Most people who know me are well aware of my borderline obsession with the Food Network.  I really got into it when I had a full week off my feet after surgery.  Talk about kindness, I’m not going to get too gushy but Mike really went out of his way to make sure I was comfortable while I was stuck home during the healing process.  So while I was cuddled up in the most comfortable blanket ever created, I tuned in to watch a variety of different personalities creating some amazing dishes, and I was hooked.

We cook a whole lot now.  It’s pretty much a necessity when you are trying to be healthy – so while Paula Deen might not be the best option, there is still a great deal of inspiration I find from the many recipes I witness unfolding on the Food Network.  That inspiration has branched out a bit, however.  Recently I’ve been seeing some promos for the network’s official charity partner, Share Our Strength.

This organization, in their own words, works hard to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry.  I was shocked to learn that nearly 1 in 6 children in this country is at risk of hunger.  The charity has a number of different efforts to end childhood hunger, and the work they’ve done so far is really impressive.

One key nation-wide Share Our Strength initiative that can help you get involved is coming up pretty soon, the Great American Dine Out.  Bestow a random act of kindness on someone you love, and take them out to eat at a participating restaurant September 20-26.  Get involved and support these establishments:  “Some restaurants are donating a portion of sales for the week to Share Our Strength, while others are selling T-shirts and bounce back coupons or even creating special menu items to raise much needed funds.”

I’m a fan of pitching in, helping out, getting involved in anything that will help spread good karma around the world.  But when it truly speaks to your passions in life, it’s beyond win-win.

Once upon a time (not that long ago) I stumbled upon a lovely site that had some kind things to say about Karma Cooler.  It turns out that they found us through Serendipity Factory, one of my favorite positivity-inspiring sites.

When you get a quick second, drop by Kind Over Matter because there are countless inspirational ideas that are so appealing on not only a good-vibes emotional level, but also a distinct visual level.  In their words, “Our blog is dedicated to Kind Acts, Inspirational Art & Kind Projects, Feel Good Nouns.”

I can definitely get along with their crafty ambitions and affinity for words, and chances are that you can too!  Peep their Flickr for a quick snapshot of some of the kindness projects they spotlight.

A few weeks back, before we shipped off for spring training, I made some suggestions for how to spread good karma while traveling in my Travel Karma post.  Something I witnessed as we prepared to settle in to our tiny little airline seats made me smile.  Partly because I was glad to see selflessness and courtesy happen right in front of me, and mostly because it was my brother who was responsible for making it happen!

A woman went to put her large bag in the overhead bin and before she had to struggle with it, he offered to put it up and away for her.  She graciously took him up on the offer and settled into her seat next to me.  What happens next was actually the best part.  She reached into her purse, pulled out a little piece of paper and handed it to him.  She said, “Here, have some free ice cream on me, thank you for being so nice”  It turns out that she carries coupons for free Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and gives them to people who go out of their way to extend kindness to her.

What an amazing idea! If you could arm yourself with something to say “thank you” to kind strangers, what would it be?  And keep it PG, readers.  I know some of you!!

photo by Noeluap

Often when I sit back and consider where I find inspiration, I think of my friend Rain.  She has such an amazing grasp of reality and yet her appreciation for life is unmatched.  Not too long ago she mentioned a series of acts of kindness that I thought was a great idea:

In her words:  “i’m on a mission to give at least 1 random stranger a compliment a day. not only is this positive for the times we’re living in but you make someone’s day and it makes your day brighter. WIN/WIN!”

I couldn’t agree more.  If you’re looking for one way to spread good karma regularly, this is a nifty idea that doesn’t cost you anything more than going out of your way to communicate with someone you might not otherwise speak to.  If you really want to go the extra mile, pay a compliment to someone that you otherwise might not get along with.  I assure you, this is not easy.  But there is a great deal of satifaction and pride to be felt when you can be the bigger person.

