If you’re a musician living in New York City, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Nashville, or Miami,
you can volunteer through the nonprofit Musicians on Call (musiciansoncall.org) to deliver live,
in-room performances to patients undergoing treatment or unable to leave their beds. Add a
dose of joy to a healthcare facility by bringing the healing power of music to people who need it.
I don’t know the history of April Fool’s Day trickster antics but they always make me cringe. I suggest a “reverse prank” instead, where you do something really nice. Heard through the Random Acts of Kindness network about a good deeder buying lottery tickets, adding a sweet little note, and placing them onto a car door where they could not be missed. Can you imagine if you were the recipient of this delightful act and won the big Scratch Off for a cool million or so?
Have fun and bring some joy into this early spring day. It may be April Fool’s Day but don’t fool yourself! Today is about laughter rather than pulling pranks on others. Tell your coworkers a joke you enjoy; find a way to make someone who looks unhappy put a smile on their face.
Invent a special holiday to celebrate someone you love-be it your spouse, your dog, or your
closest friend. On this day, make them a special dinner, take them out, and write them a letter
saying how you feel about them. You can even create a fun holiday to share with your family so
everyone can participate.
Help the elderly with their devices. Many senior citizens aren’t tech-savvy, but given that we live
in a technologically advancing society, learning how to use a computer or the Internet can be
very helpful. Volunteer your assistance to a senior who has a cell phone or computer and needs
help using it. Be email buddies with your new friends, too!
Pick up and recycle or compost loose garbage as you walk. Sidewalks are meant for safe walking, not weaving through someone else’s abandoned bottles and crumpled up take-out bags. Take pride in the area you live and help contribute to keeping it clean and safe. One person helping can inspire many others to do the same. I vowed to do this 15 years ago while living in the Lower Haight in San Francisco. By the end of each week, I usually had a big bag to take to the HANC recycling Center. In the last couple of years, I have gotten some puzzled glances and even laughter when I am dressed up for a meeting while walking down the street and picking up garbage, empty bottles, and what-have-you. I will occasionally say, “This is my service to the earth. Recycling is my religion.” And it is. I have the planet’s back!
I read all the time as a child, and by that I mean every minute I wasn’t at school, doing chores or
homework, or sleeping, I had the cover of a book open. I developed a love of language that has
lasted me a lifetime.I notice that it brings joy to others when they hear an interesting or pretty
word. So try flipping through a dictionary every day and pick a word. Use this word at least once
in the same day. This will help expand your vocabulary and communicate better with others. If
you have a smartphone, download a free word-of-the-day app instead of using a dictionary.
Help feed a child by adding a definition to the Online Dictionary on definition-of.com.
On average, an American uses around six napkins each day-2,200 a year! If every American
used even one less napkin per day, more than one billion pounds of napkins could be saved
from landfills each year. Using cloth napkins can be even better!
