#21: Free Coffee

As you have probably figured out from previous posts, I love coupons and I love helping others save money.  Recently I received some Racetrac coupons in the newspaper for free coffee (no purchase necessary!).  Since I don't drink coffee, I thought it would be fun to give these coupons to someone who would appreciate it.

I pass Racetrac on the way to and from work, so one afternoon I stopped there to surprise two people with the coupons.  I saw a man who appeared to be a construction worker holding a fresh cup of coffee and walking to the cashier to pay.  I handed him one of the coupons and told him it was for free coffee.  Either he was surprised or did not understand English, because he just looked at the coupon and smiled.  Then I saw another guy wearing the same construction uniform and gave him the same coupon.  He also smiled and took it.  I am sure that these two guys could use some free coffee, and it made me feel good to help them out.

#20: Don't Forget Your Wallet!

Today I went to lunch at the Food Court in the mall.  I had just paid for my meal, and the guy behind me started searching in his jacket for his wallet.  He had his plate made at the counter and was ready to take his food, but he did not have his wallet.  He told the cashier "I must have left my wallet in my car.  I'll leave my food right here and come right back." 

I knew what I needed to do.  I said to the cashier, "I'll pay for his lunch."  The guy was stunned.  He was speechless for a second, and then said "no, no, you don't have to do that".  I could tell he felt awkward accepting my money, so I told him that this was an act of kindness and he was helping me get to my goal of 26.  After that, he accepted my offer.  :)

He was so appreciative and told me twice that he would pay it forward.  I have no doubt that he will!

#19: Paying Attention

My good friend and coworker, Sharron, noticed one morning at work that I was wearing a new bracelet. She mentioned that she liked it and it was something that she would buy for herself. I had just bought the bracelet at Forever 21 (don't laugh, that is my new favorite place to buy jewelry!). 

I went to the mall on my lunch break that day and bought the same bracelet for her. I was so excited to surprise her with it that afternoon, but she left after lunch to work from home. I stored the bracelet in my desk drawer waiting for the next time to see her in the office. We kept missing each other due to vacations and conflicting work-from-home days, but finally we were in the office on the same day. She was so excited when I surprised her with the bracelet. I think I had more fun giving it to her than she had receiving it!

#18: Saying Thank You with a Gift

Earlier this week, we kept Buddy, my mom's dog, at our house while she was working.  She likes for him to be here and have company on days when she has something to do after work, so he won't be alone all day and all night.

Buddy is a super sweet dog.  Unfortunately he's also a very untrained dog.  Don't even think about taking him outside without a leash, because he will take off running and will not come when you ask.

So back to Monday night.  I was outside talking to a neighbor, and I instructed my kids to stay inside.  My son decided to ignore me, and the next thing I know, the kids and Buddy are running wild in the front yard.  Buddy took off across the street.  My husband chased after him with some food as bait, and I took the kids inside.  I didn't want to lose anyone else!  He was not having any success capturing Buddy, so I put the kids in the car and we went out to help him look. 

I drove out of the subdivision onto a VERY busy road, and there was Buddy sniffing the sign of the adjacent subdivision.  I pulled over to get out and get him, and he flew across the busy street.  I was so scared and envisioned him getting hit by a car.  My mom would never forgive me if something happened to Buddy while he was in my care.  He crossed that busy road about three times, and I looked like a crazy lady stopping traffic during rush hour to save him from an oncoming car.  Meanwhile my kids were waiting in my car, which was pulled over.  Not a good situation for any of us.

A neighbor across the street from that subdivision sign saw me running around chasing Buddy, and she started chasing him with me.  I started yelling "throw him some food!" because that was really the only way to catch him.  This elderly woman and her grown daughter helped me for about 15 minutes literally running in circles in their front yard.  By this time my husband had found us and ultimately the four of us were able to get Buddy.

I credit these kind strangers for saving Buddy's life.  We did not know each other before this incident, but I will always be grateful.  Of course we said thank you when Buddy was caught, but I wanted to do something more.  I went home, wrote a thank you note, included a $5 Starbucks gift card, and put the note in their mailbox the next day.  I hope they know how much we appreciate their kindness.

#17: Donating to find a cure for Jackson

As you may have read in #13 of my blog, my son, Ethan, has a good friend, Jackson, who was recently diagnosed with a serious kidney disease called FSGS , which stands for
Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis.  Jackson is only 6 years old and has a long road of treatments ahead of him.  His parents would do anything to find a cure for their only child.  Heather, Jackson's mom, posted on Facebook that if anyone wanted to help, she would ask for donations to The NephCure Foundation.  This foundation is working on a cure for this horrible disease.

I was happy to donate $20 to NephCure and help find a cure for Jackson.

