I’m not going to review the book I just read, Rage by Richard Bachman (Stephen King), because it’s about a school shooting, and it’s hitting too close to home here in the U.S. at this time.
But what I will do is remind you of the 26 Acts of Kindness that Ann Curry began in order give people something positive to do after the devastation at Newtown.
There’s nothing you need to do except make sure to do 26 random acts of kindness in memory of those who lost their lives. Done with your 26 acts? Keep going to honor the memories of all of the other recent shooting victims.
I’m slowly working on my 26 Acts of Kindness. I’m usually the kind of person to go out of my way to help others or be kind anyway, so I’ve had to think very hard about the things I can do that are different from my normal acts, in order to really honor these people.
I bought two $5 footlongs from Subway in Denver (and they gave me a 10% discount when they knew what I was going to do with them, so they did an act of kindness as well!), and then passed out the 6-inches to 4 homeless people on the street. Another thing I have done a few times is pay for people’s expired parking meters.
Don’t just sit there and be sad about the situation (although you totally can do that for a little while). But then DO something to make our world a better place. You can’t change what already happened, but you can make a difference in what you feel strongly about, whether it’s gun control or going green or whatever.
Not only do we need to make the world a better place now, but we need to make it better for the future.
Want to know about the book? Check out Heather’s review @ Between the Covers and SJ’s review over at Snobbery.
What are your plans to help make a change in our world?
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This proposal is very interesting, indeed.
And there are a lot of things that you can do for free too to help other people! I used to stay 2 times per week in a nursing home when I was studying at university, and I felt like I was really helping them only by listen to their stories or walking a little with them in the garden.
And you feel good too because you know it worths your time.
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You’re right! Like opening a door for someone, volunteering, and a lot of times, just smiling or telling someone they did a good job (like you had a good experience at a restaurant or something like that).
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It’s a shame that I have not done anything yet but I would truly love to cook for the poor.
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Do it! 🙂 I’m sure there are other organizations that do that already, too, so you could always volunteer at one! Like a soup kitchen!
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Yes, yes and yes again. I love this Rebecca. I just finished reading Rage myself and I don’t even know what to say about it. What can be said?
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I don’t know. . . I was going to write a real review of it, but then I literally finished it right before the Atlanta school shooting, and then a few others shootings happened . . .
I couldn’t bring myself to review it.
But since Heather and SJ had reviewed the book after the tragedy at Sandy Hook but before the more recent tragedies, I thought that if people want to know about the book, they can read their reviews.
Do you think it’s a book people should keep on reading?
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Rebecca, Thank you for sharing this wonderful idea. We need more goodness out there, especially now. And I’m glad the challenge encourages us to think about how we can do more positive things, instead of dwelling on the bad. Will start thinking of ideas. Thanks for your suggestions!
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I’ve just be so inspired by it that I really wanted to spread the love!
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We’ve had many discussions about this and you inspired me to do more, as well. Like you, I don’t consider everyday politeness to be an “act of kindness” and struggle with the acts. I think it’s important for everyone to make an effort and to be kind to others!
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I know that everyday kindness is STILL a great act of kindness, but to me, it’s not one of my 26. My 26 need to ge “out of the way” acts. Things I wouldn’t normally do, which is why it’s taking so much longer for me to do these acts!
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I just love this idea, and I try to do random acts of kindness here and there regularly. One of my favorite things is buying the person’s lunch/coffee behind me in drive-throughs. I’ve had people do it for me a few times, too, and it’s such a wonderful, heart-warming surprise. I also clean out regularly and give items (books, clothing, decor, etc.) to thrift stores that work for a cause. There’s one near me that helps fund a domestic violence shelter, and there’s another one in the town where I work that benefits the hospital district.
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That’s awesome! Allison @ The Book Wheel has a great one about people buying each other coffee, too!
I haven’t done that yet, but I should! It’s easy, and I’m in a coffee shop a lot with this chilly weather.
Great job making sure to donate to stores that promote causes you think are worthy!!!
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This is such a great idea! I want to start volunteering at my local literacy organization. I don’t think I would be a great tutor, but I’d like to help out with office work.
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That’s a great idea! Any way you want to help, even if it’s office work, is HELP! And I’m sure they have training if you actually wanted to tutor, too. But of course, you don’t have to!
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This is better than a review 🙂 I like that you’ve mentioned the small things you do, the sorts of things that would go unnoticed often but are so important. We were driving up to a carpark a few months ago and a driver stopped beside us and handed us her ticket that had an hour left on it, it inspired us to do similar when we next had the chance. And we’ve taken leftover food to shelters (we take the unopened stuff after parties).
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Oh that’s so nice! Your stories made me smile this morning! Just being more aware of your actions really helps, and reminds you of even more that you can do to help. 🙂
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