Weeks 7-9

Sunday: Filled out a positive review for a product I bought a long time ago and never reviewed.
Monday: Sent a message to a former co-worker who taught me an intervention to use with my work kiddos that I use all the time. Since I used it again that day, I thought I'd let her know how much I appreciated it.
Tuesday: The previous evening, one of my co-workers told us that she had a house fire. So I went to work determined to do something to help. I immediately (well, immediately after getting clearance from my supervisor) sent out a mass email to everyone in the office to let them know what happened and take up donations for a gift card.
Wednesday: I paid for someone's coffee in the drive through behind me.
Thursday: My co worker who had the house fire came back to work after missing a few days. I bought her lunch that day because she needed something to make her smile and free lunch always makes people smile, right?
Friday: The husband has had some stress at work lately and one particular person has been extremely helpful to him. I sent this person a text letting him know how much I appreciated him and the support he has given the husband.
Saturday: I ordered delivery that day. In the space where it says "additional instructions for driver" I wrote "Drive Safely!". I should also mention that I pretty much forced the husband to go SCUBA diving on this day to get himself unstressed. He said that should count as my act of kindness for the day. I just think it was being a supportive wife.

Sunday: Let someone in front of me at a merge in traffic. They are doing road construction on one of the streets to my house and a lane closes completely at one point, so I have been doing a lot of letting people in!
Monday: Complimented a member of a treatment team on the job she is doing with a client. This client has a lot of needs and I am impressed with this person's ability to handle them as she sees this client more often than I do.
Tuesday: Complimented a co-workers outfit. Shallow? Maybe a little. But I think everyone likes to hear a compliment, even if it is on what they look like.
Wednesday: Held the door with a smile for someone.
Thursday: I went to a "paint and sip" place for my birthday/birthweek. Even though it was not required or even asked for, I gave the painter a healthy tip.
Friday: And to follow up, I submitted a positive review for the painter and specifically named him in an online review.
Saturday: My birthday! I had two desserts, which was kind to me! Also, the boss of the person mentioned in the previous Friday entry was at the event that we were at. The husband and I made sure to let him know how well his employee was doing and what an asset he is to the organization.

Sunday: The husband has been working on an aspect of self improvement lately, and I have noticed some good things that he has changed. I made sure to point this out to him.
Monday: Let someone out turn out in front of me in traffic. They would have been waiting a long time had I not done that. Traffic on a street under construction when it is down to one lane is no joke.
Tuesday: I complimented a co-worker on a job well done. We don't get a lot of compliments in our field, and the success stories are long and arduous journeys, so compliments are valuable!
Wednesday: The one school I get to go to had a stack of free books that they were purging from the school library. I saw one that had a topic of something that our fantastic camp director was looking for information on, so I grabbed it for her.
Thursday: One of my co-workers was running late and did not have time to get coffee before our meeting in the morning (the horror!) so I got some for her.
Friday: Held a door for someone, despite running late myself. Even though it only took a few more seconds of my day, sometimes that seems like too much to give others. In the long run, holding that door did not make a difference at all in how late/early/on time I was to where I had to be.
Saturday: Complimented the cooks at the restaurant that we went to for dinner.

So yeah...this was a three week entry. It was intended to be a two week entry, because my co-worker who was the beneficiary of the donated gift card reads this blog (hi A!) and I didn't want her to know about it until after we gave it to her. Then time just got away from me.

Regarding the gift card and donations, I have to say that I am so glad to be a part of such a caring organization. We put together way more money that I thought we would, and so many people came out of the woodwork to offer specific household goods and other things to her. I love knowing that I work with people who are kind and generous with their money that they work so hard for, as well as building a sense of community in the organization. We work in non-profit. It doesn't pay great and we are always working hard on little resources. But when asked, people will step up.
                                            

Weeks 5 & 6

Monday: Complimented someone's outfit at work
Tuesday: We were out of coffee at work, but I have a stash of K cups in my desk drawer, so I gave one to a coworker.
Wednesday: Sent a message to a co-worker that I knew was having a really long and stressful week doing one of our camps. I've done camps for kids at other jobs and it is exhausting, so I thought a nice message would give her the energy to get through the rest of the week.
Thursday: Let someone merge in front of me in traffic
Friday: Bought a drink for someone at the bar.
Saturday: Told a manager about the good service we got at a restaurant from the waitress.

