It’s time for another 26 random acts post. You can read more about the project here and check out round up #1 and roundup #2 to read some of the other stories.
1. Melissa C. – I was in line at a local deli during lunch hour getting a sandwich when I noticed a Marine in uniform behind me. When I got up to the counter I told the girl behind the counter to put his lunch on my bill as well. He heard it and insisted that I need not do that. So I explained to him that I was performing one of 26 acts of kindness for the lives lost at Sandy Hook elementary. Several people in line heard this and stated that they were touched and would pay it forward. He said that it made his day and he would go out tomorrow and perform an act of kindness as well. Something small but sometimes it’s the little things that make a big difference 🙂
2. Jennifer F. – My random act of kindness was leaving Starbucks gift cards in 2 locations in my office for someone to find. I hope it was a good pick-me-up on a Monday morning!
3. Marissa P. – A few years ago I was given this bracelet to provide me strength and hope at a time in my life when I was lacking both. A few weeks ago, I passed this on to someone at my office who I heard was going through some tough stuff. Attached is the note I left on her desk.
4. Linda V. – I’ve been handing out little red dress pins that I got from the American Heart Association in support of Go Red For Women. I’m giving them to friends, family and anyone else who I think it may impact. Heart disease is the #1 Killer of women and so much of it can be prevented.
5. Hannah S. – Although not original, I liked the idea of what sparked the PBR Random Act Movement. As you can see, from the attached pictures, I went to Marshalls and left $5 for an unsuspecting person. Hopefully, this Random Act will inspire whoever finds it to pay if forward.
6. Kelly C. – So my random act of kindness was taking 5 people in my life who have helped me be a better person and writing a thank you note to them. It’s not very often I take the time to handwrite a note thanking the special people in my life. May seem a bit simple, but I’m hoping these “thank you for being you” notes are appreciated!
7. Stephanie K. – I paid for someones coffee and cookies. 🙂
8. Pamela H. – Just made dinner for a neighbor with a new baby. I don’t know her so I’m leaving it on her step. Bread, soup, cheese and wine.
9. Abigail B. – I printed the attached photo on a 4×6 piece of photo paper and hung it up on the mirror in our dorm bathroom. I can’t remember if it is still there or not, but I heard people talking about it! I know that as girls, we can all be very critical of ourselves, and wanted to leave a little reminder to let everyone know that they are beautiful and special.
10. Emily S. – A friend of mine at work recently bought a house with her fiance and they are in the midst of trying to find common ground on decorating preferences and what not. I decided to get her a candle and a $50 gift card to Williams-Sonoma/Pottery Barn, just to help start them off on getting something nice for their house!
11. Sally F. – For my act of kindness, I decided to make these inspiration flyers. I put them around my church and people actually participated! I am in team 4. I got the idea from pinterest.
12. Sarah S. – I spent the afternoon cleaning up my running trail in my local town. I run through this trail most days and there is always rubbish on the ground. I found it humbling to clean up the area and make a difference to the environment.
13. Lisa N. (she did all 26!)
1-5 : Left three dollars on the windshields of five cars.
6-10 : Gave away $5 gift cards to Subway
11-15 : Covered a week of night shift for a teammate (5 worknights)
16 : Covered one night of oncall for a teamamte so he could go to dinner with his Mom who was up from Delaware
17: Baked oatmeal cranberry white chocolate chip cookies for my team
18: Donated food to Arlington Food Assistance Center
19: Donated coats and warm winter clothes to Community Closet in Bridgeport, Ct
20. Picked up trash in my neighborhood
21. Fed the birds, they need love too! : )
22. Made it a habit of holding doors for others.
23. Donated when I cashed out at Petsmart
24. Helped an older woman find some items in the store. (I think she thought I worked there!)!
25. Bought someone who looked cold a cup of coffee
26. Let someone go ahead of me in line at the grocery who was ina hurry.
This was a good exercise. I found that even simply smiling and exchanging pleasantries with folks can do alot to improve both my mood and others! This was a tough year for me (breakup and an injury). It helps putting focus on others. Thanks again!
14. Cassie R. – For my random act of kindness, I paid for groceries for a mom and her child. I was standing behind them in the grocery store and she just seemed to be struggling. Her daughter was pestering her about wanting a candy bar but the woman kept her cool and was very patient. She was only buying about $25 worth of food, so I calmly told her that I would like to pay for her groceries. Her eyes lit up but then she wondered if I was joking. She asked why and I explained the random act of kindness. I swiped my credit card and she thanked me and went on her way. It was a great feeling to be able to make someone’s night!
15. Amanda Mae A. – While I was out running errands this week, I picked up a $10 Starbucks card, and then left it inside a note on the windshield of a car in the parking lot of Walmart. It’s been freezing here (for GA), so hopefully someone will be able to enjoy a couple of warm drinks! I was really surprised how much just completing this act made me think. I was doing this in honor of a tiny child whose life was taken too soon. I started to feel like this small thing was not enough to honor him or her. I wish I could do more. But ultimately, hundreds of people are completing these acts across the country to honor these children, and I am grateful that I am able to be a part of that.
