Pay It Forward - Random Acts of Kindness

A random act of kindness is something that we should all be willing to do. We shouldn't have the need to do it out of obligation. It is just something we should want to do out of human compassion.

I try to pay it forward when I can. Money is usually tight for me though. My brothers brother in law is in the hospital and I found out money is tight for that family so I sent them a hundred dollars. It's no much but it can help with the kids or pay a bill for them. If I am on line and someone is short a little bit of money, especially if it is a kid or the elderly, I will pay that for them. Once I baked cookies and put them in little snack bags - about 200 of them. I went to work early and set up a display in the lunch room with a sign that said take a cookie but in return you have to pay it forward and do a random act of kindness for someone else. People were talking about it all over the company and I never let on that it was me. It made me feel pretty good!

Random Acts of Kindness is an apt title for your blog. I saw a movie with that kind of theme. It is even use in church homilies as well. I am encourage to hear of said good deeds but I believe that true charity lies in the heart that is blest by God, inspired by His Holy Spirit. Any little amount of kindness shown to others daily like a simple smile, greetings of a "great day ahead to you" does wonder especially when one is suffering some form of sadness.

I was just listening to my daughter's anecdote about her flatmate who asked her to have dinner with her but she declined as she didn't have enough money then. Her flatmate said that she was asking my daughter because she is her friend and in fact enjoys her company. That she can pay her back someday or pay back the act of kindness to others when she gets to be financially stable. Since then on, my daughter has been passing forward that little gesture her friend showed her.

Everyone can participate in random acts of kindness. The truth is, it doesn't take money or intelligence to be able to be kind to others. I, too, wish more people would just push forward and do something nice for at least one person each day. My instructor in college told us that each day she made an effort to do something nice to a different person. One day she told us that she stuffed an envelope with a little money and printed off a short note about having a free lunch before sliding it into another instructor's box. The other instructor was so thrilled that someone actually thought of her that day as more than just a cold, hard teaching professional. A lot of people forget that it's not just the poor or unfortunate that need kindness. Just because you think somebody is fairly well-off in most departments doesn't mean they wouldn't like an extra hand carrying in the groceries, a free lunch from a kind and anonymous stranger, or a surprising "Thank You" card in the mail for just being themselves. ;)

just want to comment.. doing random act of kindness really makes people happy specially nowadays we rarely see people doing this. not only it made the person who received the act of kindness happy but more so to the one who gave it. if we do something good we feel free,contented and good.we feel we exist,we care. cheers to those people with a BIG heart for others in need!

god will reward your kindness man may not.so continue no matter the opposition.tony4u

I was once driving in Cyprus at a coastal city in the southwest called Paphos. It was on a highway in the height of summer and it was 40 degrees Celsius that day. I was going to work when I saw a German Shephard dog limping down the side of the road. At first I didn't stop, but then I thought better of it and pulled over, about two hundred metres further down at a safe parking spot. The dog limped towards me and it looke delirious from dehyration. Its fur was matted and it also had ticks on its ears, but I took pity on it and gave it water ( I had a bottle in my car). The dog was so happy, and whimpered, and fortunately I had a pick-up truck, so I managed to coax it onto the rear ramp and up onto the back. I then tied it to the vehcile for safety, and drove it to an animal sanctuary (for cats) which I knew was not far away, to ask them for help. Thankfully, the people there immediately agreed to help, and they gave the dog water and food, and examined him, before agreeing to transfer him to another sanctuary. I would have kept the dog myself, but I was only in Cyprus on a temporary basis. We sort of bonded, but I was forced to say goodbye to my new friend, and I never saw him again. I still think of him sometimes.

hi elizabeth! have you watch the movie pay it forward by kevin spacey and haley joel osment? its about a student who played by haley joel and had a social project of how to make a difference. the question is how to make a difference? simple, when someone did good or does you a big favor, dont pay it back, pay it forward. if for instance you've done big favor to three different people, then that three can people can pay forward to different person that they will meet. and good thing will happen and that's how he made a difference. i suggest you should watch the movie. :)

Hi Elizabeth My father is a member of an orphanage from last 8 years and he paid monthly fixed amount for it. But he is not the only one who does it. There are many more like him. But what i want to tell you that a person goes to every house to collect that money from those members. Earlier we thought that he is an employee of that orphanage. But one day when we asked him about that then we came to know that he is not an employee. He just provide his services to that orphanage on the weekends. I think that he is doing the charity in the real sense becoz it is easy to pay some amount for charity but it is very difficult to spare time and providing his servicing with full dedication is very difficult. Hats off to that person.

The picture acompanying this post brings back memories! In high school, I bought a hoodie at a youth convention with the words FREE HUGS(available here) printed very large on the front. At first I was a bit nervous to wear this hoodie being that I used to be extremely shy, but after the first couple hugs, I just loved watching people's faces light up and seeing their days being made. Being that I bought the hoodie at a private convention in california, I was seemingly the only person in southern nevada to sport the walking kindness add so it made the experience that much more unique. I found that the biggest takers on hugs were Walmart employees, homeless people, the elderly, and dudes with tattoo, sleeves(I know, right?). Now the jacket belongs to my younger brother who carries on my legacy haha.

I heard about this elderly lady who collected aluminum cans for years and years on end. She would walk miles around her town just picking them up whenever she saw them. After years of this she accumulated several thousand dollars, and then she donated it to her town so that they could build a community swimming pool. I think that old woman had a lot of heart to be able to do that. Plus think about how many kids and people in her town benefitted from it.