A few years ago, one of my favorite people turned 30. Instead of a big party or a fancy dinner, she invited friends to join her in completing 30 random acts of kindness. Awesome, right? It was a pretty perfect day. We loaded the cars with random supplies: cooler of cold drinks, little toys for kids, school supplies, snack bags, note cards, quarters, $5 Starbucks gift cards… and a group of excited folks ready to make people smile. We spent the day chasing mailman around to give them a cold drink and a snack on a hot summer day. We dropped off snacks to hospital waiting rooms and taped quarters to vending machines. We wrote thank you notes to community workers and included a Starbucks card. We spent the day laughing. We made other people smile. It was the perfect way to celebrate.
I just read about a thirteen year old girl doing the same thing for her birthday. She invited 13 friends and they completed 13 acts of kindness. Instead of gifts, she requested that each guest bring supplies for their big adventure. Not only did the birthday girl say it was “the best birthday ever” but the idea spread like wildfire. The group of friends continued the tradition with each birthday. I love this for so many reasons.
I’m pretty sure that my 30-year-old friend and this 13-year-old amazing little human being both fell asleep that night feeling pretty dang good about their birthdays. And I am confident that their random acts of kindness allowed countless others to fall asleep happy that same night. Can you ask for anything more?!?
So why not make this a tradition in your house? I love it because it could be an individual event… where you secretly complete a magical number of RAK or a group affair (with one friend or 97 friends). It could be a way to celebrate a birthday, a wedding anniversary or even another important anniversary in your life (like years of sobriety or the anniversary of the death of a loved one… it could be anything!). It’s a perfect way to celebrate and to spread some love.