Sunday: Over tipped for a meal
Monday: bought a co-worker's favorite candy for her since I saw it and thought of her. Chocolate on a Monday is always a good thing.
Tuesday: Let someone turn in front of me out of a parking lot.
Wednesday: Bought coffee for the person behind me in the Starbucks drive through.
Thursday: E-mailed a complimentary message to our IT guy at work for responding to an issue I had so quickly.
Friday: Sent a message of encouragement to a co-worker who was taking a big test that day.
Saturday: Bought ice cream for the husband, even after I told him I wasn't going to make a special stop for it.

Someone replied to my blog last time I posted that this was a good reminder that acts of kindness don't have to be grand gestures. There's a young adult book out there called 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. It's phenomenal. It's about a girl who kills herself and she has left behind 13 tapes for specific people explaining why she decided to end her life. It's not a cheerful read, but has a great message. Some of the things that happen to the main character are major, but other's are just small things that piled on top of each other to create a larger problem. I feel like everyone has days where a lot of small things go wrong and these add up to a day that feels unbearable. If my small act of kindness can help to negate those small negative things that happen to a person in a day, I feel like I have done my part.

Week 4

Sunday: Donated extra money to homeless pets at PetCo when I picked up Boomer from his grooming appointment.
Monday: Tipped someone who doesn't necessarily need tipping (carry out lunch)
Tuesday: Took an online survey for a company I recently visited and left a glowing review.
Wednesday: Picked up lunch for my team at work.
Thursday: Complimented one of my coworkers on the awesome job she does.
Friday: A friend had a really hard day on Thursday, so I followed up with her to see if she was doing okay.
Saturday: Let someone left turn in front of me out of a parking lot.

So if you are keeping track, I should be on week 5, not week 4. But I'm just going to go ahead and be honest here. I have depression, and it's a bitch. During the springtime it gets worse, which is the opposite of most people. I got hit really hard this year for some reason and during what should have been week 4, I was pretty much just going through the motions. I went to work, went grocery shopping, provided dinner, etc. But I couldn't think outside of myself. I pulled myself together though and have started back up with being mindful enough to look at other people and realize that these little acts of kindness, no matter how small, can help me to feel better about myself. I need to remember this:

So even when I am not feeling fond of the world, or myself, kindness is still within my power. I'm back on track and a week behind, but I will continue to try to be kind, even when that might mean that I am just being kind to myself. 

Weeks 2 & 3

Sunday: Held the door for someone at a store
Monday: Let someone get in front of me in traffic
Tuesday: I saw some members of the military eating lunch as I waited for my to go order at a restaurant, so I went over and thanked them for their service.
Wednesday: I sent out an e-mail to the office after being approached by some very odd people from a goose organization (yes, a goose organization). Evidently a goose that hangs out in our corporate pond area had been covered in some sort of oil and they were trying to find it and save it. While many people would have just blown these people off, or taken their numbers and never followed up, I thought that it would be a good deed if I actually told people to look out for this goose.
Thursday: I complimented a co workers outfit. 
Friday: Held the door for someone at a gas station and made sure to smile at them.
Saturday: I let someone get in front of me to get in the turn lane on a very crowded street on my way to an event.

Sunday: Sent an e-mail to someone letting them know I was thinking about them.
Monday: Held the door for a struggling delivery man at the gas station.
Tuesday: A co-worker and I went to lunch at a Chinese place. Two of my other team members stayed back at the office, but I brought them both fortune cookies.
Wednesday: I send a text to two very important people in my life letting them know just how important they are to me.
Thursday: I put down a positive (yet anonymous) review online for a restaurant that I have been to several times near my office.
Friday: Although this was the birthday of both my husband and my best friend, it was also the anniversary of a loss. I sent an e-mail to the spouse of the person who we had lost a few years ago to let her know I was thinking about her.
Saturday: I helped a woman jump start her car when she was stuck in the middle of the road.

I know some of those things seem a little small, like holding a door or giving someone a compliment, but I know how I feel when small things like that are done for me. I think the more good you can put out in the world, the better, even if it is someone small like complimenting someone.

Week One

Sunday: Valentine's Day. I was nice to everyone. Including sending some texts to friends who are not necessarily Valentines, but people I care about and appreciate very much.
Monday: I sent some messages to my team at work letting them know how awesome I think they are and how grateful I am to work with them.
Tuesday: See photo. In the past I have left my change from buying a drink in the machine for the next person to find, but our machine at work is trying to sabotage this and does not give change. So if we put in a dollar, we have to buy two. Which is fine, I just stick one in the fridge for another time. But I decided to do this instead.

