So, what little, simple acts of kindness can we do to pay it forward today?
- put a quarter in a meter that’s about to expire
- leave a copy of a really great book you’ve read in a cafe for someone else to enjoy
- be nice to the customer service people who are trying to help you with your technological difficulties
- tip your restaurant server generously
- thank the cooks, waitstaff and bussers personally
- say something nice or funny or goofy to the toll booth attendant (like, “Don’t drive too fast, now” or “Glad to have encountered you today”, or something less hokey)
- forgive a driver directing road rage at you
- buy or pack a meal for a homeless person (or give him/her your to-go box from a restaurant)
- give a warm coat to a homeless person
- offer to do pro bono work on a project where your skills are needed
- mentor someone
- make a donation
- say a prayer or whisper a kind wish for someone
- compliment a stranger
- send a box of donuts or bagels or muffins to a construction site
- next time you leave a foreign country, give all or some of what’s left of your currency to someone who resides in that country
- next time you’re at the airport, offer to pull the bags belonging to a woman or a mother with child out of the conveyor belt
- praise generously
- give local tips (re: restaurants, sights, etc.) to a tourist
- put a tip in a street musician’s jar
- let someone cut in front of you at the grocery store
- tell a funny joke to a stranger
- give someone a chance to prove him or herself
- encourage someone to pursue their dream
- allow someone to let his or her light shine
- show support to an artist or writer or musician
- hold the door open for someone
- tip a cab driver generously
- teach a child something you wish you knew at that age
- smile at someone who’s sad
- smile at strangers
- offer sincere, kind words to someone who’s hurting
- visit a hospice and spend some time with a terminally ill patient
- volunteer at a battered women’s shelter
- spend some time with a senior citizen living alone
- give up your seat on a crowded bus or train
- inspire someone to be the best that they can be
- give someone the benefit of the doubt
- offer to babysit for a single mother
- offer the FedEx, UPS or DHL delivery person something to drink especially on a warm day
- help a pregnant lady
- sit and talk with a homeless person and learn their story
- loan something to someone and forget about it
- contribute to a friend’s child’s education fund
- give blood
- show respect to a soldier
- donate to or volunteer for the Make-A-Wish Foundation
- replace an angry or bitter thought toward someone with a loving thought (or at least try)
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