I read a blog a couple years about a woman who did 36 random acts of kindness for her 36th birthday. By then I had already passed my birthday for the year, so I kept it in the back of my mind, ready to conquer it the next year.
The next year, however, I left on the World Race.
So this was the year! On my actual birthday I woke up, already having prepared for the day, excited about the opportunities to love on the world around me. But, as life does, things get in the way, and I ended up working for 10 hours AND going to the doctor (I’m fine). So, giving myself grace (what a great lesson for me!), I postponed the fun to the next weekend- TODAY!
So here for your reading and viewing pleasure, are my 29 random acts of kindness to celebrate my 29th birthday! I firmly believe I received so much more from this day than anyone else in the world- so much joy and excitement and feelings of good will… I am so fully blessed.
Also my sweet friends Caroline and Emilee joined me on this day of adventures, and we were LEGIT superheroes!
1. Finish baking bread for Janice
2. Taped popcorn to a Redbox
3. Left love notes on cars in a parking lot (Caroline hand-delivered one to a lady who was getting into her car. She read the note and smiled and gushed with thanks)
4. Bought a $20 gift card in Walmart, immediately turned around and handed it to an elderly couple behind us. The wife gasped and said “Dear God! You’re giving this to us?!” AWESOME.
5. Caroline helped put grocery bags in an elderly lady’s shopping cart.
6. Donuts to the workers at Chick-fil-A!
7. Donated to the Haiyan Typhoon Survivor Fund (I was actually in The Philippines when this struck) (we also donated to other funds throughout the day)
8. Helped a girl chase down fly-away napkins at Panera
9. Focused on being a kinder driver/allowed other cars and pedestrians the right of way all day (even if it wasn’t!)
10. Donated hand-crocheted blankets to the Pregnancy Help Center
11. Sat with someone and really listened
12. Struck up a conversation with an older couple in line next to us at the movie theatre, found out which show they were heading to, bought their tickets, and handed them to them. This was my favorite moment of the day! They were so surprised!! It took a moment for them to recover, and they were all smiles and laughter and appreciation. It was the best.
13. Baked cookies and took to the local fire/ems department
14. Spent the day smiling and waving at everyone we passed
15. Corralled carts in the Walmart parking lot
16. Dropped pennies in the local park for kids to find
17. Donated magazines to local hospital reception/waiting area
18. Donated clothes to Vineyard Compassion
19. Left quarters in machines at a laundromat
20. Bought local restaurant gift cards, put them in envelopes with love letters and left them in random mailboxes
21. Paid-it-forward at Purdy’s (the best coffee shop on the planet)
22. Left extra popcorn bags at Emilee’s for roommates
23. Swept Caroline’s neighbor’s outside steps
24. Baked cookies and left them on my neighbors’ doors
25. Bought coffee for the people behind us at Hastings
26. Wrote thank you notes to my favorite bloggers
27. Mailed a letter to an old friend
28. Hopped out of the car at an intersection and high-fived friends in front of us; was almost run over by more friends calling us “Hooligans” (I’m looking at you, Chris Barger)
29. Hid gift cards among books in local bookstore
This day was AMAZING. And on top of everything that happened, Jesus kept smiling on us in more and more ways:
*the weather was a perfect 64* with bright blue skies
*we ran into friends all over town!*I successfully upgraded my phone for a fraction of the actual cost (thanks, non-ATT store!)
*I ran into old friends I hadn’t seen since college
*high fives all around. from everyone.
Jesus is good, birthdays are good, kindness is good.
Spread it all around!
PS. In one final act of goodwill, we left our faces on the demo phone at the AT&T store
