Christmas Kindness - All Year Round

Last year my friend Kelly made a Facebook post that really inspired me.  I had begun this project, Kindness Activist, and was on the lookout for KINDNESS in the world.  Kelly’s post really piqued my interest.  She wrote about doing something special with her family for Christmas that she called A WHITE ENVELOPE PROJECT.  She asked each family member to donate to a charity or do something kind, then write about that and put it in an envelope, to be opened and read aloud on Christmas!  I wrote about Kelly and her White Envelope Project here:  White Envelope Kindness

I decided to try a version of the same project with my family! 

KINDNESS - by artist Kemper Englund

I mailed everyone a letter (yes, a real live printed on paper snail mail letter, which I thought would get their attention more than an email).  The letter asked each person to do something KIND during the year, then tell us about it when we got together to celebrate Christmas.  Each letter was personalized for the recipient, with some ideas for kind actions that I thought might be up their alley.  Here is the letter I sent my dad:

“Dear Dad,

I meant to write this letter in January, and here it is nearing the end of April…  I guess I am a bit behind on this, as I am on so many other things!  But I will file it in the “better late than never” category.

I am writing because I want to ask you for something for CHRISTMAS. 

The older I get, the less “stuff” I need.  I know you understand that, every holiday that comes around all of us Thompson girls giggle and say, “What are you getting Dad??  Are you getting him another sweater this year???”. 

So, this Christmas, instead of a THING, I would like to ask for an ACTION:

I am asking each family member to do something KIND.  Some action that you can do for someone else in the world.  Maybe you will change a stranger’s flat tire, maybe you will give a donation to the Open Door Mission, maybe you will pay for another table’s dinner when you are at a restaurant…  Just something KIND.

Then write a note about your kindness, take a photo of it, or draw a picture of it and seal it up in an envelope or wrap it in a box!  At our family Christmas, I would love to open THOSE GIFTS and be inspired by all of the kindness that our family put out into the world. 

There are 8 months left until Christmas.  That means 8 months for you to do something KIND and document it.  If you feel like you might forget and need a reminder or two during the year, just let me know and I am happy to remind you.

Thanks, Dad.  I love you and can’t wait to see what kind thing you do!!”

Every family member got a letter, including the toddlers!  I sent a reminder letter about a month before the holidays, in case anyone had forgotten.  And boy let me tell you, the cost of postage was well worth it – the big reveals were SO WONDERFUL!!

Every.  Single.  Family.  Member.  Got.  Involved!  Everyone!  I was so, so, so delighted!  And people were excited to share!!  The acts of kindness ran the gamut, too – my terrific family spread kindness in all sorts of ways!

Here are just a few examples:

- My dad repeatedly helped two wheelchair bound men get out of the building and into their vehicles.  He also donated to the Open Door Mission in Omaha.  Plus, he paid a woman to come clean the house just because she needed some money (even though the house didn’t really need cleaning).

Classic photo of my dad, 47 years ago

- My dad's wife Evelyn put money in the Salvation Army red buckets each time she passed one.  She also gave her granddaughter the SHIRT OFF HER BACK when the girl complimented it!  Evelyn went right into the bedroom, changed shirts, and let her granddaughter go home with the shirt she had complimented :) .

- One of nephews, Trevor, was amazingly kind to a friend in need.  Even though Trev didn’t have a lot of money himself, he shared what he had with the friend who had nothing and was homeless.  I think we all got tears in our eyes listening to Trevor’s story of kindness – it was amazing.
 

- David gave a ride to a stranger so the man could make it to church on time, and another time jumped in with a car full of strangers to help lead them to their destination when it was clear that the usual spoken directions were not going to be enough.  He also went out of his way and went into the university on a Saturday (a day off) to help out a student who had a tough semester and missed the final performance.  David giving up a few hours of his weekend meant a better grade (the one she deserved) for the student.

My sisters and I - Christmas 2017

- My sister Annette is great at giving manicures and pedicures.  She gave free 

pedicures to 4 women who needed some extra special treatment and kindness.  She 

also took a couple of friends who she knew were going through tough times out to 

lunch.  Plus, she stocked up on Halloween costumes when the stores marked them 

down after October 31^st to have them ready next Halloween when some students at 

the school where she works do not have costumes!  Isn’t that going to be an amazing 

surprise for them?

- My sister Sherry was mindful all year of people who work in service professions. She 

was careful to go out of her way to COMPLIMENT people in stores and other places 

who did good work.  She asked to speak to their supervisor, and made sure the 

management knew that the employee did a great job.  She said most managers were 

surprised that someone would go out of their way to compliment good behavior, and 

that they were all very appreciative.

