They've finally arrived! As I'm on a Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) kick, I've had some vigilante stickers made which I am thoroughly enjoying sticking up in public places. (Yes, I wondered whether that would be like graffiti and therefore a Random Act of Annoyance, but they peel off very easily - in fact, a good shower of rain will get rid of them - so I can rest easy on that count.)In fact, there were so many great ideas mooted in my Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) competition that I thought I'd get a list going. I'd love you to add any in the comments section!
Random Acts don't have to be for strangers - they can be to people you know as well. And importantly, they don't have to be about money. It's just about surprising someone with a kind thought or act.
* Make a batch of cookies for someone.
* Send a letter.
* Stand up for someone on the bus or train.
* Give money to homeless people/buy a copy of the Big Issue.
*Let someone in your lane when driving.
* Offer to help someone with a project they're already working on.
* Let someone go in front of you in a queue.
* Hold the door open!
* Help people who have a pram and need to negotiate steps.
* Give hugs. And lots of them. (probably best not to practice on strangers, unless you're like this awesome lass)
As for me? I tried to think of a really simple way to impact on people, and realised that I often stress about my parking meter running out. So, I ordered these business cards a little while ago to continue my grand project of Random Acts of Kindness.
I plan to stop by parking meters when I'm walking by, fill them up, and then pop these under the windscreen of the recipient car. The hope is that the recipient will then go on to do something nice for someone else, and email me about what they've done.I am actually ridiculously excited about this. I'm a big believer in that you have to start small, so here goes...
Kate, you're so much cooler (and cuter!) than Haley Joel Osment. I will look out for your guerrilla RAK tactics.
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling fairly virtuous on my RAK count:
-I baked muffins for friends on the weekend (does it count if I have one too?!)
-Posted some cards yesterday
-I held open the door for a man this morning, but he was in the wrong building and had to leave again....but it was an attempted RAK!
Wow Ali, you're doing very well this week!
ReplyDeleteI feel as though I am a bit of a recipient of RAKs at the moment - lots of people helping me edit and generally looking after me. Must get to doing some more!
Can I just say (although I have said it before, and no doubt will say it again) that you are an AWESOME person. So much respect for you right now!!
ReplyDeleteAlso I LOVE LOVE LOVE your "ship it in/ship it out" embroidery - made me giggle all evening when I saw it, they are just wonderful.
Aah, warm and fuzzies!
One of my friends, Jont, is all about RAK. He tours the world giving free gigs for a bed and some food. He paid for a stranger's petrol the other day (after their card was rejected) and asked them to do something nice for someone else. Ben is more natural about it; he's just a genuine goody-goody all the time, sending music, art, humour and positive comments around with no ulterior motive. Meanwhile, I am one of those people who gives freebie hugs to strangers or near-strangers. Some of these hugs are a little awkward (when the recipient goes as stiff as a board) but they generally make two people (or more) feel fuzzed up for the day.
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ReplyDeleteAlice - thank you! I thought you'd like the ship it in towels. They make me giggle just thinking about them!
ReplyDeleteMonkey Mind - you're a classic with your hugs. I love the idea of paying for petrol, but with prices the way they are at the moment, that would be a random act of massive generosity. I'm not ruling it out, for the record, but will have to not be a student for that to be a possibility!