Act 6

Today I lunched with “ladies” and viewed the latest Louis Vuitton fashion show.  Sounds terribly posh doesn’t it?  It was.  I bet you are wondering just how this equates to a “daily act of kindness”?

Well, I work on the Brisbane Lady Mayoress’ Charity Committee and we raise funds to support Youth In Need in our City.   You can see the work our Lady Mayoress does here www.lmct.org.au for the Lord Mayor’s Community Trust.   I feel very priviledged to have been invited to join this committee because it has opened my eyes to some of the wonderful organisations around our city that help our Youth In Need.   This is my second year on the committee and through it I have been presented with so many opportunities to help others.

Later this month will be our 4th Homeless Connect, which is a fantastic day where City Hall is opened to the Homeless.  They can access services that will assist them from housing to legal to medical.  They will also be able to obtain warm clothes and blankets, toiletries and lots of yummy food.   They are our guests and we treat them as such.  It is one day where they can be spoiled by us and made to feel important and special.   I really look forward to these days.   I will write a detailed post after the day - it’s on 28 May.

 

Back to the lunch - we raised $7,000 as a result of our Raffles which is fantastic.  The money will be used to benefit the Youth in Need in our city.  I really must mention the venue also.  It is a new function venue in Brisbane and I have to say it is one of the prettiest places I have every been.   It is called Mirra and it was just fabulous. http://www.bizparade.com.au/articledetail.php?id=111

One other thing I would like to mention is a wonderful lady called Cynthia Morton who was our guest speaker today.  Wow - what a great lady.  She has been to hell and back and now she uses that experience to empower others to feel good about themselves.  Very inspirational.  You find out more about Cynthia and the organisation she set up to help people recover from trauma and addiction here http://www.emotionalfitness.com/history.asp.   I hope you are as inspired as I was today.

Act 5

Today I spent a lovely couple of hours with my partner’s elderly mother.  She gets very lonely through the day and really appreciates visitors, so I decided to take some time out for her today.  I am very glad I did because it was lovely to see how happy she was to have some company for lunch.  We just sat and chatted and it really did her good.

I know I get really caught up in my busy life and whilst doing this it is very easy to forget our elderly relatives and friends.   Twelve hours in my life goes like a blink, but for someone who is home alone, not terribly mobile, full of pains and unable to see clearly to do any needlework it can last an eternity. 

If you have an elderly family member, friend or neighbour, pay them a visit this week just to say hi and show that you care.   It might be nothing more than an hour or so out of your day, but to them it’s like striking gold - visitors are that rare to some people.

Go on, what are you waiting for?  Let me know how much you brightened up someone’s day.

Act 4

A very good friend just minded my youngest child and our dog for 2 days/nights.  When I collected them I also took her youngest son home with me to give her a break for a day or so.   She has a very busy time with a husband who works interstate and overseas much of the time and doesn’t get much of a break from the kids.  

Technically it’s not a “random act of kindness” as I was repaying her a favour, but I felt really good being able to give her a break.

I have another close friend with two small boys and for her birthday I used to give her a gift voucher of time.  I would give her 6 hours of my time so she could go shopping, get her hair done or just relax somewhere without the children.  It’s a great gift for someone with small children who rarely has time for themselves.

Is there anyone you know that needs a break or some time out?   Why not give them some of yours! 

Insights

I did follow through on the Acts I proposed in my previous blog and I can’t believe how time has flown since then.   We have been away at a conference for two days and I’ve been “out of the zone”.  I am still stunned at how hard it is to do a kind thing every day.   Up until now I’ve always thought that I am an incredibly kind person who puts others first and am reasonably philanthropic.  I’m not sure anymore.

I just sat down here at the computer and I’ve been really wracking my brain to try and think of something kind I might have done for someone else during the past 2 days.   Perhaps I have, and maybe I don’t think they are siginificant enough to document here?    

This project is really making me challenge myself and who I think I really am.  Maybe we all think we are kind and generous and don’t have to try any harder.   I personally believe now, after 7 days on this journey that we are all living life way to fast to worry about people who aren’t in our “inner circle”.   Of course if somone right in front of me needed my help I would stop and help, but if it was someone who wasn’t on the path I was travelling, would I actually notice?   I’m not so sure anymore.   Are you?

 

Act 3

The last two days haven’t provided me with any obvious opportunities to do something kind for someone - well not in the usual way.  I’ve been too caught up in life and just too busy to notice. 

It is amazing how self absorbed we can be in when we are in this state.  I’m sure there have been opportunities a plenty but being caught up in my own world actually prevents me from seeing them.  

This little project has been really eye opening to me.  Prior to 3 days ago I would have said I do something kind for a stranger every single day, however now I’m not too sure about that.   I believe I am a nice and decent person, but other than not hurting others intentionally and having good manners, I probably don’t do as many kind things as I should.

This all got me to thinking of ways I can incorporate kindness into my everyday life - particularly when I am busy.   I’ve decided to start with the following:

• Say something nice to every service person I encounter - eg “that’s a pretty necklace” etc
• Smile at people who look at me as I walk past them
• When I go through the pay toll on the bridge, pay for the person following me
• Let a car into the traffic in front of me on every journey

My goal tomorrow is to do every single one of the above (other than the toll as I won’t be on the bridge tomorrow).  

What would you add to this list??

Act 2

I didn’t find many opportunities to do “kind deeds” today.   I spent most of the day at the Breast Clinic undergoing a mammogram and an ultrasound.   I smiled at as many people as possible, but it’s one of those places where you don’t look at people for too long.  Everyone thinks the same thing - I wonder if she’s had breast cancer?  I wonder if she’s here because she found a lump?  or I wonder if she’s here for a routine check up?    Needless to say I was glad when I had the all clear to go home.  I was lucky - I’m sure some ladies were not so lucky today, which is very sad.

I did pick up some boxes for an older lady at the fruit shop on the way home.  She accidentally knocked them over while picking out a box.  When I started picking them up for her she turned her back to me and left me to it …sometimes I find older people can be much ruder than young people.

Am I wrong to expect a thank you for doing a kind deed?

Act 1

 

Truck drivers really do have a tough job, particularly driving through suburban streets.  Have you ever thought just how much room a big semi trailer needs to pull up?   102 metres to fully stop!   How many times have you sqeezed in front of a truck when approaching a red light?    I’m guilty too - until I spent an hour in a truck driving simulator and really saw just how hard it is to pull up in a big rig.

Today I was approaching the lights and really wanted to change lanes - saw a big semi trailer behind me in the lane I wanted to move into.  The lights were going red - I stayed where I was.  When the lights changed I swapped lanes as the truck was starting to move.   

Whilst this isn’t a big thing - that driver could have been at the end of his patience with car drivers and rather than causing him to have a meltdown, I gave him the space he needed to pull up without frustration.  Hopefully he reached his destination in a better frame of mind than he might of had I pulled in front of him.

Give these guys a break - it’s really tough driving a truck ( and no… I’m not a truckie :)  )

Have you performed your Random Act of Kindness today?   Tell me what you did …

Introduction

Every year I set goals for myself.   Every year I say I will perform a random act of kindness every day.  Every year I do perform Random Acts of Kindness but I don’t keep myself in check to do one every day.    I need to document them to make them real and get me thinking oustide the square. 

If I make one person’s day better each day then I have contributed to making the world a better place.

Imagine if everyone, everywhere did this?  I wish…