Random Act of Kindness

[Lark]

I was trying to complete a challenge to do ten random acts of kindness in a week, stage two of this was in a weekend but like I say I didnt get that far, but anyway, it seems easy but can you guess why its not easy? You cant use money, or in the lite version of the challenge you cant do more than half of the random acts with money.

Do you think you could do this easy enough or would you have a difficulty? Can you actually think of ten random acts easily? With money and then without money? Returning favours or acts of kindness you owe others do not count either.

 

[Holden On]

A few weeks ago the person in front of me paid for my coffee at the drive-thru. It made my day, so planned to "return" the favor/pay it forward at some point, but every time I thought of it, the person behind me in the Starbucks drive-thru seemed like a bitch. Finally the other day, someone let me go in front of them when we both started turning in to the drive-thru at the same time (from opposite directions), so I repaid her kindness and "paid it forward" by paying for her coffee. Anyway this doesn't really answer your question because it both involved money AND repaying someone else's random act of kindness, but I thought it was a nice story so I thought I'd share.

 

[say what]

It depends on who you think kindness is - I consider kindness helping someone carry groceries to their car, giving my seat to a senior on the bus, sending someone a funny note when I know they are overwhelmed. I think random acts of kindness can be very small, if you appreciate a small, but meaningful, outcome

 

[cvp12gh5]

I think it would be easy. When you see someone that needs help in one way or another, you help them out. Doing these kind of things comes pretty natural to me. And I'm not doing them for a "thank you" or an "awww, you're so sweet", I do them because I see that there is a need. As long as I am able to lend support, I will.

Just the other day I was at a Target store, and there was an older woman in one of those motorized shopping carts, and she was struggling to reach a box of rice-a-roni. She obviously wasn't able to stand on her own. There was a man right behind her waiting with his cart just standing there while she struggled. (I couldn't believe how inconsiderate he was.)

I put my cart to the side, walked over and asked her what I could help her with. I went through the different types of rice-a-roni with her to make sure we got the flavor she wanted. I then asked if she needed help with anything else. She said "no" and thanked me sincerely but there was no need for it. She needed help so I helped her.

I just hope that if I am ever in a situation one day where I need someone to lend a hand, that a kindness will be extended to me. But I don't expect it.

Side note: And if it wasn't for a thread on this, I wouldn't have even told anyone about the incident. I do things and then move along. I don't like to draw attention to the things I do for people.

 

[Lark]

A few weeks ago the person in front of me paid for my coffee at the drive-thru. It made my day, so planned to "return" the favor/pay it forward at some point, but every time I thought of it, the person behind me in the Starbucks drive-thru seemed like a bitch. Finally the other day, someone let me go in front of them when we both started turning in to the drive-thru at the same time (from opposite directions), so I repaid her kindness and "paid it forward" by paying for her coffee. Anyway this doesn't really answer your question because it both involved money AND repaying someone else's random act of kindness, but I thought it was a nice story so I thought I'd share.

Yeah, they recently made all the carparks in the neighbouring town pay per use and two or three times I've had people drive up to me as I'm about to pay for parking and they give me their parking sticker with the remaining hour or two on it and other times I've found people stuck their paid surplus parking on the meter for others to pick off it and stick in their car. That's all really great of them I figure.

I put money in the meter for the next person coming along once to pay forward the favours I'd been done. I think this is a great idea and wouldnt discourage it but the challenge I tried, and like I said I couldnt do it, unimaginative I figure or maybe money is involved in everything, was to find non-monetary random acts and I suspect its because its impossible.

 

[Holden On]

Yeah, they recently made all the carparks in the neighbouring town pay per use and two or three times I've had people drive up to me as I'm about to pay for parking and they give me their parking sticker with the remaining hour or two on it and other times I've found people stuck their paid surplus parking on the meter for others to pick off it and stick in their car. That's all really great of them I figure.

I put money in the meter for the next person coming along once to pay forward the favours I'd been done. I think this is a great idea and wouldnt discourage it but the challenge I tried, and like I said I couldnt do it, unimaginative I figure or maybe money is involved in everything, was to find non-monetary random acts and I suspect its because its impossible.

Non-monetary examples:
Waiting a bit longer than usual to hold the door open for someone with their hands full (I do this frequently)
Asking someone looking at a map if you can help them find something, and then helping them (I had the opportunity to do this yesterday, but I didn't )
Washing the dish someone else left in the sink at work to soak

I'm sure I can think of more but a lot of them are also just kind of common courtesy...

 

[muir]

It's just part of life

 

[Lark]

Non-monetary examples:
Waiting a bit longer than usual to hold the door open for someone with their hands full (I do this frequently)
Asking someone looking at a map if you can help them find something, and then helping them (I had the opportunity to do this yesterday, but I didn't )
Washing the dish someone else left in the sink at work to soak

I'm sure I can think of more but a lot of them are also just kind of common courtesy...

Sadly not as common as it ought to be, couple good examples there.

 

[Kanamori]

A few weeks ago the person in front of me paid for my coffee at the drive-thru. It made my day, so planned to "return" the favor/pay it forward at some point, but every time I thought of it, the person behind me in the Starbucks drive-thru seemed like a bitch. Finally the other day, someone let me go in front of them when we both started turning in to the drive-thru at the same time (from opposite directions), so I repaid her kindness and "paid it forward" by paying for her coffee. Anyway this doesn't really answer your question because it both involved money AND repaying someone else's random act of kindness, but I thought it was a nice story so I thought I'd share.

Hey, the grumpy people might need it most, and you might be surprised what that could do for their attitude, even beyond the present.