For some, kindness is a way of life; for others, it might come and go, depending on mood and circumstances. If someone we know and like is in need, we’re usually spurred to help them out, but with strangers we might be less inclined to notice and more hesitant to get involved.
How does a random act of kindness differ from any other kind act? There’s no difference really, except that a random act is more likely to come as a surprise. Having a special day for random acts gets us to think outside of our usual routine and actively look for ways to show goodwill towards others – both strangers and people we know. This means that our actions will reach people we may not have touched otherwise, or express positive feelings that would otherwise have remained unspoken thoughts.
If you’re stuck for ideas on acts of kindness you could do, there are 24 ideas on the official NZ RAK Day site; 50 suggestions on the American RAK Day site; 100 suggestions each from Sign Up Genius and the Berkeley Well-Being Institute, and still more ideas here. For children, here are 24 plus ideas and 69 ideas for kids to make the classroom a kinder place.
As well as RAK Day, here in New Zealand it’s also the first day of spring and it’s Father’s Day as well as World Letter Writing Day. A great incentive to surprise your Dad with an unexpected handwritten letter!