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kindness colors our lives

3/3/2020

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By Daneen James 
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Kindness is a game changer. Be inspired by these stories about the life-changing impact of kindness (https://www.rd.com/true-stories/inspiring/kindness-strangers/). Then brighten someone's day with one of the 20 random acts of kindness, listed below, that take 2 minutes or less and don't cost a penny(https://www.rd.com/advice/relationships/free-random-acts-of-kindness/).

Supermarket Flowers 
When the supermarket clerk tallied up my groceries, I was short $12. I began to remove items from the bags, when another shopper handed me a $20 bill. “Please don’t put yourself out,” I told him. “Let me tell you a story,” he said. “My mother is in the hospital with cancer. I visit her every day and bring her flowers. I went this morning, and she got mad at me for spending my money on more flowers. She demanded that I do something else with that money. So, here, please accept this. It is my mother’s flowers.” – Leslie Wagner, Peel, Arkansas. ​

Waiting in the Wings
I'm a middle school teacher. After four weeks of recovering from the devasting loss of my first child. I walked into my empty classroom and turned on the lights. Glued to the wall were a hundred colored paper butterflies, each with a handwritten message on it from current and past students. All of them had encouraging messages: “Keep moving forward,” “Don’t give up on God,” and “Know that we love you.” It was exactly what I needed. – Jennifer Garcia-Esquivel, San Benito, Texas

Lost and Found
I forgot about the rules on liquids in carry-on luggage, so when I hit security at the airport, I had to give up all my painting supplies. When I returned a week later, an attendant greeted me at the baggage area with my paints. He'd kept them for me and he had looked up my return date and time in order to meet.  – Marilyn Kinsella, Canmore, Canada. 

The Promise 
I saw a dress in a consignment shop that I knew my granddaughter would love. But money was tight, so I asked the store owner if she could hold it for me. “May I buy the dress for you?” asked another customer. “Thank you, but I can’t accept such a gracious gift,” I said. Then she told me why it was so important for her to help me. She’d been homeless for three years, she said, and had it not been for the kindness of strangers, she would not have been able to survive. “I’m no longer homeless, and my situation has improved,” she said. “I promised myself that I would repay the kindness so many had shown me.” She paid for the dress, and the only payment she would accept in return was a heartfelt hug. – Stacy Lee, Columbia, Maryland

Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Children were playing at the recreation area of an IKEA store when my five-year-old granddaughter motioned for a small boy to stop. She knelt down before him and retied his flopping shoelaces—she had only just learned to tie her own. No words were spoken, but after she finished, both smiled shyly, then turned to race off in different directions. – 
Sheela Mayes, Olla, Louisiana. 

A Healing Touch
When my husband died unexpectedly, a coworker took me under her wing. Every week for an entire year, she would send me a card saying “Just Thinking of You” or “Hang in There.” She saved my life.
– Jerilynn Collette, Burnsville, Minnesota

It only takes a moment to make an impact. 20 random acts of kindness that take 2 minutes or less and don't cost a cent: 
  1. Say hello to a stranger and wish them a great day
  2. Learn the name of a person that regularly helps or serves you, (i.e. parking lot attendant, security guard, janitor, mail carrier, UPS Driver, Bank Teller)greet them by name 
  3. Smile
  4. Compliment a stranger - in person or online
  5. Make a list of 5 things you love about your partner, leave the list where they'll find it
  6. Give the benefit of the doubt. Assume the best, not the worse. No matter what it seems like 
  7. Offer to babysit for a friend or a single parent
  8. Clean out your closets and cabinets. Donate extra candy and clothes 
  9. Use your turn signal
  10. Let someone merge in front of you on the highway, even if you think they don't "deserve" it
  11. High five someone
  12. Volunteer to be the designated driver
  13. Leave a handwritten thank you note 
  14. Post a positive review online
  15. Pick up trash
  16. Hold the door or the elevator
  17. Share a recipe
  18. Give up your seat or swap seats so a family can sit together on public transportation
  19. Call the manager of your favorite store, share what you like about the store
  20. Offer someone a hug

Inspired?  Try some of your own. 

Get more on this and other topics:
Book Daneen as a speaker:

https://www.daneenjames.com/contact.html

Connect and receive updates about Daneen's upcoming book: https://www.daneenjames.com/contact.html
​

Brighten someone's life with a card:
https://www.daneenjames.com/shop.html

​
Daneen James is an inspirational author, speaker and develops uplifting
​products and media through her company, 
SPARKSAFLAME. 
​



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