16. Erin M. – I was at Target the other day and stuck this envelope on someone’s windshield!
18. Grace T. – I brought hot chocolate to the reoccurring homeless man perched around the corner from my house. It’s 15 degrees here in DC, and I wanted to send warmth, comfort, and a reminder to be happy.19. Ally A. (she did several)1. I was in California for a work retreat last weekend and happened on a local race in Santa Monica on my morning run. As I was watching runners come up on the finish line I knew they could use a little extra motivation, so I began running towards them shouting words of encouragement to help them push through the final little bit.
2. Paid for someone’s coffee behind me in line at Starbucks.
3. Putting money in expired parking meters (parking in DC is the absolute worst).
I wish there was more that I could have done, and I hope to use this exercise to become more aware of what is happening around me. I know we all have hard days, and I know I’ve had more than my fair share lately, but there is no reason to not perform an “act of kindness” whenever an opportunity presents itself. We shouldn’t have to rely on a national tragedy for us to all come together.
23. McRae H. – I’ve attached a picture of a Pocket Angel. Growing up, my Mom always has these little pewter angels in her purse and hands them out to complete strangers when she feels like they need it. She seriously has a sixth sense for it.
I mailed one in a card to a couple I do not know, but who I’ve followed on their Facebook group (Remembering Ann Reese) after they tragically lost their 3 yr old daughter right before Christmas. Sometimes when you are going through something, I think it helps to have something tangible to hold.
24. Catherine H. – I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I first signed up on your blog. There is a no-kill shelter located in Jackson, MS that I somehow ended up following on Facebook. I’m over 300 miles away, but I think I found them through a friend. Anyway, this shelter has gone over and beyond for their animals. Back in November they were even forced to move their shelter from their past location because the county had a breed restriction policy, and they welcomed Pit Bulls and other so called “dangerous breeds”. The people at the shelter work so hard for every single animal that comes through there. I’ve never witnessed such love and nurturing for an animal as I have seen with the people who run this shelter. Things are obviously tight around there because they are always asking for food donations, beds, etc. to keep the animals in good conditions.
I’m not even sure if it’s considered a random act of kindness because these people exhibit kindness every single day, but I just wanted to be able to help them out. So for my random act I bought a $50 Petsmart gift card and put your note in it and mailed it to them. Four days later they posted it to Facebook and thanked the random person!
25. Jen P. – Left $26 on a car window in the Walgreens parking lot.
26. Tamira C. – On a particularly foggy and gloomy Staurday morning after Body Pump I decided to make my way to Walmart to pick up some unnecessary “essentials”. I was hoping this trip would be a much needed distraction from the iphone meets the washing machine fiasco that played out the night before as I attempted to get ahead on some laundry. Needless to say that mini-drama did not end well and I had been in a sour mood since I recovered my phone from the washer while switching out loads. Don’t get me wrong, I consider myself to be a far cry from a materialistic person but I am pretty sure that I was going through the 7 cycles of grief and I was stuck in the anger phase mainly because the phone held so many priceless videos of our now 6 month old daughter.
So here I am 24 hours later pouting and silently truding across the Walmart parking lot with my eyes glued to the pavement and my mind on my recent “misfortune”. As I stopped at the first row of cars to scan for traffic in front of the store I heard someone stop beside me and say, “Miss? Excuse me Miss?” Scowling and huffing aloud I looked to my right and met the warm brown eyes and smiling face of homeless man, “Excuse me Miss, you wouldn’t happen to have any spare change would you?” he asked. “No I don’t right now but maybe after I finish shopping I might have some” I replied as I went back to scanning the cars passing by the store front.
“My name is Wille Miss, what’s yours?” he asked now looking at the side of my face. I turned to look a him, “My name is Tamira” I replied dryly. “Well Miss Tamira I don’t know whats got you down but everything will be ok and it was nice to meet you,” he said warmly as he extended his hand for me to shake. As I shook his hand and looked at his smiling face shame and gratitude instantly washed over me. I felt so ashamed for pouting about my silly phone compared to the real problems people are facing out there and gratitude for his smile and kind words. Continuing to look into his eyes I asked if he was hungry.
“I can always eat” he said. “Well can I treat you to lunch?” I asked. “That would make my day,” he replied still smiling. As we approached the counter I told him to order whatever he wanted. I am pretty sure he had every topping that Subway offered on the two subs that he ordered. Once his order was complete and his food was ready he looked at me and said, “Thank you so much Miss Tamira you really made my day.” “No problem Wille and thank you for speaking to me. Enjoy your meal and be sure to get as many drink refills as you want,” I replied warmly.
After I left him to enjoy his meal I left the store without without buying anything for myself. The whole ride home I smiled while reflecting on how blessed I am to have the ability to do something like that for someone in need. It is still crazy to me how someone with so little gave me so much and completely turned my day around by letting me do something for them. I will be forever grateful and humbled by that experience.
#26! Wow!! What a fantastic story 🙂
Jen, you’re crazy (not really). On vacation but still keeping your blog up-to-date for all of your followers, Thank You!!!
Number 26 was such a touching story. And it really does make you realise that no matter what you’re going through you have so much to be grateful for.