If anyone would like more information on FSGS or Jackson's story, you can check out these links:

http://www.nephcure.org/fsgs-facts

http://www.nephcure.org/jackson-story

#16: A kind act in the middle of frustration

After paying the stranger's toll on MLK Day, I took my kids to Lego Land to spend the day off from school.  In addition to having fun and meeting up with friends, I learned to never, ever, EVER go to Lego Land on a school holiday.  We have annual passes, and it is just not worth fighting the crowds when we can have the place to ourselves any Sunday morning.

After a couple hours of playing, we were ready for lunch.  The line at the cafe was LONG.  And of course there was only one cashier.  All of the kids and parents in line, including us, were hungry and grumpy.  I think we stood in line for 25 minutes, but it felt like 3 hours.  When we got to the cashier, I mumbled something about needing more people to work so the line would move faster.  I flashed my season pass so I could get 20% off our meal.

 I wish the cafe looked like this photo while we were there.

 

Then I had a thought.  Why not try to perform an act of kindness in the middle of this frustration?  So I handed my season pass to the woman behind me and told her to use it so she could get 20% her meal, too.  I waited for her to complete her transaction, and I think she was very appreciative.  (What's another 2 minutes after you've been waiting 25?!)  I don't know about her, but I felt so much better after doing that for her.  

I know it cost me nothing and only saved her a few dollars.  But maybe my act of kindness changed her attitude that day or possibly inspired her to pay it forward.

#15: Another free toll

I am not creative.  But a kind act is a kind act, right?  I was driving down GA 400 again Monday, and I decided to pay for another car's toll.  When I told the cashier to keep my change and use it to pay for the next car, she didn't blink an eye.  I'm hoping that means that these acts are becoming much more common!

Sorry, no photos this time!  I was driving with my kids in the back seat, so there way no way to safely take a picture.  You will have to trust me!

#14: Free Bagels!

Leaving coupons for strangers is such a fun and easy way to perform an act of kindness.  Today we ate at Goldberg's, so I pulled out my $5 off coupon.  I noticed that there was a second coupon for "Buy 12 bagels, get 6 free", and we weren't going to use it.

I brought the coupon to the bagel counter and asked the bagel man to give the coupon to the next customer ordering bagels.  To my surprise, he got really excited!  I think he said something like "That is great!  I will tell the next person that a nice lady left this coupon.  Wait, do you want to wait here a minute?  You can watch me give it to the next person."  I was excited that he was excited, so I asked him if I could take his picture with the coupon.

I told him that I didn't want to wait because I didn't want the recipient to know it came from me.  He promised he would help me carry out my act of kindness, and I trust that he did. :)

#13: Cheering Up a Friend

My favorite way to perform an act of kindness is to "stumble upon" an opportunity.  Since I started this project, I have looked for things to do (such as give blood) when nothing presented itself naturally.  Act #13 was awesome because it involved a close friend and the act of kindness just fell into place.

My friend, Heather, had been posting on Facebook recently that her son, Jackson, was having health issues.  He was just diagnosed with a kidney problem and was on steroid medication for three months.  Because the medication suppresses his immune system, he had to stay home during the 2.5 week winter break while all his friends were going out of town, to playdates, and to camp.  It was too risky for him to go out in public and possibly catch a cold or something even worse.  I know he was bored and lonely.  Trust me, keeping a five year old home for two weeks is not fun for the parent or the child.

I wanted to do something nice for Jackson, so I tried to think of what would be most appreciated.  I thought back to the time when I broke my leg in first grade.  I had a plaster cast from my toes to the top of my thigh.  I'm sure I was in pain and miserable at first.  But that is not the part of the experience that I remember.  My most vivid memory of my broken leg experience was the numerous visitors who came to my bed bringing me gifts and candy.  I had no idea what I did to deserve all of the attention.  It was fabulous.  Who knew all a kid needed to do for extra presents was break a leg?

So back to Jackson.  I emailed his mom and asked if I could come with my son (who is also good friends with Jackson) to bring him a gift and cheer him up.  We showed up with a couple treats and a couple toys.  The boys had a blast together, and I could tell that both Heather and Jackson appreciated the visit.  When we left, I felt so good that I made Jackson's winter break a little more fun.

We are all wishing Jackson a quick recovery! 

#12: Giving Blood

Giving blood is a truly anonymous, kind act for a stranger.  There is a Red Cross Blood Donation Center just a few minutes from my house, so I went there to give blood today.  It was a very easy way to do something nice for someone else.  The phlebotomist (yes, there a technical name for the person who draws your blood) joked that I should count this event as three acts since one pint of blood saves three lives.  However, I will not go easy on myself, and this will just count as one!

