I needed to do something - Random Acts of Kindness

My heart is breaking for the victims, the classmates, the teachers and staff, and the whole community of Newtown, CT.   As a teacher, the fear and the sadness seems so close.   I am a learner, a questioner, a person who needs to know why - and that means I watch too much "news" coverage.  

Today I needed to turn it off and do something positive out of this tragedy.  

A teacher on an online community I visit often posted the suggestion to do Random Acts of Kindness and this perfect quote:

The world is dark and light is precious - Kate DiCamillo

This relates so well to my very favorite quote:

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it - Edith Wharton  

I went out today to spread the light!

28 purposeful Random Acts of Kindness.  

One for each life that was lost in Newtown, CT on Friday 12/14/12.   Small, kind things to do for others for no other reason then to be kind.

1 and 2. Gave the two baristas at Starbucks each coupons for a free order of chips and salsa at Applebees (love their faces!  They were so excited, teenage boys).

3. I gave a coupon for 40% off one item to a lady and her husband at Michael's.

4.  I paid for my purchases at Bed Bath and Beyond with a giftcard.  It had nearly $5 left on it afterwards, and I gave it to the woman behind me in line.  She didn't believe I was doing this and asked three times if I was really sure!?   The man at the register was smiling so wide!

5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.  I let people out of driveways/store parking lots merge out into traffic in front of me.   It was great to see it spread - I let one person out and watched her let three others out.

11, 12 and 13.  At 3 stores I went to I found carts in the lots (not in the corrals) so I returned them to the front doors so they wouldn't damage anyone's car and workers wouldn't have to track them down before they leave tonight.

14.  I hung clothes back up at the clearance rack at Old Navy - there were so many lying on the ground where people had just shuffled through and knocked them off the hangers.

15 and 16.  I donated 2 large bags of clothes to Goodwill.

17.  I bought a bag of Ghiradelli chocolate for the men at Goodwill that work in receiving.  They are outside in the cold and lifting anything and everything out of folks' cars.  The two men were soo excited!

18.  I walked into one of my favorite women's clothing stores and gave a woman looking at the sale rack a rewards coupon for $15.

19, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24.  I parked far away (near the very end of the lots) at each of 6 stores/plazas I visited to leave close spots for the folks who need them!

25, 26, 27, 28.   I held the doors at four of the stores I shopped at today.    I held for several groups of people with bags full of purchases as they were leaving the store.   It was pretty awesome to see how thankful they were for such a small act!   And they were all surprised that I still stood there to wait till they got all the way through.

Also, through my day today I made a point to smile and say hello to people.  I live in a busy suburb, near a major city and people are busy and there is a lot going on.   Most people smiled back, a few spoke and several just watched me.  Smiling and saying hello to people helped me hold back the tears that had been falling all morning as I watched the coverage.

What can you do to spread the light in our world?