In any event, I don’t recommend paying compliments just to meet a quota you’ve set.  Be genuine and be truthful.  If you don’t have a true opportunity to do so, don’t force it – but be aware of your environment and take the opportunity when it’s in front of you.  Mark Twain once said “I can live for two months on a good compliment.”  You know it feels good, so pass it on.

If you don’t know how, head on over to WikiHow’s page on “How to Pay the Right Compliments”

image courtesy of LexnGer

We are midway through Random Acts of Kindness week and I’m so excited that so many of you are doing so many wonderful things for others.  That selflessness is what this week is all about – and I really hope we all keep paying it forward beyond now!!

I’m thinking my past two days haven’t been as inspiring as I’d like but I kept to my promise to do at least one kind thing a day, so for that I am feeling pretty fulfilled.  Yesterday I picked up a box of munchkins for the crew at work to enjoy.  I’m feeling less inspired about this one because it’s not uncommon for me to do that.  Today was a little bit of a different story, though.

I have a good friend who really goes out of her way to do selfless things for other people all the time.  She’s such an advocate for all her friends in their respective ventures.  She does so much to make this world a better place on many different levels, and she’s just an amazing friend and human being.  I scouted out a magazine that I thought she would really like, that seemed pretty nifty and fitting, and bought her a gift subscription.   I sent an email to let her know because I didn’t want them to start showing up and for her to wonder why hahaha… it’s a small thing and doesn’t nearly express my appreciation for who she is and the amazing example she sets, but I was really stoked to reveal the surprise.

Do you have someone in your life like that?

photo courtesy of Sidereal

Well, I’m happy to report that Random Acts of Kindness Week is off and running!  Are you using it as a totally awesome excuse to do good sh*t for others?  Well, I have to hold myself liable for practicing what I preach, though any week, day or moment can be one of Random Acts of Kindness.

I kicked off the week with a fun little gesture.  I had my follow up appointment with the podiatrist today to remove my stitches from surgery.  I stopped by a local florist and had two bright and happy looking bouquets made up before heading over to the office.  When I walked in, I handed one bouquet each to the two women who run the front of the business.  Each time I come in there, they are both so sweet and have been more than patient answering my 101 questions.

The best part was how surprised they were – it seemed like they really couldn’t believe a patient would want to thank them in that way.  And that made it sooooo incredibly worth it for me.  Their gratitude made me smile, and I was just so happy to make them smile too.

How about you?  Did you make someone smile today?

“Kindness in words creates confidence.  Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.  Kindness in Giving Creates Love.”  – Lao-Tzu

To put it simply, kindness in anything creates something positive.  This is why it is so inherently important to live our lives keeping kindness to others a priority.  By this thinking, when others are kind to us:

- it sometimes helps us find our voice – constructive criticism doesn’t take our feet out from under us but encourages us to try again at something without the fear of failure or judgment

- it sometimes helps us graduate to new levels of understanding about ourselves and others

- it sometimes helps us learn to pass goodness along and act lovingly rather than selfishly or violently; and maybe, just maybe it allows us a glimpse into some of the goodness in this world that we so easily forget when we are surrounded by fear, sadness and negativity

What other quotes do you find thought-provoking?

photo credit: this is your brain on lithium

Sometimes I come across things and wonder how it’s possible that I haven’t yet heard of them.  Enter Wish Upon a Hero.  This website was featured on the front page of the Newark Star Ledger today, and with good reason.  The site exists for people to post their wishes, and others to help grant them.

This online community operates under the ideal that “No wish (is) too large and no hero too small” – and everyone is encouraged to help anyone.  It’s an excellent opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others, with real needs.

Getting on here and helping each other out is stuff for everyday heroes.  Take a peek at the site and see if it’s a good fit for your philanthropic selves!

No kind gesture is too small, and no giver is too big.  Here’s a surprising example of an awesome random act of kindness:

It was 1988, and Mary Andersen was at the Miami airport checking in for a long flight to Norway to be with her husband when the airline representative informed her that she wouldn’t be able to check her luggage without paying a 100 surcharge:

When it was finally Mary’s turn, she got the message that would crush her bubbling feeling of happiness.