My one complaint is the time... I was there for an hour and a half, and only 20 minutes of that time was spent hooked up to the needle and blood bag (don't know the technical name for that one!).  I waited about 45 minutes because today was a very busy day at the donation center.  I had no idea that people just show up to donate blood on an ordinary day.  I have always donated at blood drives that come to a school or office building.  Then there was the always fun interview questions.  My favorite was "is it ok if I register you as a female?" 

As I was finishing, the staff was excited to hear that a reporter from the newspaper was there to take photos and do a story.  I have no idea why today was a newsworthy day at the Red Cross, but I will look in the paper tomorrow and find out.  I did not stick around to see what the reporter was looking to report on. :)

#11: Ongoing Donations

Today I received a call from the Humane Society of the United States.  They called because I made a donation for the pets affected by Hurricane Sandy in November, which was my stepmother's birthday gift.  This time they were asking for an ongoing monthly donation.  Every time I get a telemarketing call asking for money, I immediately say that I'm not interested, please remove me from the list, and hang up.

This time was different.  I am now looking for ways to complete my 26 acts of kindness.  We recently adopted a puppy, Coco, from the Atlanta Humane Society.  

I support all pet rescues and adoptions.  Why not commit to a monthly donation?

I told the woman on the phone that I would commit to $10 per month.  It felt really good to know that I am helping continually instead of just once.

#10: Free Lunch

I love reading others' stories on Twitter about their 26 acts of kindness (search using "#26acts"). People are so creative! I have stolen several ideas from reading their stories, including paying for a stranger's meal at a restaurant.

Today I took the kids to eat lunch with my brother at Roaster's in Sandy Springs. I saw a man eating alone at a table near us. Toward the end of our meal, I mentioned to my brother, Adam, that I was going to pay for that guy's meal as one of my acts of kindness. Adam turned around and looked at the man, and responded "He is wearing $300 boots. He doesn't need a free lunch."

I considered Adam's reasoning, but decided to pay for the man's lunch anyway. Even if this guy has plenty of money, he may be touched by the act of kindness and inspired to pay it forward in bigger ways than what I have been doing. Take my situation. A stranger paid for my $0.50 toll, and now I am donating much more than that in my 26 Acts project. 

And maybe the guy does not have any money left because he just spent his last $300 on a pair of boots; he would really appreciate the free lunch! :)

#9: Rounding Up

This act of kindness was unplanned. It was also small in monetary value, but it still counts because it is not something I would normally do. 

This morning we were at the mall when my daughter had an accident... (She warned me but we couldn't get to the restroom quick enough.) Unfortunately we did not have extra pants in the car (yes I know, lesson learned), so I bought her some new pants at JC Penney. Luckily it was the day after Christmas, so these new pants only cost me $3. :) Apparently JC Penney has a system where the customer is asked at each transaction if they would like to "round up" and donate the change to the Salvation Army. 

Normally when I am asked to donate to charities during a check out line, I say no. I don't know why I always say no, but I do. This time was different because I am much more conscious about helping others and donating to charitable causes.  My total was $3.18, and I said yes to rounding up to make the transaction an even $4. 

Now I know that this act of kindness was minimal in dollar amounts, but I am counting it because I would not have done this if not for my 26 Acts of Kindness project. I am going to make an effort to start saying yes more often.

#8: Coats for Kids

Over the last few days, I went through my kids' outgrown clothes and pulled out their warm winter coats. I packed a big bag of coats, and today I took my kids to Must Ministries to donate them. I chose Must Ministries because they are a local organization that helps provide food, shelter, clothing, and toys to people in need. 

I had planned to bring my kids inside the building and explain where we were. However, an employee came out to our car with a grocery cart as soon as we pulled into the parking lot. I also wanted to take a photo with both kids and the coats, but my daughter was complaining of the cold, so only my son was willing to pose for the picture. Nevertheless, they both understood that we were giving coats to children who needed them, so the lesson was learned.

#7: Gift for a Stranger

Since I didn't "run into" any easy opportunities for random acts of kindness today, I decided to buy a gift card for a stranger while I was at Walmart. I put the gift card on the windshield of the car next to mine. I will never know who received it, but I'm sure it will brighten someone's day.

#6: Where It All Started

Last Monday I was inspired to pay it forward because a stranger paid my toll on GA 400 (an interstate connecting the northern suburbs and the city of Atlanta.  Today I drove on that highway again, so I decided to repeat the stranger's act of kindness as my #6.  The toll is $0.50.  I gave the cashier $5 and told her to use it to pay my toll and the next 9 cars behind me.  She was stunned, then told me "God bless you.  Merry Christmas!".  As I was driving away, I saw her shoo away the next driver's hand with money and lifted the gate for him to go on.  That was me last time.  I hope that at least a few of those nine drivers decide to pay it forward like I did.

