Kindness Knows No Calendar

I've been thinking about kindness a lot ... and I still maintain that it's the real global warming ... so instead of just thinking and talking about it, I'm sharing some tried-and-true ideas for intentionally sprinkling kindness.

1. Give a gift card to an unsuspecting recipient. On Friday, I saw two young military men visiting at a Starbucks, so after I purchased a drink with a Counselors Week gift card, I put it on their table with my thanks for serving. It might be a little weird, because the balance was $7.15, but I figured it'll treat them to a coffee and some cake, a really small gesture of kindness in return for our freedom because of their service. We must never forget!

2. Send someone a link to an inspirational clip, like this one:

Prepare them to be Blown Away; and don't forget the tissues!

Or send a song like this one: Kind-Hearted Hand.

3. Bake something, like a loaf of banana or pumpkin bread, and take it to a friend, a neighbor, your work colleagues. This past semester, we made a little loaf with every batch of bread and we systematically sent them with Joshua for his seven teachers at the high school. We'd usually put a little note with it that said, "Thank you for positively influencing Joshua this year!" It may not surprise you that HS teachers aren't often given any special treats by their teenaged students ... one of the teachers even sent a hand-written note in the mail to thank Joshua and me for our thoughtfulness. I just love an old-fashioned hand-crafted note.

Here's one I received recently from a third grader that totally touched my heart.

There's just nothing like a homemade thank-you note!

4. Pick up a small caramel or mocha frappe from McDonald's ($2.38) and deliver it to someone in the service industry. I took one last week to a local banker, a Rotarian who actually issues the check each semester for our daughter's Rotary Scholarship. He seemed delighted by the surprise of receiving something as he was giving and he gladly took it off of my hands. But equally as important, I left there with an extra spring in my step. Kindness is its own reward.

I'm lovin' it ...

5. Call someone on the phone for no reason, just to reconnect. In an age when our thoughts are widely communicated through the written word, it sure comforts to hear an old familiar voice on the other end of that receiver. Better yet, call them to set up a play date for a coffee chat or to take a long walk. My friend Carol regularly initiates dinner outings so that we can catch up, and her invitations are always perfectly timed. A phone call is such a small kindness with a positively huge impact.

And since kindness knows no calendar, you can keep on planning

those random acts for this week ... and beyond!