Commit to 17 Acts of Kindness, #ParklandStrong

My heart has been hurting in such a serious way since last week’s horrific act at Douglas High School. I can’t move on… nor should I. I’m not going to get into gun control and reform here except to say we clearly need to do more to protect our children. Shootings of any kind, especially at school, is not acceptable. We should not be OK with this.

I saw my friend Nicole mention she was doing 17 UNRANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS in honor of the 17 students who died during the Parkland shooting. “Prayers and thoughts” only do so much; it’s action at all levels that creates change. Our collective voices and actions are powerful… together we can create incredible change.

What can you do? Here are a few ideas for not-so-random acts of kindness you can do today.

Smile at strangers.

Pay it forward and purchase coffee for the person behind you.

Help a mama who is clearly struggling, whether that means by holding the door, wheeling her grocery cart, giving a smile or an out-stretched hand.

Be extra considerate when you’re calling customer service; imagine how many people they deal with each day that are only calling with problems.

Let someone pass you while driving when you normally wouldn’t.

Surprise a friend or colleague with a small treat or token of appreciation.

Send someone you thought looked gorgeous in a recent FB post a message to tell them (instead of just giving the photo a like and moving along), or take the time to write a meaningful comment on his or her Instagram photo.

Leave the server a larger tip than you normally do.

Find opportunities to compliment people in really sincere ways.

Make sure everyone in your group conversation feels included.

Bring water, muffins or another treat to the hard-working team picking up your neighborhood garbage and recycling.

Say hi to strangers more often; you might be the only person who talks to them today. Never forget that.

Write a positive comment on a blog, web site or LinkedIn profile.

Practice self-love and be a little less critical of yourself today.

Take the time to ask a question to a co-worker, or ask an older relative to tell you a story about their past.

Wheel your neighbor’s trash can up their driveaway.

Put a surprise in someone’s mail box.

Befriend that person at the party (kids party included!) who doesn’t seem to know anyone.

Send someone a text to tell them how much you adore them.

Use your knowledge to help someone else.

Spread joy.

You guys… acts of kindness  are one of the easiest things we can do, and as you can see, it pretty much costs nothing, not even much of your time. I LOVE giving random compliments; hopefully they’re never creepy, lol… it makes my heart so full.

Quick story: last week at the gym I saw what looked like a daughter with her dad. With his friendly demeanor and larger belly, he honestly reminded me of my dad. In some ways I was overwhelmed with emotion seeing a young girl at the gym with her dad. Many of you know my dad passed away two years ago, somewhat suddenly, due to heart and other issues. And, I could never get him to work out. I could have said nothing to this sweet girl; instead I went up to her and said something to the effect of, “are you working out with your dad?” She replied that he recently had heart surgery and she was motivating him by working out together. It brought tears to my eyes. I bluntly told her that she should be so proud… she should know she is saving his life. It was emotional for both of us, and I could see the pride on her face.

I know I’m on a semi-tangent but I bring this up because we each have so many kind fleeting thoughts throughout the day, and yet, many of them go unsaid. Imagine if we took the time to randomly share more of them.

See what you can do, and I’d love if you took the time to comment below with yours or on The Modern Savvy Facebook page.