It’s always fun to research acts of kindness for this weekly post. Many are simple (e.g., man sees woman is cold, offers his jacket), but my favorites are ones that involve planning and effort. Almost like setting up an elaborate practical joke where everyone feels good in the end.
Here’s a nice story about a woman who baked blueberry muffins before heading out on her long drive. No, they weren’t for snacking between rest areas; they were for the tollbooth operators she would meet along the way. It all comes boomeranging back in the end.
Ideally, acts of kindness would be entirely self-initiated. You see a need and act, selflessly, in order to help others. But maybe people, especially kids, need to be taught the importance of kindness. Maybe institutionalizing acts of kindness in the schools will lead to more spontaneous kindness down the road…
Acts of Kindness (AOKs) can come in all shapes and sizes. They don’t all have to involve giving away your last stitch of clothing or your last crust of bread. I found this story particularly appealing. While it happened in the realm of sport, it doesn’t exactly fit the dictionary definition of sportsmanship. More like a simple, good-hearted gesture. In today’s world of running up the score and recruiting ringers to win at all costs, it’s a breath of fresh air.
Ditch the stair-master, toss the wheat germ. Turns out that simply being kind to others is more beneficial for your health than exercise and healthy eating. It might even give you superpowers!
Yiksa Miksa, maybe I need to re-think this “act of kindness” (AOK) weekly post idea. In searching for poignant stories of people selflessly helping others, as Jesus requests/commands, I found mostly stories of kind acts turning into disasters or rudely brushed off by the recipients. Like this one and this one and this one and this one. And then there’s this one, where the woman practically DEMANDED the kindness (which kind of evaporates the positive glow, at least for me).
Finally, I found this story. You could definitely argue that the act itself was miniscule, but as a dog lover who recently lost his dog of 14 years and remembers oh too well that last walk, I say it qualifies.
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