I had a birthday. I turned 28 in October. This is late but I wanted to finally document it.(again- super behind on posting) I'm sure some of you saw these RAOKS I did on instagram, but here is the final result. I chose this year for my birthday to follow my friend Becki who did RAOKS (Random Acts of Kindness) for her bday instead of receiving gifts for herself. I LOVED the idea and loved following along to see the amazing things she did. She did them ALL in one day (her bday) Unfortunately I couldn't do that because I was going to be Vegas on my birthday for business convention with my hubby. SO- since there is no real rule book on this I decided to just do 28 of them around about my bday. I have to say that these past few weeks have really changed my perspective on things. We are by nature, selfish people. Well, at least I know I am. I tend to be in a rush, or at times annoyed with people on the road, aggravated by adding another thing on my to do list for the day, and overall find it easy to put myself first. Sounds awful I know, but it's the truth. When I was on my way to the post office, or walmart, or the park to do a random act of kindness, it changes your attitude for the day. Suddenly it's not so important to be the first in line, to honk at the annoying driver who drives 10 miles under the speed limit, or make sure people appreciate you. Putting others before me helped me to notice the little things people do and be more aware of what I could do better. So here they are :)
#1. Leave a GOOD tip for a waitress.
This was fun! The waitress was pregnant and due in the next few months so we figured she could use the extra cash. We gave her a tip the amount of the bill. So $26 on a $26 bill. We handed it to her and while Jonny was in the restroom and I was out front about to leave she ran after us and said Wow I just wanted to say thank you. This made my day. :)
#2. Package for the Mail Man
I loved this one :) How could you not smile when you see a gift in the mail for YOU! I put a package together of things that wouldn't melt (strawberry waffers, candy, popcorn, granola bar, and some crackers with a homemade thank you card. Okay the best part on this one- SHE sent me a thank you note back! This was one of my favorites for sure!
#3. Leaving stationary and stamps at the post office.
#4. Leave change at the soda machine
This one was also fun! It doesn't have to cost a lot of money to cheer someone up! I know it would make me smile if someone bought me a soda for no reason! I saw people walk by it and smile and leave it for the next person. It was nice to see that they wanted to leave it to cheer someone else up :)
#5. Bring in Neighbors Trash Can
This one felt a but like invading someones personal space- haha! I know I HART dragging in the trash can but some people could take it as- SOMEONE was annoyed we left the trash can out- hahaha! Hopefully that wasn't the case- maybe next time I will leave notes when I do this :)
#6. Leave Happy notes and quotes on cars with candy :)
I did this on 12 cars I think- hopefully at least one person got a smile out of it!
# 7. Make a Polylop Tree for the kids at a park
Okay this one was dedicated for my sweet Grandpa Gurr who passed away. He used to make a "polylop tree" for us kids when we would spend the night at his home. I would wake up the next morning and get to pick dum dums off this tree that I SWORE grew lolipops! It was so magical for me so I created one the park :)
#8. Leave a note with cash for someone
I saw a guy in his front yard watering his lawn- I handed it to him and left. He looked at me like I was a little crazy but that's okay :)
#9. Donate. I had lots of brand new baby stuff I never got to use with Deklan so hopefully it will go to good use:)
# 10. Babysitting Vouchers- and if you guys don't use them I will come hunt you and your children down. :)
#11. Leave a gift card in a random book at Barnes and Noble for someone to find. Deklan helped me with this one :)
#12. Bring Bread out
#13. Leave dollars in the toy section
#14 Bring goodies to construction workers
#15. Bring Donuts to cops. Ha he thought I was insulting him at first. He finally gave in and said we really do like donuts...lol
#16. Bring goodies to nurses
#17 Bring fresh produce to the neighbor
#18. Put back shopping carts
#19. Bring Thanksgiving Dinner to those in Need. My activity girls and I brough two thanksgiving dinners out and doorbell ditched. They all pitched in something and I brought the turkey- we had a BLAST!! These girls have uplifted me so much!
#20. Bring Flowers to someone in Need. This one was by far my favorite. I went into the hospital- somewhat in a bad mood to be honest. It was my actual birthday and Jonny and I were in a rush to get out of Phoenix for his business convention. We had a baby in the car but I wanted to get this one done THAT DAY. I originally wanted to bring the flowers to someone in the old folks home that my dad was in before he passed away. That place has meaning to me. Because I had NO TIME I just ran into the hospital that was on the way to leaving out of town. After asking the nurses who needed a pick me up that day they gave me a room number and nothing else. I walked in and Lexi (the lady I met) looked super confused. I told her I heard she needed a pick me up for the day. She immediatley came over and hugged me and cried. She told me that she found out she had stage 4 breast cancer and had no one there but her mom to support her. She wouldn't be around much longer and was feeling REALLY alone that day. My attitude that day shifted SO fast, I cried with her. She and I still text each other. It's amazing what $10 in flowers can do for someone. And more than anything, she helped me. Life is short and precious. It reminded me to be grateful. It reminded me to hold close to my family and loved ones and to be happy with all I have. Thank you Lexi for that and I am still praying for you. :)
#21. Leave some good reading for someone in the airport.
Sorry I got lazy and stopped taking pictures. We were traveling amongst all this so it was a bit hectic- but EVERY one of these were so much fun!
#21 Donate for a Cause. I donated with our company to fight Malaria.
#22. Leave LOTS of positive comments for people on there blog. I love this one because I think it always feels good to receive a positive comment from someone.
#23. Smile at a stranger. Easy and effective. ALWAYS puts me in a better mood!
#24. Bought someone food in a line behind me at Taco Bell. My favorite of all fast food places. :)
#25. Foot and Back Rub for the hubby. Decided he should benefit from at least ONE of my RAOKS for putting up with me all the time :)
#26. Sending someone a note just because. It always makes me smile when I receive something (other than bills) in the mail.
#27. Giving drinks to the missionaries.
#28. Doing someones dishes :)
After doing these random acts of kindness I realized that we are tools for our Heavenly Father to do his work. You never know what kind of day someone is having and when they might need a small pick me up! It comes back times ten I PROMISE! Try it, you'll see :) I got to speak to the young women in my cousins ward about service after doing these. Anyone who knows me will know that I am HORRIBLE public speaker and am terrified of it! I did it anyway- If there is anything I learned from this it would be to step out of my comfort zone and cherish each day. Thank you JoAnn for introducing me to your great group of girls :) I am excited to do this again because it made my birthday feel meaningful for sure :)
