ni hǎo. ... dzien dobry (French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Chinese, and Polish.)
Here is one we tend to often forget to do ... send a letter to someone you know instead of an email or a text. It becomes a more meaningful touch of closeness.
Become a Mentor to someone young.
Rake the leaves or mow the lawn for a neighbor.
Donate your hair after a haircut.
For no reason other than because you can ... tell the person you are with how much you love them.
Be kind to yourself.
These are just a few of my favorite things to do when I can. (Although these days, my hair is getting to thin to donate!)