Random Acts of Kindness, Birthday Edition

Y’all we just went from Justin Timberlake ‘It’s Gonna Be May’ memes to Star Wars Day, which, for those of you who are like me and have never watched Star Wars, is tomorrow.

How about that for a quick reminder that we’re almost halfway through 2021?!

May is my birthday month, and I’ve decided to take the whole month to process just how old I’m becoming. At 35 (in a few weeks), I’m officially at that super-awkward place in life that means I don’t quite relate to young folks, but I’m not quite old enough to use the phrase ‘young folks’ without some ironic eye rolls.

And here I thought awkward was something I’d eventually grow out of.

Nope. Still here, awkward as can be.

Part of my journey over the last few years has been walking through the negative self-talk that plagues type-A weirdos like me, so I’m skipping the ‘things I would have done differently’ or ‘things I thought I’d have checked off my bucket list by now’ because those narratives already bounce around my brain. Often.

I’ve already mentioned my super-secret, guaranteed, proven step for pulling myself out of the doldrums, right? That whole stepping-outside-yourself thing?

That’s my foolproof plan, y’all, and I know it’s not rocket science, but it’s what works for me. So I’ve been working on a list (you know, my favorite thing ever) of 35 acts of kindness I’ll be doing this month to celebrate my birthday.

Ready? Here it is!

1. Buy someone’s drink in line at Starbucks

2. Surprise someone with a $5 gift gift card to Chick-fil-A

3. Spend an hour cleaning up a local park

4. Volunteer for a Sunday School class

5. Write an encouraging note to someone

6. Leave a glowing online review for a local business I frequent

7. Donate to my favorite charity

8. Compliment 5 strangers

9. Buy donuts for the office

10. Give away 5 blessing bags to members of our homeless community

11. Leave a treat in the mailbox for our mailman

12. Ask to speak to the manager – then give a GREAT review

13. Leave money taped to the vending machine at work

14. Take coloring books and crayons to a nursing home

15. Serve a meal at a shelter

16. Paint kindness rocks with EV and leave them at our walking trail

17. Love that sticks – post-it notes with encouraging words to leave places

18. Buy carnations and deliver them to nursing home residents with EV

19. Return my neighbor’s garbage bin from the curb

20. Push loose shopping carts in the parking lot back into the corral

21. Buy dessert for the server next time I’m eating out

22. Reconnect with 5 old friends I haven’t spoken to in awhile

23. Offer to mentor a young person

24. Donate clothes and supplies to a women’s shelter

25. Volunteer for a local charity

26. Tell 5 people much they mean to me

27. Take canned food to a local food pantry

28. Donate some of our extra toys to EV’s daycare class

29. Donate blood

30. Thank 5 veterans for their service to our country

31. Print out photos I’ve taken on my phone and send them to loved ones

32. Invite someone over for dinner

33. Buy a few small toys and donate them to a crisis intervention group

34. Offer to carry someone’s groceries to their car or help them load up

35. Wash someone’s car, or send them a car wash code

These are just the ones I came up with, but I know there have to be heaps more! I have to say that by the time I got to the end of this list, which took considerably longer than it should have, because, well, 35 ITEMS, I was SO excited to get started. I’m going to double up some days to get everything done, but I’ve already knocked several out and the response has been SO worth it.

Happy MAY Monday, y’all!