Do Something Kind

My birthday is this week. I won’t lie: I love cake and presents, so yes, those are welcome and appreciated.

A few years ago, I was having a really painful time personally and professionally around my birthday. I was very sad and feeling incredibly discouraged, and on top of that, I was sick with an infected tooth that needed surgery, so I was a mess.

Somewhere I saw a quote that said something like the best way to lift yourself up is to do something kind for another. I took the quote to heart and did some kindnesses where I could for my birthday to see if it would indeed lift me up from the gloom. I paid for a stranger’s meal at IHOP. I left quarters in the vending machines at the front of the grocery store in hopes that some kid would be delighted by the prospect of free gumballs. I picked up trash in front of my neighbor’s house. I pushed shopping carts into the corral at Wal-Mart and K-Mart. I put candy in my coworkers’ mailboxes. I did all of these things in stealth mode, because most of the glee was coming from the excitement of doing this in secret!

Did all these special efforts help my mood? Absolutely. I felt happy, and I felt glad knowing I was making a difference in the world, that my kindness mattered. This became my birthday tradition, and I have since asked others to join in and do something nice in my honor.

If you’re reading this, I’m asking you to do something deliberately kind. I say “deliberately” because I’m sure you already try to make the world a better place and are nice by habit. Choose something new to do outside your existing habits of kindness, and be mindfully, deliberately kind for my birthday. Spread kindness: that’s my birthday wish.