Have you been performing 31 Days of Random Acts of Kindness? I’ve had so much fun in the past week being extra kind and seeing the reactions of strangers. I’ve also noticed many people performing random acts of kindness for me.

What have I done? I’ve . . .

• Treated my favorite 1st year Foresters to brunch at Egg Harbor Cafe and given them finals survival bags to get them through their first set of college finals.
• Held multiple doors for people entering and exiting buildings.
• Offered to let a woman with fewer groceries go ahead of me in line, but my offer was turned down.
• Helped my brother purchase a new truck by going and test driving it for him and checking it out top to bottom. (This should also count as a new experience because I’ve never done this before – I ALWAYS take a guy with me when I’m buying a car.)
• Passed out candy canes and wished people happy holidays.
• Thanked Fernando, the maintenance man at my condo building, for his hard work. Actually, I do this every time I see him.
• Picked up garbage left in my condo building’s garage over the weekend.
• Made it a point to drive extra nicely. (I’m a pretty considerate driver normally, so I extended that extra kindness.)
• Collected food and other items to deliver to the local food pantry at the end of this week.
• Thanked hospital staff for their kindness in helping to schedule new medical tests and surgery I have to have before Christmas.

I’ve also noticed many Random Acts of Kindness being performed for me.

• I was in JoAnn Fabrics the other day buying yarn to knit this scarf when the woman in front of me at the check-out counter turned around and offered me her 50% off coupon. This coupon only saved me $5.00, but $5.00 is $5.00 and I greatly appreciated her generosity.
• That same day, I received an email from a blogger who had stumbled across my blog post, Elf on the Shelf Turns This Hater into a Believer, as she was researching a post she was writing for The Huffington Post. She said she loved my post and had quoted me. On The Huffington Post. I was quoted on The Huffington Post. This not only made my day, but it made my month.
• Knowing that finances are tough right now, a friend generously offered to help me out right now. I know he wasn’t taking pity on me or anything like that, but genuinely wanting to help make my life a little easier in what’s been a pretty tough year. Although I couldn’t accept his offer, simply knowing that he had put that much thought into it and cared enough to make the offer, means the world to me. Of course, I was gracious and appreciative.
• In an effort to reduce the amount of running her around between now and Christmas, my mom has gone out of her way to arrange for rides on days she needs them. This saves me time, money in gas consumption, and wear and tear on my car. She knows there are a number of things going on that I have to focus on right now and I appreciate that she’s doing all she can to reduce my stress.
• I needed two medical tests last week and had to make the appointments in two separate departments. When I got to the second department, the kind woman asked if I’d like to move the first appointment so I didn’t have to make two trips to the hospital. Heck yes I wanted to do that! Save me a trip to the hospital, thank you so very much!
• A person I greatly respect made a point of seeking me out to thank me for my volunteer work, offered to be a reference for me, and help me in any way he can to find the perfect job fit.

I heard a story this week about performing Random Acts of Kindness that made me sad and I thought was worth sharing.

As part of a discussion on Facebook about making Homeless Helper Bags, a woman chimed in sharing that she had created some bags a few years ago and was passing them out when a homeless gentleman who was rummaging through a trash bin yelled at her for offering him a bag. She felt very discouraged because her offer was rebuffed. She went on to say that she’s never done it again because of this one incident.

When we attempt to perform Random Acts of Kindness, we have no control over how other people will react. Some people will react enthusiastically and with gratitude, while others will less enthusiastic and maybe even rude. Other people’s responses are rarely about us. Rather, they speak to the experience of life those people are having. If someone says “no thank you” to your attempt to do something nice for them or even if they’re rude about it, our job is to simply wish them a pleasant day.

In the case of the woman who was rudely rebuffed by the dumpster diver, she has no idea if he suffers from any sort of mental illness, is an addict reacting to his inability to get high, or something else. I hope she doesn’t let the one bad experience sour her on helping people. Her help may change someone’s life.

To me, that’s the exciting part of Random Acts of Kindness. We never know how our two-second generosity will reverberate like the stone thrown into the pond creates ripples.

I love hearing about how you’re spreading goodwill throughout your life. Please share your Random Acts of Kindness in the comments below.

Need ideas for Random Acts of Kindness? Check out this post, 31 Random Acts of Kindness – 2014 Elf on the Shelf Edition. And don’t forget to share on social media using the hashtag #31RAOK.

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