One of the Best Days

Even though I love to plan birthday parties, I feel kind of awkward when the shoe is on the other foot and it's my birthday that I'm celebrating. Planning my own party seems overweening, but I'm a control freak and don't like passing party planning reigns on to someone else. So, when my husband inevitably asks what I want to do for my birthday, I usually hem and haw and eventually request something other than a party. That's exactly what happened in 2012 when I turned 36 years old. I expected that Mike would come up with something like a hike or a scenic drive. Then wow... he hit birthday planning out the park by giving me a day of 36 Random Acts of Kindness. 

That birthday was not just my best birthday ever, it was one of my best days ever period. Although I may not have recognized it at the time, doing 36 acts of kindness in a day was probably the incipient inspiration for this blog. I was truly flooded with feel-good endorphins. The helper's high was like nothing I had ever experienced. I'm a cry-er by nature, so a lot tears were shed that day, but they were GOOD tears. It was a GOOD day. And it encouraged me to keep on doing GOOD things. 

Even though my best birthday/kindness day was a few years ago, I thought it would be fun to share the memories with you. Maybe you'll look over the awesomeness of that day and be encouraged to go out and do something good for someone else. Or maybe you'll want your own birthday/kindness day! (If you want help creating your own day of GOOD fun, let me know and I'll be happy to help... or I'll volunteer Mike!) If doing X number of acts in one day is overwhelming, then pick another timeframe - a week, month, year, or more - and go for it. Keep in mind the goodness multiplier - any amount of good is more good than there was before, and good begets more good.

Also, a disclaimer... my day of Random Acts of Kindness was kind of expensive. But remember that my day was in lieu of any and all birthday celebrations - no fancy dinner, no trip to see a concert, no night at an ornate B&B. This was truly a special occasion. There is a lot of good to be had on the total cheap, however. Generously doled out compliments. Gifts of your time to folks who will truly appreciate it. Rolling up your sleeves and pitching in. And don't forget that there are tons of ways to do good with virtually no effort.... If you're a runner, download the Charity Miles app and generate donations for a charity every time you pound the pavement. Check out microvolunteering and see what good you can do in under a 1 minute. Play online games that make a difference. There's a world of good just a Google search away. 


Without further adieu, here's my day of fun, taken directly from my Facebook posts that I used to document the day!

Click here for 9 ways to recycle your own bras for good causes 

Good places to leave a book are in waiting rooms or in a Little Free Library 

Local businesses are often doing drives like this. Keep your eye out for opportunities for good!

Lest you think I was littering, I kept these confined to community bulletin boards and inside doors on bathroom stalls. 

I went back the next day, and found a couple of dollars left in the bins. I moved them to bins with obviously more popular products.

This one was my favorite. A little girl, about 8 years old, watched me load all of the toy machines in the entry of Kroger with quarters. She asked what I was doing, and I told her that I was putting quarters in so that I could treat some kids to an unexpected toy. She looked at me wide-eyed and said, "REALLY? Can I get one?" I told her yes, and she took her time picking out the toy she wanted. Then she turned to me and said thanks, and then added "I will only take one so that a lot more kids can get toys too." Totally melted my heart. What a sweet kid.

Tragically, Miles lost his battle with cancer. The quest to collect jokes, however, continues. Read about it, and do your part to brighten someone's day!