09.21.08
“Remember there’s no such thing…”
“Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.”
- Scott Adams
Random Act of Kindness and Gratitude #5 – This act is something that my mother does, but I only recently learned about. Many people clip coupons, but not all of us do. There is a lot of money that can be saved using coupons, but it is a time consuming process of sorting through them and cutting them out, (or finding them online and printing them out) keeping them organized and then remembering to use them when you are in the store. My mother is actually quite good at it. She collects coupons each week to take to the grocery store with her and has gotten the system down to a science. Since most coupons have an expiration date, that also has to be accounted for in the process because sometimes the coupon is not needed to be used before it expires.
What my mother does if she has a coupon that is not yet expired, but probably will expire before the next time she goes shopping, is find the item in the store and leave the still good coupon on top of it. For example, if she has a coupon for peanut butter, but does not need to buy it herself, she finds the peanut butter that matches the coupon, and puts the coupon on the item so that someone who is coming to buy the peanut butter will find the coupon and be able to benefit from it!
Apparently she has been doing this for a while, but I only just learned about it. It doesn’t take very long to do, but it may help out someone else and give them a pleasant surprise while they are doing their grocery shopping. I was so proud when I learned about my mother doing this random act of kindness that I wanted to share it and suggest it to all of you.
Again, this idea is an easy idea that requires no money and very little effort. We can do things like this in any (clothing, home improvement, pharmacy, etc.) store that sends out or offers a coupon. Before you throw away a coupon that you don’t need, stop and see if you can leave it for someone else to use.
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On a similar note, today’s Word of the Day from dictionary.com was beneficence. So, feelings of kindness and charity are already in the air…
Happy Sunday. ~Melissa 
09.11.08
Random Act of Kindness and Gratitude #4
Reflecting on the tragic events that took place in our country on September 11, 2001, and all of the people we lost that day, has also made me remember some of the kind things that took place on the days that followed.
I can remember marveling at how considerate people were to one another in the wake of those horrible terrorist attacks. People looked each other in the eye and said hello as they passed by on the streets, they held doors open for each other, they let cars merge in front of them on the highways, and so on. It was a strange few days after 9/11 in so many ways, but the kindness that was displayed is what stands out in my memory today the most.
I hope that others also remember not only the fear and sadness of that time period, but also the kindness that we are all capable of. Please try to remember that kindness and be grateful for each other (friends and family of course, but also strangers we encounter each day).
The random act of kindness that I will suggest for us all to do is to simply smile at strangers and say hello when you stop for your cup of coffee in the morning, or when you are on line at the grocery store after work. Hold the door open for the person behind you and say hello to them when you walk into your office building or the gym. Just acknowledge each other and try to be tolerant, patient, and kind.
I know we can do it.
~Melissa
08.31.08
Random Acts of Kindness and Gratitude #2 – Donate Clothes
I tend to be a “saver.” I hate to throw anything away. Now, this bad habit of being a pack-rat left me with a closet crammed full of clothes that I didn’t ever wear, and boxes of off season clothes that I didn’t really even have room to store. In the beginning of the summer, I went through these clothes and made a “pile” for donation. I ended up with seven large bags full of clothes – many of the clothes actually still had tags on them and were in very good condition. They either just didn’t fit any more, or were gifts and really not my taste. But, I figured that someone could get good use out of them if I donated them.
I have a drop center really close to my house, and so that is where I bring the clothes. I keep a bag open on the floor of my closet at all times so whenever I come across something that I know I won’t wear again, I put it in the bag. As the bag fills up, I take it to the drop center. I brought up this idea because I have filled up another bag and will be dropping it off later today.
Here are some sites that may help you find a location where you can donate your clothes:
http://www.njredcross.org/clothingDrive.asp
http://charityguide.org/volunteer/fifteen/clothesshoes.htm
http://www.clothingdonations.org/service.htm
NOTE: Every suggested Random Act of Kindness and Gratitude that I post is something that I do myself. I won’t ever post anything that I think is unrealistic, costs a lot of money, or isn’t worthwhile to me. The point of sharing these ideas is to show that there are dozens and dozens of things that we can incorporate into our daily lives, and there are probably many things that you already do and don’t even think about. I hope we all get to that point and the acts ultimately become far less “random.”
