May's RAK Challenge

To celebrate my birthday month, I decided to embark on a challenge that had nothing to do with me and had everything to do with putting a smile on the face of others. I challenged myself to do 30 Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) in 30 Days! I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate something than by creating joy in the lives of others. Imagine the smile on your face if you receive a surprise note from a stranger, or you find a gift card sitting on your car windshield. Imagine being greeted at the dog park by a box of dog treats or walking up to the Red Box to find a bag of popcorn waiting to go with your movie rental. How might you feel if you found a bag of candy and a note tied to the gas pump, or after having a pizza delivery driver showing up at your office with a RAK note card and pizza to enjoy anonymously?

I am proud to say I met my challenge with all the above-mentioned RAKs as well as

about 20 others. I tried not to repeat any however as the month went on, budget-friendly creativity became more difficult. Throughout the month, I mailed notes and small gifts, sent flowers, left goodies for the mailman, donated books and clothes, added quarters to expired parking meters, donated blood (for the first time), helped people take groceries to their car, and returned stray carts to carousels. I grew as a person as a result of each of these; each small act reminded me of the greater good – of being patient – of being kind – but most notably I was reminded why it is important to care about others. We rarely know the journey someone is on or the struggle they’re facing; I feel blessed if in some way I can offer them a small amount of goodness and joy, even if that smile fades after a moment – it was one that may not have been there otherwise. 
 

While I really enjoyed each day - there were 3 days that I found especially impactful

1:  On Day I went to my UPS to print off my RAK cards ( I am there at least once week so I’m pretty familiar with the staff) however on this day my excitement was so obvious that a staff member asked me about the cards: I let him know my 30 day plan and some of the ideas I had –my goal inspired him in such a way that he decided to give me a 50% discount – I couldn’t believe I inspired someone before I even began. No matter how small the act – the impact can be huge. I was so touched by this act of generosity. Armed with my RAK cards, my next stop was for candy at Wawa: I immediately noticed how difficult it is to select candy for strangers. I love candy so who knew it would have taken me 15 minutes to select 4 candy bars.  (A small example of how my thoughts flowed: Mmm Jr. Mints… Wait my husband says Jr Mints are a waste of candy so maybe I’m one of few who enjoy these delicious pop-ables… okay M&Ms is always safe… what about peanut butter M&Ms they are so delicious… but wait …lots of people have peanut allergies and it wouldn’t be a very enjoyable act of kindness if I give a stranger something they’re allergic too…. And then would most people trust candy that mysteriously shows up on their car… it’s sad that we can’t even trust this! But I guess this is the very opinion acts of kindness try to change)

2:  About half way through the month, I was standing in line at Wawa when the woman in front of me got out of line and walked over to 2 paramedics who looked to be on their lunch break grabbing something to eat – this stranger walked right up to them and simply said “I want to thank you both for everything you do for our community. My family and I truly appreciate you” The paramedics glowed at the sudden and unexpected show of appreciation. Something about this exchange touched my heart.  Have you ever hesitated showing a vetern or a community service worker your appreciation? I know I have; I’ve hesitated from thanking a veteran out of fear I would make them feel uncomfortable. It wasn’t until my brother in law told me how much military men and women would appreciate that, that I was able to ignore my comfort and reach out.

3;  Towards the end of May, I was in Dunkin Donuts buying another RAK gift card when a customer in line behind me surprised me with purchasing not only my drink but my gift card as well – I tried to thank him by giving him the newly purchased gift card only he wouldn’t accept – he simply held is hands up in surrender and told me to have a wonderful day. That was probably one of the nicest things a stranger has ever done for me. The impact of genuine kindness is not only touching its powerful – it inspires kindness in others. I would like to think that the man who purchased my drink and gift card saw one of my RAKs during the past month and he was simply passing it on –. Ha, I don’t think it works that fast but just imagine how much more positive – friendlier – safer – and emotionally connected the world would be if we all just paid it forward. 

It’s amazing the feeling I got when I changed my point of view from me – my to do list – what I need to do – to what is going on around me and how/where can I do a RAK for an unexpecting someone! It was so fun thinking up ideas and how to implement them! Within the first hour of going to UPS – my head was flooded with fun ideas! The most surprising thing was how my day was instantly better by this! I’ve been changed from the inside out during this experience. I no longer just go about my day – I now go about my day seeing needs of others – looking for ways I can make an ounce of difference – a small and simple effort can truly change someone’s life. We never know which of our actions will have the greatest impact on someone, but it’s usually the small genuine ones not the grand ones. 

Don’t be fooled though, my month didn’t contain only successes, I had a number of mishaps along the way: I watched as 1 of my goody bags ended up in the trash when someone failed to notice what it was, I’m pretty confident a candy bar I left on a car ended up quickly melting under the hot sun, and I even had a couple of people decline my offers to help. Regardless of those small miss-steps, The month was a huge success and I think I found a new tradition for my birthday month

Until Next Time ~ Be Well