-You’ll have to pay a 103 dollar surcharge if you want to bring both those suitcases to Norway, the man behind the counter said.

Mary had no money. Her new husband had traveled ahead of her to Norway, and she had no one else to call.

-I was completely desperate and tried to think which of my things I could manage without. But I had already made such a careful selection of my most prized possessions, says Mary.

As tears streamed down her face, she heard a “gentle and friendly voice” behind her saying, “That’s okay, I’ll pay for her.” Mary turned around to see a tall man whom she had never seen before.

-He had a gentle and kind voice that was still firm and decisive. The first thing I thought was, Who is this man?

Although this happened 20 years ago, Mary still remembers the authority that radiated from the man.

-He was nicely dressed, fashionably dressed with brown leather shoes, a cotton shirt open at the throat and khaki pants, says Mary.

She was thrilled to be able to bring both her suitcases to Norway and assured the stranger that he would get his money back. The man wrote his name and address on a piece of paper that he gave to Mary. She thanked him repeatedly. When she finally walked off towards the security checkpoint, he waved goodbye to her.

Who was the man? 

Barack Obama.

Twenty years later, she is thrilled that the friendly stranger at the airport may be the next President and has voted for him already and donated 100 dollars to his campaign:

-He was my knight in shining armor, says Mary, smiling.

She paid the 103 dollars back to Obama the day after she arrived in Norway. At that time he had just finished his job as a poorly paid community worker* in Chicago, and had started his law studies at prestigious Harvard university.

Mary even convinced her parents to vote for him:

In the spring of 2006 Mary’s parents had heard that Obama was considering a run for president, but that he had still not decided. They chose to write a letter in which they told him that he would receive their votes. At the same time, they thanked Obama for helping their daughter 18 years earlier.

And Obama replied:

In a letter to Mary’s parents dated May 4th, 2006 and stamped ‘United States Senate, Washington DC’, Barack Obama writes:

‘I want to thank you for the lovely things you wrote about me and for reminding me of what happened at Miami airport. I’m happy I could help back then, and I’m delighted to hear that your daughter is happy in Norway. Please send her my best wishes. Sincerely, Barack Obama, United States Senator’.

excerpted from here.  photo courtesy juicyrai.

I tend to lump most kind gestures into the category of “random acts of kindness” when in fact, they aren’t all necessarily random.  Gretchen Rubin is an amazing writer, and knows a thing or two about happiness as evidenced in her Happiness Project.  I stumbled upon her Huffington Post article, where she points out some of the drawbacks of committing random acts of kindness.

I believe most of us can appreciate her realistic insight into the practice.  Let’s be honest,  a good majority of people would question the motives of the do-gooder, wondering what they might expect in return.  I don’t want someone to question me for buying them a cup of coffee.  I don’t even want them to thank me – I just want them to feel like there are good people in this world, willing to do unexpected nice things for others.

What it boils down to is one of the best lessons I learned studying Communications in college: it’s all about perception.  You can control the words you choose, and the way you deliver your message.  But ultimately, you have no control over how the other person receives your message, or interprets what you’re saying.  The same principle applies to recipients of random acts of kindness.  Our intentions might be pure, but without knowing the recipient, it’s especially hard to gauge how they’ll perceive our actions.  Without that control, we have to decide how comfortable we are performing random kind gestures given the possibility that the people we do them for, won’t view them as unselfish as we intend.

I believe that doing any kind of good for others can bring you happiness, and I can live with the fact that others won’t always “get it” when I’ve committed a random act of kindness for them.  For me, it’s worth it, even if only a fraction of a percent of people will turn around and appreciate my kindness, or better yet, decide to pay it forward.

Random acts of kindness are completely worthwhile, but bear in mind that kindness with purpose is as meaningful and worthy.  Spread good karma and be kind to others, period.

photo courtesy of mtsofan