Apparently word is spreading about the "26 Acts of Kindness", which is not surprising considering how exponential it is.  If one person touches 26 others, and those 26 are inspired to perform 26 new acts of kindness, all of a sudden there are 676 acts of kindness going on.  No wonder it is spreading fast!

When I decided to take on the 26 Acts challenge, I was unsure if I should start a blog or tell people what I was up to.  One on hand, the purpose is to do something kind for someone else without expecting anything in return.  On the other hand, if I let people know what I'm doing, I can inspire more people to follow this awesome trend.  So I decided to blog about the experience, partially to inspire readers and partially to hold myself accountable so I won't quit when it is no longer exciting.  I am trying to stay anonymous to the recipients because I don't want them to think they need to "pay me back" in any way.  I would like for them to pay it forward to someone else.

The most rewarding part of this experience is seeing that I am inspiring others.  Two of my friends, Lauren and Rachel, are also blogging and posting on Facebook about their 26 Acts experiences so far.  Another friend, Hilly, paid for 26 people's meals at Waffle House.  My dad called me this morning to tell me that he was on the way to the hospital to deliver 26 doughnuts to the ICU nurses.  

It's also fun to hear about my friends and family talk about their experiences being on the receiving end of strangers' kind acts.  My brother told me that his coffee was paid for at Starbucks this morning by someone ahead of him in line.  The cashier told him that most of the purchases so far today were made by strangers paying for others in line!

Please share in the comments section: Have you done any acts of kindness lately, or have you been on the receiving end?

Small World

I say this all the time, and I'll say it again.  It is such a small world!

The event that inspired me to do these 26 acts of kindness was when a stranger paid my toll on GA 400 earlier this week.  I had been sad all day thinking about the Connecticut tragedy, and the stranger's act of kindness made me realize how nice most people are.  Then after posting the experience on Facebook, my friend Lauren let me know about the 26 acts of kindness that people were doing.

I have loved reading about this amazing trend.  Just search for #26acts or #AnnCurry on Twitter and you will see what I am talking about.  A couple days ago a guy named Steve Miller (@smmill10) posted on Twitter to Ann Curry (the news anchor who started this trend) that he paid tolls on GA 400 for 10 people behind him.  I replied and asked him if he did this on Monday afternoon around 3:45 pm when I was there, and he said yes.  I highly doubt there was more than one person paid for others tolls at this exact time, so I'm pretty sure he's the guy.  If any of you are on Twitter, please give a shout out to Steve for his thoughtfulness and inspiration.

So Steve, if you are reading this, THANK YOU.  I am doing my best to pay it forward and inspire others to do the same.

#5 - Letter to a Soldier

In the last few days we sold a couple books through half.com.  I noticed that one of the buyers was a soldier stationed in Afghanistan.  When I was preparing to ship the book today, I realized that I could use this as another act of kindness.  I decided to write a thank you note to the soldier for his/her service to send with the book.  

Then I had a better idea.  I would use this as a teaching opportunity and let my son write the letter.

Then my husband had an even better idea.  Let's give him his/her money back.

So instead of shipping just the book that was ordered, this is what is going to Afghanistan.  This soldier is in for a nice surprise!

#4: Thank You Notes

I stole the idea for Act #4 from my friend, Jenny.  She posted on Facebook that she wrote thank you notes to the first responders of the Sandy Hook shootings - the Newtown Police Officers and the Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire Department.  

What a great idea.  These men and women risked their lives to save the children and teachers in that school.  Sadly they were too late to save 26 victims.  However, they had to face the carnage, and I'm sure those memories will haunt them forever.  In addition, they had to inform the victims' families of the news.  I cannot imagine what the first responders have gone through.  These people don't get paid much (and the volunteers get paid nothing), yet they have one of the hardest jobs out there.  We need to thank them more often.

#3 - This is too easy

Seriously, what has taken me so long?  I never considered myself to be an unthoughtful person, but after just a few acts of kindness, I can't believe what I didn't do.  Some of these acts are so easy and effortless.

This morning I was driving home from dropping my daughter off at preschool, and I noticed that my neighbor's newspaper was in her front yard.  It was raining.  I parked my car in the garage, grabbed my umbrella, and moved the newspaper to her front door step where it would stay dry.  My other neighbors are out of the country for a couple weeks, so I took their paper home with me.  I don't think either of these actions would have crossed my mind a week ago.  I hope that after these 26 acts are completed, I will continue to be thoughtful without trying to check a task off  my list.

To all my friends who have "liked" or commented on my efforts, thank you so much for your support.  It feels great to have cheerleaders. :)