Good Deeds

I have been toying with the idea of starting a “Random Acts of Kindness” blog or website for a while now. I love the idea of providing a forum for people to share either their own random acts of kindness towards others, or those that have been bestowed upon them.

The only way to truly squash negativity is to displace it with positive thinking, acts of kindness and optimism. Every one of us can make a difference. Every one of us is capable of great things. We simply have to believe in ourselves  and take action.

Random acts of kindness can be anything; any kind gesture, word or deed that benefits another in any way, small or great. A couple of examples from my own recent experiences: 

• A couple of weeks ago I was at the grocery store and I had a small basket of items. My neighbour, Rita, had a cart loaded with groceries and insisted I check out before her. I was running short on time and REALLY appreciated her gesture of kindess.

• A few weeks back I was barricaded in my office working through month end reports and frustrated with reconciling accounts when I received an email from a colleague a couple of offices down from mine. His message said, “Is everything okay in there?” I wrote back that I was focusing on work and other than being frustrated I was fine. He replied that he thought he could hear someone crying and was afraid that it was me and that something bad had happened in my world. This meant the world to me. Many men might run in the opposite direction at the thought of a hysterical woman, but this wonderful soul was brave enough to make sure I was okay. I reassured him that I was fine and even stepped out of my office so he could see my mascara was intact. The ‘crying’ must have been a squeak in our HVAC system or something. In any case, his kindness touched me and helped me survive month end reconciliation.

• Last week my husband called me at work to make sure I had had breakfast. He knew I had been rushed getting ready for work that morning and he offered to drop by with a bagel if I needed it. That kindness changed the entire course of my day.

Little things make a big difference. I hope you’ll share your stories of kindness as well. Perhaps you’ll inspire someone in your world to do a good deed, and in turn they will inspire someone in theirs and on and on and on...