Celebrate Random Act of Kindness Day 

Who’s ready to Celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Day? We would like to think all of us perform random acts of kindness every day, but we know things get busy, and we all have a lot on our minds. So that’s why it can be even more fun to make a special point of performing random acts of kindness on February 17^th.

You’ll brighten someone’s day by performing a random act of kindness. And if it makes you feel good, there’s a whole week devoted to performing random acts of kindness. Once you get in the habit, it could become a daily occurrence! Isn’t that a nice thought?

How It Started

Random Acts of Kindness Day came about after a California author named Anne Herbert came up with the inspirational phrase “Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty” and wrote it on her restaurant placemat. This was in 1982.

It didn’t take long for the phrase to spread and for people to start putting the phrase on bumper stickers, write books, and for teachers and professors to assign students to complete random acts of kindness and write a paper on it. Random Acts of Kindness Day started in 1995 in Denver, Colorado, and soon spread worldwide.

Random Acts of Kindness Ideas

If you like the idea, but need some random act s of kindness ideas, we’re here to help. You can use these ideas for inspiration, or come up with your own.

For Strangers

Performing random acts of kindness for strangers is a true example of giving without expecting anything in return. There are many acts you can do when the pandemic is over that include making a person to person contact or visiting people. For now, we’ll list acts that are mainly contact-free.

Examples include:

• Pay for the person behind you in the drive-through line.
• Pay for the meal of a family with small children.
• Leave an extra-generous tip for the waitress who helped entertain your children or was kind to your grandparent.
• Let someone cut in front of you in line.
• Slow down and waving another driver into traffic or make a turn.
• Let someone else take that prime parking spot.
• Put coins into an expired parking meter.
• Give coupons for a % off total purchase to customers in the same store as you.
• Stop to help someone who looks lost or confused.
• Offer to help or say something encouraging to a parent struggling with fussy or rambunctious children.
• Compliment a service worker to their boss.
• Write a great online review for a business you love.
• Write a thank-you note to your mail carrier.
• Reply kindly to someone on social media.
• Clear the snow from a neighbor’s driveway.

For Coworkers

The random act of kindness can still be anonymous if you would like. Some ideas include:

• Donate a vacation day or sick day to a coworker who is struggling with an illness or caring for a loved one.
• Compliment a colleague to their boss.
• Post uplifting messages on bathroom mirrors (use sticky notes).
• Show up early or stay late for a coworker who needs the extra time.
• Offer to mentor someone.
• Invite a new coworker to a group event or to your home.
• Greet the security guard, janitor, and all of your coworkers by name.
• Hold the door or push the Open button on the elevator.

As a Business

As a business owner, you can also perform random acts of kindness both for your employees and your community. Examples include:

• Start and end meetings on time.
• Let people go home early the afternoon before a holiday.
• Know the birthday of all of your employees and celebrate in some way.
• Make kindness the norm in your workplace.
• If you’re a restaurant, feed the homeless on occasion.
• Any business can donate services to communities or nonprofits that need them.
• Sponsor a highway.
• Clean up a local park or stream.
• Send thank-you notes to your customers.
• Promote your business partners on your social media.

Some random acts of kindness you perform as a business may help attract and retain customers. But that shouldn’t be your motive in doing something kind. Do it because you mean it.

For more inspiration, visit the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. There you’ll find:

• Free posters and calendars
• Kindness videos you can share on social media
• More kindness ideas
• Free lesson plans for teachers
• Additional resources

Make It Exceptional. Make It Woodfield.

We hope you’re able to do something kind for someone today and lucky enough to be the subject of a random act of kindness yourself. And as always, we are here if you’re looking to improve your outdoor living space.

Just fill out the contact form and briefly describe your project to get started. And remember: Be Kind.