Random Acts of Kindness

Story by Beck Wise

		We must be the change we wish to see in the world. - Mahatma Gandhi Australians pride themselves on the concept of mateship – of looking out for your friends and sticking up for the little guy – but how often do we walk the walk, rather than just talking the talk? Random Acts of Kindness are a great way to brighten the day of a stranger, and they’ll make you feel good, too! You may have only been on the receiving end of one once or twice, but we bet you remember it. Even something as simple as holding a door for a stranger can make their day – and every good deed makes the world slightly better.

You may have seen the inspirational movie ‘Pay It Forward’, in which a schoolkid is asked to come up with a way to change the world through direct action. He decides that he will help another person, then challenge them to pass on that kindness to three more people in turn. This simple practice quickly develops into a national movement.

The good news is that it’s easy to incorporate acts of kindness into your everyday life – in fact, you’re probably doing it already. Even tiny things like offering someone you pass on the street a friendly greeting will leave them smiling, and they’ll pass on that courtesy to the next person they pass. Make sure you explain that the only thanks you need is the knowledge that they’ll pay the act of kindness forward to someone else one day.

We’ve put together a few ideas for you to help make the planet a gentler and more lovely place to live, but these are only starting points – just about anything can be a Random Act of Kindness! We’d love to hear about yours, whether you’ve been on the giving or receiving end, so write to us and share your ideas and stories.

• Pay for the person behind you when you’re in line at the toll booth, drive-through or cinema.
• If someone in your craft group runs out of yarn, thread or fabric in the middle of a project and you have some in your stash, give it to them.
• At the supermarket, help a person load their groceries into their car, and if you have a lot of items in your trolley, let someone with only a few cut in front of you.
• Give up your seat on the bus – especially to a person who’s elderly, injured, pregnant or travelling with children.
• Keep small coins with you and feed expired parking meters if you see a parking inspector in the area.
• Donate blood, and encourage your friends and family to do so. Just 3% of the population donate blood, but one in three of Australians will need blood one day.
• Be a pleasant driver. Let people in front of you when turning on busy roads, and don’t underestimate the importance of the courtesy wave – if someone allows you in, smile and let them know you appreciate it!
• Literally brighten people’s day by distributing cheerful stickers or balloons, or bake a batch of bickies and hand them out to people on your bus or in the street.
• Donate your time to the needy in your community, with a charity you already support or find a new one through Volunteering Australia (www.volunteeringaustralia.org).
• Slide a Scratchie under your neighbour’s door, leave one on your coworker’s desk, or slip one into a friend’s bag. Even if they don’t win, they’ll be touched that someone thought of them, and if they do – well, they’ll be over the moon

Right: Surprise a work colleague with flowers   To join the ‘Kindness Revolution’ and be inspired by some true stories of people helping people, visit these websites: Australian Kindness Movement - http://www.kindness.com.au/ Random Acts of Kindness Foundation - http://www.actsofkindness.org/