Embracing Random Acts of Kindness Day
Photo by Sierra Houk on Unsplash
I’ve been a sentimental person for as long as I can remember. Every little thing someone has done for me, whether it was something they probably forgot about five minutes later or something they carefully planned, has always stuck with me.
In fact, one day at school I was lugging an absurdly tall stack of boxes down the hallway for one of my clubs, wobbling into walls, when someone stepped in without even hesitating. They grabbed half the load and walked beside me all the way to my destination. Another time, I was part of a team sport and, after we won, there weren’t enough medals to go around. I had played a smaller role on the team, so I opted out, figuring it didn’t mean as much to me. But one of our teammates noticed and, later on my birthday, gifted me their medal and reminded me that I was still valued.
These kinds of gestures, big or small, still live rent-free in my head. The beauty of them is that they weren’t done for recognition or credit. They were done simply because someone cared in that moment, and that changes how you see the world.
Those moments are exactly what Random Acts of Kindness Day is all about. It happens this year on Tuesday, February 17th. It’s a celebration that began in 1995 by the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, inspired by the idea that kindness is contagious and should be encouraged, well… randomly.
Why Kindness Matters
Kindness has this funny way of sticking to people. We may forget someone’s exact words or what they were wearing, but we remember how they made us feel. A small act, no matter how simple or grand, can land in someone else’s memory like a warm bookmark they return to again and again. And it doesn’t just make the recipient’s day—it shifts something in you too. It reminds you that you have the power to change someone’s mood, maybe even their week, with something as simple as noticing.
Random Acts of Kindness To Try
Compliment a stranger (and mean it, of course!)
Pay for the next person in line at a café
Leave an anonymous encouraging note somewhere public
Tap a friend on the shoulder just to say you appreciate them
Share your umbrella on a rainy day
Offer to help someone carry a heavy load (box towers included :) )
On February 17th, try making someone’s day a little brighter, not because it’s on your calendar, but because it’s a habit worth keeping. And just because it's Random Act of Kindness Day on the 17th doesn’t mean your kindness is limited. Maybe these acts and habits will follow you throughout the rest of the year! You never know… years from now, someone might still remember the kindness you gave them, tucked safely in the back pocket of their memory, just like me.
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