Today is August 1st. My birthday month has officially begun! In honor of turning the big 3-0 this month, I have decided to do a 30 day project that I am calling, “30 days of Living to Love.”
For my 30th birthday, I want to do 30 acts of kindness. I plan to do one every day for 30 days, and to write about my experiences. I got the idea from my friend Sarah Fulton who did a 40 day challenge before her 40th birthday. I joined in on the fun and found myself actually missing it when the challenge was over. Her challenge was to have friends and family join in on her quest to do acts of kindness every day for 40 days before her 40th birthday. It was remarkable! I found myself doing things I normally would never have done without this challenge. One night, I gave two girls a ride home from the FedEx store that I had never met before (and this was when I lived in the Bronx). They were going to take the bus home, and had been talking about how long it was going to take them to get back to where they live. It was getting late, and I thought, “I haven’t done my act of kindness yet today- this is perfect, I’ll offer these gals a ride home!” Thankfully, these two girls were super sweet and grateful for the ride; and I felt so good to have stepped out of my comfort zone that night.
Then, on another occasion, I gave a sandwich to a woman selling necklaces on the beach while I was on vacation in the Dominican Republic. I did these things because it was something I was striving to do every day and by having it as a daily challenge, I was being reminded of it constantly. It felt so good! I think that truthfully, since it was a daily thing, I was more likely to follow through. I am finding that perhaps those things you do every day are just as important (or maybe even more important) than those things you only do once in a while.
So, to prepare for this project, I decided to come up with a list of ideas for things that I could possibly do every day. These are in no particular order, but are just a list of ideas to help me and anyone else that might want to take on the challenge. I wanted to post these along with a free printable tag for this 30 days project because I would love it if you joined along! Of course, the printable tags don’t have to be used for every kind act. If you stop by to visit a friend, it might be a little awkward to then hand them this tag almost as if you were checking that off your list of “to do’s.” However, if you are leaving a bag of quarters at a vending machine, then the tag is the perfect way to leave a note. So use the tags as you’d like.
Also, if you aren’t able to do the acts of kindness every single day, no worries! I found that with my friend Sarah’s challenge, I didn’t always do extraordinary things every day, and some days I might not have really done any kind act at all. However, I did do more that month than I would have if I hadn’t taken on the challenge. So basically, a few acts of kindness this month are better than none! This challenge isn’t about doing it perfectly or winning a prize, it is just simply about striving a little more to love by daily making a conscious effort to reach out in some way. Here are some ideas…
Acts of Love:
- gift for garbage man
- quarters and note taped to a car wash
- bagels/doughnuts/cookies to a staff of hospice/ ICRM
- roses to nursing home
- be a friendly driver and let people in
- pay for the person behind you
- vending machine “take what you need” at an ER
- send cards/post cards to friends in other states
- happy chalk messages, “you are awesome”
- pick up litter
- pull weeds for friend/neighbor
- free babysitting
- give cold bottles of water to homeless
- put away carts at the grocery store
- invite someone new over for dinner
- wash someone’s car for them
- leave a large tip
- make cookies and drop them off to someone
- send a kind text message to someone you haven’t spoken to in a while
- buy homeless person lunch
- give away popsicles at the park
- give loved one a massage
- fill a parking meter for a stranger
- leave dollars at the dollar store
- send someone an itunes song as a gift
- give hugs
- popcorn and a dollar by a redbox machine (“enjoy your movie on me”)
- write “you look beautiful” on the mirror of Target
- walk dogs at the shelter
- introduce yourself to a neighbor
- pay a compliment to the cashier at the grocery store
Obviously, there are SO MANY more options for kind acts, so if you think of any, please share them with us! And…
YOU CAN JOIN OUR CHALLENGE BY HEADING OVER RIGHT HERE AND DOWNLOADÂ THIS CUTE PRINTABLE RIGHT HERE!!
I’m so excited to start this, and I can’t wait to hear about how it goes for everyone that joins! Don’t forget to tag us @weedstowishes and #30daysoflove so we can see what you are up to!
Xoxo,
Meet the Author: Bianca Merkley