Commit a Random Act of Kindness

Have you ever had one of those days when you just felt depressed? You know what I’m talking about: those ‘I’m going stay in my pajamas and eat ice cream all day’ deals. Between missing our family and friends, stressing over upcoming exams and dealing with college relationships, it’s easy to slip into a bad mood. Well, I was in one of those moods right before summer break, and I just couldn’t snap out of it. I was headed off to class when this random guy gave me a flower. I looked at him a bit stunned and asked, ‘Why?’ His response caught me off-guard, ‘You looked like you needed one.’ I have to admit, I thought he was either completely off his rocker or trying to hit on me. But, after I thanked him, he simply walked away. The flower did the trick, though. I spent the rest of the day with a smile on my face, but it also got me thinking. What if I paid it forward?

Over the summer, I decided to practice random acts of kindness, too. I gave my Quarter Pounder to a stray dog (wanted to keep him, but my husband was not feeling it), helped a lady with her groceries, and paid for a kid’s candy bar at the gas station. Although I did love the flower I received, I really enjoyed giving more! So, I did a little research and it turns out Amherst College actually has a page on their website dedicated to random acts of kindness, including an area where you can ‘Send a Smile’ to someone going through a tough time. Totally cool idea! There’s also a website called RandomActsofKindness.org, which has stories and tons of ideas for committing your own random acts of kindness. I also stumbled across GivesMeHope.com. I love this site because reading the posts gave me hope (get it?) that people actually do care about one another.

So, here’s my challenge to you. Get your dorm, sorority, campus club, or just a random group of friends together and organize random acts of kindness to perform throughout the coming semester. Just think how much fun it would be running around campus and making people smile. You can even get ideas and a calendar online to help get you started. Trust me, do something unexpected for a complete stranger – you’ll feel fantastic! Be sure to post your Random Acts of Kindness on our Facebook page, too; let’s inspire everyone to be kind!