So I found out that this week was Random Acts of Kindness Week, and our friends at Cramer Fundraising wanted to see what the MJ2 Marketing girls could do. The criteria was quite simple:
Random – unexpected
Act – as in doing something
Kind – as in an outwards, benevolent gesture
It got me thinking. As someone who is an information-junkie, of course my first reaction was to research online with the prowess of wanting to find and learn everything about random acts of kindness. I started at Wikipedia to get a definition: A random act of kindness is a selfless act performed by a person or persons wishing to either assist or cheer up an individual. There will generally be no reason other than to make people smile, or be happier. There is a book that talks about it, Random Acts of Kindness (1993) and also a movie, Pay It Forward (2000). Would you believe there is a site where you can get instructions on how to “Commit Random Acts of Kindness”. Really! There is a non-profit organization – Acts of Kindness designated to Acts of Kindness. On their website there are images of some really great inspiring and affirming quotes by some awe-inspiring people:
We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. – Winston Churchill
Give to another human without the expectation of a return. – Bill Bradley
Send a smile. Give a hug. All day long you will be loved. – Stephanie Geiger
That last scrolling quote brought it directly home to me. Give a hug. That statement alone provides me with all I need to do when I see my kids and that is all they ask for. “Mom, can I have a hug”. For whatever reason, in our family, that is the request that our kids have asked ever since they have been in pre-school. With that simple request, I am constantly reminded – regardless of where my mind may be in the day – to stop and give that hug.
It is random, as I never know when it will be asked of me. It is an act, since there is only one thing that will make it happen which is to, hug. And it is kind. The gesture of a hug completes the circle of the giver and the person who receives. A hug just makes it all just so much better, and I hope that feeling of kindness that the hugs I give my kids today will be the kindness that they will share with others tomorrow. How cool is that! Heck, even the guys on Entourage “ Hug it out”.
And it appears if we all maybe got a hug we would all better able to be kind to each other.