Wednesday: I bought the husband some of his favorite candy when I stopped at the gas station on the way home from work. 

Thursday: Traffic on Thursdays is a nightmare for me, mostly because it is the only day I leave the office at 5pm with the rest of the world (other days I get done earlier or later by at least an hour). I'm pretty sure 90% of the drivers on the road are just as frustrated as I am, but I let someone in front of me in the standstill traffic on the highway. Speed Limit: 60. Speed I was going : 2. 

Friday: I complimented another co worker on her general awesomeness. 

Saturday: As the husband and I were waiting to be called for dinner we were standing outside because the lobby was claustrophobic. A woman outside tried to put something in her purse but it fell and dropped to the ground. She didn't notice it, but I called it to her attention so she wouldn't walk off without it. 

Week one was a success. As I suspected, I have less opportunity since I am in an office based job and don't interact with as many strangers as I used to. But as the title quote says, where there are people, there are opportunities. I also had a pretty good week in general, so it wasn't as challenging as it could have been. There have been weeks in the past when I am wrapped up in my own struggles and it is difficult to find ways to be kind to others when I can hardly be kind to myself. But as someone who works in mental health, I know that being kind to myself is necessary and sometimes the hardest thing to do. So there may be days in the future when I count that as my random act. 

Go forth and be kind. 

New Adventures in Kindness

So it's been a while.

Today begins National Random Acts of Kindness Week 2016. Due to that falling on a Sunday, as well as some other random signs, I have decided that it's time to dust off the blog and get back to it. I'm going back to the old format to hold myself accountable: 1 random act of kindness every day for at least a year. After that, we will see where thing go. I'll be posting my weekly acts on Sundays and reflecting on how things went. 

I'm looking forward to the upcoming year! I think there will be some new challenges with this due to new life circumstances. The biggest one will be that I have a new job that is office based. I interact with significantly less people on a daily basis since I drive to work, interact with my clients and coworkers and then head home. I used to be working from coffee shops and other public places and traveling much more throughout the day, which led me to encounter many more people. 

I'm looking forward to my weekly posts, even if no one reads them. But I hope someone does, and I hope they are inspired. Happy Random Acts of Kindness Week!

Can Openers

I happened to be browsing twitter and found this website: http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/. This made me really happy, especially the long list of ideas on the site. I was refreshed to see the little things on this list, like holding doors and such.

So since the last blog entry, I've done quite a few things:

• Paid for someone behind me in the drive through at Starbucks.
• Brought our leftover dog food to a friend who has dogs and could use it. 
• Dropped off two large bags of clothes at Goodwill.
• When our air conditioning went out, I was home when the guy came to fix it. As he was leaving, I told him how much I appreciated what he did (okay, so I may have professed my love for him and called him my hero. What can I say, it was 95+ for days!). We pay these people for the service they do, but I have a feeling that they hear verbal feedback more often when they do something bad than when they do something good. 
• I sent an e-mail to my supervisor letting her know how much I appreciated having a supportive supervisor who I feel has my back and makes a positive work environment. 
• On the 4th, we went to a party at a friend's house. They had a bunch of people there, including some kids. One young boy, probably 11 or 12, was just super polite. He asked if he could put his can of pop on the tailgate of my husband's truck that I was sitting on, he asked permission to lean on the truck, and thanked me every time I told him it was okay. I asked him to point out his parents for me, and I think the kid was terrified. I went to his mother and told her how polite and well mannered her son was. She seemed to be appreciative of it. I just really wanted to make it a point to let her know how great her kid is. Like I said before about service workers, I think that parents probably hear more negative stuff about their kids than positive.

So the reason for the title it this. I was talking with a client who had a really touch upbringing (as most of my clients do). She and her sisters spent some time living in a Salvation Army, on park benches, and in motels. She was talking to me about her resourcefulness and what they did to survive. She mentioned that she used to go to the food pantry to get food, and they would give her canned goods. Then she told me something that  created a light bulb moment for me. She mentioned that while they were appreciative of these canned goods, they did not have a can opener. So they would try to puncture the can until they could get it open. I never thought about this before. Donating food, sure, but after this is done it usually is put out of your mind. But imagine if you were homeless: there are certain things you would want to always have with you, some for logistic reasons, some for sentimental reasons. A can opener is not something I believe people would make a point to carry with them. So the next time I am out, I am going to buy some can openers (nothing fancy) and donate then to a food pantry. Because what's the point in donating food if people can't eat it?