- My nephew Nate and his wife Lyndsey made a POSTER of many of the kind things 

their family did in 2017!  It was super sweet.  They have a 2 year old and an infant, 

and even the kids got into the kindness!  Baby Keegan donated some of his diapers to 

babies whose families lost everything in the hurricane.  Toddler Ryker helped make 

blankets for animals at a special event.  The family delivered treats to the staff at a 

hospital that took care of their Grandpa.  The whole family did a kindness that I 

thought was really fun and meaningful: they had lots of packages being delivered for 

the holidays, and they left Starbucks gift cards with thank you notes for the delivery 

people!  They left one for the mail carrier, who in return left THEM a thank you note!

Starbucks gift cards for stressed out delivery people = KINDNESS!

Cookies are a great act of kindness!

·        

Nate and Ryker working on a blanket for an animal

- My brother in law Jim tried hard to help students who were having difficulty in the college classes he teaches.  He also gave money to the homeless.

- For my kind act, I told my family about a young woman working at an Arby’s we ate at.  I could just tell that was having a tough time in life.  I struck up a conversation with her as she cleaned tables, and it turned out her husband had died a couple of months earlier and she was trying to pay off the funeral.  She had two kids, but had told them Santa was “broke” this year so there wouldn’t be much for Christmas.  I gave her $15.  That’s not a lot of money, and it obviously won’t help pay off her expenses much or buy any great gifts for her children.  But she was very appreciative, and I think it meant a lot to her that someone took time to have a real conversation and listen to her.

- My nephew Jordan had a co-worker who was going through a particularly difficult time.  He took meals to her and collected money to help her out.  

- Hadley Jo is only 2 years old, but that is old enough to be KIND!  She donated some of her toys to kids who didn't have many.  And her mamma, Elizabeth, gave puzzle books to nursing home residents.  The two of them prove that kindness has no age limits!

2 years old is old enough to be kind,but it is not quuuuite old enough
to not be afraid of Santa...  :)  

- And finally, my niece Ashlee and her family (Pete, Kemper, and Tallis) took kindness to a whole new level in 2017!  They took my challenge to heart and did kind things all the time!!  They collected lots of books for a book drive our family organized, they watched other people’s children to give parents some needed time off, they accept a young transgender girl for who she is and welcome her along on many family events, Pete paid for a solo birthday diner’s meal, the whole family made 700 cupcakes to celebrate a co-worker’s special birthday, and many, many more kind things!!!!  They made a whole photo album to inspire us with their kindness!

The Englund family did kind things ALL YEAR!

700 cupcakes????

That is a LOT of cupcakes!

That's KIND, Pete!

Here is a portrait of the whole KIND Englund family :) (by artist Tallis)

This KIND CHRISTMAS was really great.  It was inspirational seeing how my family spread kindness in the world.  The little (and big) acts of kindness that we put out into the world helped to make it a better place.  I like to think of kind acts as ripples – when we do something kind, it creates a RIPPLE in the world.  Those touched by the ripple spread more kindness. 

I think I will ask my family to do kind things again for Christmas next year.  It is not tough – any little kind act is appreciated and goes a long way.  And hearing all of the stories sure helped make my holidays brighter.  Feel free to take the idea and use it with YOUR family – I don’t think you will be disappointed in the results.

Thanks, Thompson family!  KEEP SPREADING KINDNESS!   

Kindness is Contagious

One of the main premises of this Kindness Activist project is:  KINDNESS IS CONTAGIOUS.  When we see kindness, receive kindness, or even hear about kindness, we are in turn inspired to go out into the world and CREATE KINDNESS – SHARE IT!  One little act of kindness can be a ripple that goes out into the world and makes more ripples – spreading, expanding, and filling the space with KINDNESS.

That is what I have seen to be true.  That is what I believe.

With that concept in mind, that sharing about kindness inspires more kindness, I set up something special on our front gate. 

We live on a very busy intersection right outside Washington DC.  Cars pass by day and night, as do bicyclists, walkers, and runners.  I wanted to see how many people would be willing to stop and get involved if they spotted THIS sign:

Kindness is Contagious sign - day one!!!

It was quite bright, neon in fact!  And it was really noticeable.  Hanging from it was a bag of post-it notes and markers, and another bag with Kindness Activist cards with contact info. 

But these days so many of us (myself included) have our heads buried in our cell phones or our minds focused on “more important” things than what is right in front of us…  So how many people would, a: NOTICE the sign, and more importantly, b: be willing to get involved and share a message???

I started by putting my own message on the board.  I invited my partner to post his.  Then I waited and hoped people would join in.

And they did!!  One of the first person to be bold enough to participate wrote this:

I couldn't agree more, Georgia (who I have never met but would like to!)

You can’t imagine how much that made me smile!!! 

I wrote about the board on Facebook, and loads of friends gave me stories of kindness to post.  So those were added!  Two friends even wrote their own post-its from afar and sent them snail mail to add to board. 

