Don’t Forget the Senseless Acts of Beauty!

Ann Herbert, the Bay Area poet and artist who inspired Random Acts of Kindness, also implored us to add prettiness to the world.  There are so many ways to do this, plant flowers, pick up trash, and paint a lovely mural for the entire neighborhood’s pleasure. 

What beauty can you bring to the world?

Save Seeds and Share Them

My Aunt Ruth in Flat Rock, West Virginia, raised me to save seeds. I was a preschooler, barely able to toddle along after her but I took in as much as I could. Aunt Ruth, who was a child of The Great Depression, was teaching me thrift when she showed me the art of harvesting, drying and saving seeds from veggies and flowers. Thrift an important survival skill for that time and I see thrift as a “forgotten virtue” who time has arrived once again. I remember being very impatient about how long it took for spring to come so I could sew the marigolds, alyssum, and Four O’ Clocks.

When In Doubt, Hug Somebody!

Free Hugs for All!

Be an indiscriminate hugger. When I first moved to California, I was a bit taken aback by all the hugging. Now, I love it. Be a hugger.  A hug is a mutual act of love and affection that induces feelings of comfort, contentment and security.  Hugs are one of the must beautifully human things we can do.

Weeding is Free Therapy: Random Acts of Neighborliness

Assist seniors near you with tasks like raking, shoveling, or doing minor home repairs through Volunteers of America’s Safety of Seniors Handyman Program (voa.org). I pull my 92 year-old neighbor’s weeds and it is good exercise for me, beautifies the neighborhood and she appreciates the weekly attention she and her yard enjoy! 

Make Beautiful Music Together

If you’re a musician living in NYC, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Nashville or Miami, you can volunteer through the nonprofit Musicians on Call to deliver a live, in-room performances to patients undergoing treatment or unable to leave their beds. (wwwmusiciansoncall.org) Add a dose of joy to life in a healthcare facility or a senior center by bringing the healing power of music to people who need it. 

Name Ten Easy Things You Can Do For Someone This Week:

No Strings Attached

Write down the things that someone has given you, no strings attached, for which you are grateful. It can be an old sofa, some sound advice, or a lift to the airport. Now list ten things that you would like to give someone yourself, and see how many of those things you can cross off in a week.

Examples:

Drive a friend to the airport

Carry groceries for an elder to their car

Baby-sit for a relative

Buy a friend a cup of coffee

Volunteer at a soup kitchen

April 1st- No Foolin’

I don’t even 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. I 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. Find a kinder way to put a smile on people's faces.