Inspired and Hoping I'm Inspiring Others

What a week!

I kept moving ahead with my 'Random Acts of Kindness & Compassion' activities this week. Some acts were simple like sending a text to a friend or someone I hadn't seen in a long time and just letting them know that I've been thinking about them and miss them. Sending 2 of these messages this week literally gave me a sense of companionship. I felt connected. It took seconds.

I also intentionally over-tipped our pizza delivery person on Saturday providing approximately 3 times what I would normally tip. He was happy and that made me happy. 

Sometimes the simplest things can feel so good. For example, when I got groceries at 'No Frills' this week I left my quarter in the grocery cart for the next person to use. $0.25 that cost me and I felt like I was paying it forward to someone that might not have a quarter when they got to the store. Or maybe someone else would just take it. 

Other acts were a little more involved...

My son and I went to the garden centre and picked up a couple small plants and had a discussion about people that we could give these to that could use a little 'lift'. We decided to bring one to our seamstress. We had something to pick up from her and she was a bit behind on getting it to us. She seemed a little overwhelmed by the amount of work she had in the que. It was nice to give her something she wasn't expecting to let her know she is appreciated and we had been thinking about her.

The second plant we dropped off at my Aunt's house with a card. She has had a rough couple of months and we hoped this would brighten her day. When dropping this off we had an opportunity to visit and catch up as well, which was a bonus for both of us!

On Canada Day, my son participated in a 'Soap Box Derby' and a client of mine kindly offered a soap box to him to use in the race. She was not expecting anything other than a smiling face, but I was able to put together a gift for a night out with her partner including a gift card for dinner, a bottle of wine and a nice candle. She insisted it was too much, but it felt right to me, and I love that we could offer her a treat of a night out when maybe she wouldn't do it otherwise.

MY FAVOURITE PART OF THIS WEEK in regard to my Genius Hour Project is that completing these 'Random Acts of Kindness & Compassion' has opened up a lot of discussion and participation with my children. They are offering suggestions and want to be involved. Initially, this was just because they were seeing my enthusiasm for the project, but now as they are becoming more involved they are noticing that it's fun and fulfilling... it's feeding them some extra joy!

I also did some research this week!

Orion Jean was the recipient of the 2021 Kid of the Year award by TIME. In 2020 Orion was encouraged to write a speech by his teacher and to submit it the 'Think Kindness' & 'Top Youth Speakers'. He wrote the speech that would win. Here is the link to the article in TIME with details about why Orion has been named as the 'Kid of the Year'. https://time.com/6144632/kid-of-the-year-2021-orion-jean/ and below you can see his speech in the video posted on YouTube.

I came across Orion Jean's story while researching speaking opportunities in schools where you can lead with kindness and spread the message of kindness. Kindness can be so simple and so rewarding, but sometimes it's not always recognized as a meaningful act because it cant be objectively measured with numbers or dollars. Yet, it can be life changing... even life-saving. 

Being a Teacher Candidate, I see an opportunity to help spread the message of kindness. If even in a small, subtle ways. Knowing that I may be spending a lot more time in direct contact with children and teenagers in schools awards me with a great opportunity to show love and kindness and be a promoter of these types of initiatives.

One website I've been familiar with for several years now after hearing Brian Williams speak in person is www.thinkkindness.org. I did some more digging into this organization this week and am so inspired by the actions and mission. On their site they state "We are comprised of all races, religions, genders, orientations, and political parties. We are many, but together we one NATION. A Kindness Nation that truly believes that we work together in solidarity, we can make our world a better place."

MOVING FORWARD this week I will definitely continue to look for ways that I (and my 2 boys now) can continue to complete random acts of kindness. However, what i really want to investigate this week is ways to complete measurable acts and if there is objective research to support the affects of being an over achiever when it comes to kindness can truly affect your mental health. How can this be measured? Also, what other things does completing random acts of kindness contribute to? How can we create our own kindness nation in our own communities?