Tag: strangers

Change the life of cancer patients!

Change the life of cancer patients!

It may seem expensive, unrealistic, or even hard to change the life of others without having lots of disposable income.  It’s true that some things cost money when it comes to giving back.  Buying cookies and sweets for the local police and fire departments costs money, buying surprise cards or gifts for strangers costs a little money (though, not much), but some things cost nothing.  Writing a note to a veteran and placing it on their windshield, complimenting a stranger, answering questions for those that are lost, or donating hair to help cancer patients doesn’t really cost anything.

I traded places with a woman in the post office recently who was running late to babysit.  It didn’t cost me anything but a few minutes of time and it brightened her day more than you might have imagined.  A week or so later there was a couple in a metered parking lot who were getting ready to put change in the meter, but couldn’t figure out how much, but I yelled across the lot and said you don’t have to pay on Sundays.  They were grateful for the response and it was a simple gesture for me to save them the time and money.

This past week I did one more thing that I hold particularly close to my heart.  I donated 9 inches of hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.  This makes 39 total inches donated so far to help change the lives of total strangers who are battling cancer.  Who wouldn’t want to change the life of a cancer patient if they could?  It’s simple yet means the world to someone else.  I have watched several women I know battle cancer, making it a particular cause that’s important to me.  A cause my grandpa would be equally proud of as he watches from heaven, looking down and asking me, “Did you use Pantene Pro-V?” as he used to do as he admired my shiny, black hair.

I hope these short stories inspire you to make a difference, big or small, in your community, city, and in the world around you.  Go change the life of someone else, specifically a stranger in need of care, support, and kindness.  After all, it’s often strangers that are often facing more battles than we often even realize.

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

A new year of kindness!

A new year of kindness!

I just turned 29, which matters for a few reasons, but not for the reasons you might think.  It wasn’t really all about celebrating me, or eating lots of birthday cake.  Instead it was about completing my first full year of my #ProjectKindnessBook goal.  I have a picture of each random act of kindness for the 28 things I did to help change the lives of others throughout the previous 12 months.  I didn’t post very many of them on social media, and I didn’t count the things I did for friends or family as random acts of kindness.  In fact, I actually took the pictures to keep myself accountable and to serve as a reminder of the positive actions I have the ability to do for strangers and people I barely know.

Not only was it a time to wrap up my year of 28 random acts of kindness, but it also meant it was time to start my year of 29 random acts of kindness. It has helped remind me to give more, take less for granted, help strangers, and cherish what I am able to do for others.  My year of 28 random acts of kindness proved to be a bit difficult at times, probably because it was my first year.  My #ProjectKindnessBook initiative was a new thing for me and I wasn’t sure what type of random acts to do that would keep it anonymous.  By the end I had so many different ideas of what I could do, including an overabundance of ideas to use this year.  I now have many ideas on how I can give to strangers without identifying myself to get recognition or credit.

With only a few weeks into my year of 29 random acts of kindness I am farther ahead than I would have anticipated at this point.  The random acts I do are almost always for individuals and families rather than donations to causes or organizations because I hope to touch the heart of everyday people in the world – people of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, gender, and race.  My year 29 random acts of kindness will have a minimum of 29 different things I do, but by the looks of it thus far I will probably far outreach my goal which is a great thing.  That makes me happy because it means I am spreading more random acts of kindness out into the world.  I hope others will join me on my journey of giving back and spreading kindness all around us and throughout the world – no matter where you live.  Happy sprinkling random acts of kindness wherever you are!  View my Project Kindness page or visit my previous post What is #ProjectKindnessBook? to learn more.

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

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