And neighbors, passersby, continued to stop and share.  Their messages filled me with joy.  With happiness.  And I guess, ultimately, the messages filled me with HOPE.  Some days it is hard to believe in kindness – when the news is all negative and the workday seems to never end.  But on those days I would pop out to the front gate and find notes like this one:

I have often thought about doing this, buying a stranger's coffee, but have never
actually DONE it.   Thanks, whoever wrote this, for reminding me what a
KIND thing it is to do, and not difficult!

 Or this one!

Hey Mike at Safeway - your kindness made a big difference in
the day of the person who wrote this note!

And look at this one!

What a great way to give back to the world.

Even kids got involved, which really made me grin.

Because to help people    :)

Once I fell down and someone helped me get up.   :)

Some were very serious:

Amazing kindness

You are lucky to have such an inspirational friend, JH.  Thanks for
being open and honest and stopping to share!

I bet your friends were happy to be able to help

Others more light-hearted:

You are VERY WELCOME!  It was totally my pleasure.

I guess, in the end, this project was a tiny bit selfish…  I am certain that I received more than I pitched in on this one – all I had to do was make a sign and keep the bag stocked with markers and paper, passersby did the amazing work of opening their hearts and sharing kindness.  Thank you, kind souls, who took time to stop and share your stories of kindness.  

This project was a tangible way to remind myself, and to share with others, that KINDNESS IS CONTAGIOUS. 

Share some today, won't you?   

And if you know of a kind person, please tell me about them!  I am looking for more stories to share so that we can spread kindness even further.  Please email me at kindnessactivist@gmail.com to share YOUR story of kindness received, given, or witnessed.  THANKS!

Thank YOU!  After all, KINDNESS IS CONTAGIOUS!

Springtime Kindness

We live smack dab on a busy corner.  We have traffic pretty much 24/7 and people biking, jogging, and walking by a lot.  To some people this location might be a bit too noisy, too busy, and annoying.  To me, it is LOVELY!  I like to eat breakfast and look out the window to see people walking by.   I like to have dinner on the front porch on warm summer nights and see cars driving by (though the occasional fire truck that blares past the house can be a bit loud…).  In short, this is a great location for us.

Another reason that this corner of two busy streets works so well is that it means I can use our little piece of the world to SPREAD KINDNESS.  I often have what I call “front gate projects”, especially when spring and summer weather hit.  I have done front gate projects asking people to examine what Inspiration, Beauty, and Joy meant to them ( Inspiration, Beauty, and Joy link ), in winter I giveaway warm clothing ( Warm Kindness link ) and lots of other things.  I express creativity and kindness on our gate!  😊 

So, when the weather started warming up last week, I started planning my newest front gate project – PROJECT SPRING!!  I got some plastic Easter eggs through our local Buy Nothing group (Buy Nothing is a cool concept – the sharing economy.  Here is a link to a story about Buy Nothing - Washington Post Buy Nothing story link.  Check and see if there is a Buy Nothing group near you, and if there is not, set one up!!)  So anyway, with Buy Nothing, you list things that you have that you want to GIVE AWAY for free, and people contact you if they would like them.  Someone listed a big bag of plastic eggs to give away, and I picked them up.

Each egg has a ribbon on the top and TREATS inside!

I cleaned them, sorted them, and glued ribbons onto each of them.  Then started the FUN PART:  filling them!!  I put treats in each egg – candy, bubble gum, super balls, little toy cars, stickers, change, 1 egg was larger and I fit a little bottle of bubbles in there, and 2 of the eggs had dollar bills 😊.  Each egg also contained a little slip of paper wishing people a happy spring and telling them about Kindness Activist, so they can join in the movement!  I also made a sign to hang on the gate so people would understand that these eggs were for SHARING, not just for decoration.

Then I HUNG THEM UP!!  I tied them with ribbons carefully to the fence on the Saturday before Easter.  Oh, I should point out that I wanted to make sure that these eggs were not seen solely as gifts for those who celebrate EASTER.  I mean, the egg is traditionally a symbol for Easter, but I have Muslim neighbors, Jewish neighbors, and I am sure many who do not have any connection to a religion.  So when I posted about the project to my local neighborhood Facebook group and to the Buy Nothing group, I explained that the eggs were for all ages and all beliefs – they are to celebrate spring time!!

Pick an egg, any egg

Celebrate SPRING!

It has been so sweet seeing people come and get eggs!!  The first 2 people I saw stop were teenage girls, and they were excited to get involved!   I have seen families come by and get eggs, couples, and kids.  Everyone left with an egg in their hand and a smile on their face.

Kindness can be super easy to spread.  It just takes an bit of inspiration, an idea, and in my case, a front gate.

HAPPY SPRING.  May the sunshine inspire you to spread kindness.  

(You can follow Kindness Activist on Twitter at @KindActivist and on Facebook at Kindness Activist