“Being kind is the most important thing I’ve ever been taught. That’s what my parents always told me – more important than ambition or success is being kind to people. The cornerstone of my life. What I aspire to is to be kind.” -Rafe Spall
I turn 30 on Saturday.
I love birthdays, and January is my favorite month of the year because my birthday is Jan. 28. It does add excitement to the month that my mom, Marsha Ault, sister, Leigh Youngblood, and husband, Ryan Whitworth, also celebrate their birthdays earlier in the month. After their birthdays are over, celebration time has begun for me.
Past year celebrations have included: trips to Missouri, dinners at Olive Garden, going to the movies, games with friends, night outs dancing, karaoke events, and many other celebrations, but this year I wanted to celebrate different.To do so, I’ve decided to do 30 random acts of kindness before turning the big 3-0 at the end of the week.
Will you join with me? Together we can start a birthday kindness movement.
Here are the 30 random acts of kindness I will do this week for my birthday, and I challenge you to do it with me. You can replace different acts but choose to be kinder this week along with me. Share your random acts of kindness with me on social media by using #30birthdayacts.
1. Buy the meal for the person in line behind you.
2. Start a conversation with a stranger.
3. Tape coins to a vending machine to treat the next thirsty or hungry person.
4. Donate gently worn clothes to a thrift store.
5. Buy a meal for a homeless person.
6. Compliment a stranger.
7. Ask someone about their day and actively listen.
8. Call up an old friend and reconnect.
9. At the grocery store checkout, let the person behind you go first.
10. Compliment a friend.
11. Write a letter to an extended family member.
12. Leave an encouraging note on a random car windshield in a parking lot.
13. Leave a thank-you note for your garbage collector or mail carrier.
14. When people around you are gossiping about someone, say a kind comment instead.
15. Write a thank-you note to your server at a restaurant.
16. Talk to the quiet person who seems lonely or out-of-place at a party or church service.
17. Straighten up shelves when you’re walking through the grocery aisle or the toy department.
18. Offer to put someone’s shopping cart away for them at the store. Bonus points if it’s raining!
19. Leave a random uplifting note on someone’s windshield.
20. Offer to keep a friend company while they run errands.
21. Take a cute photo of someone you love and mail or email it to them
22. Keep an extra umbrella at work, so you can lend it out when it rains.
23. Call your parents and have them share an old memory that makes them smile.
24. Smile at everyone you encounter for a day.
25. Reach out to your favorite childhood teacher. Thank them for their role in your life.
26. Buy a small gift for someone. Just because.
27. Volunteer at a local animal shelter, even if it’s cleaning cages rather than cuddling kittens.
28. Make a “breakup playlist” for your friend who’s going through heartbreak.
29. Make an anonymous donation to a local charity.
30. Drop off dessert at your local law enforcement station.
