Random stuff

be kind to strangers,
generous to the unknown,
paying it forward

This week was random act of kindness week, in fact Friday 17th was random act of kindness day, an apt day as this is the birthday of my grandfather, the kindest man I ever knew. The challenge was to think of an apt act of kindness. I gave things to the charity shop, but I never know whether this is a true act of kindness, or simply a way of decluttering. I have read about suspended coffees on many occasions, and loved the idea of paying for someone's groceries, but could not make that step to offer. I am barely able to stutter a hello to someone as they walk by, even if they say it first, so how could I get over that and offer to pay for their coffee/groceries?

I wracked my brains, thinking of my strengths which if I am going by this blog, lay in crafting and writing. Ah! A solution! I discovered a website called post pals. There are so many sick children who spend a vast amount of their time confined to a hospital bed, and a little message, a note to say hi, can truly make their day. If you would like to follow my lead, please do so but pay attention to what they say on their site, for example they have a section on things to say and more importantly, what not to say (a good example is the phrase 'get well soon'. As hard as it is, some of these children will not get well)

After choosing six children (three boys, three girls) I rooted around in my craft stash. The great thing is that the profiles of each child lists their likes, even down to their favourite colours. For example there was a girl I chose who loves animals, so I chose the Enormous Crocodile from my Roald Dahl Docraft stash for her card. A young boy likes pink, so I made sure that his card had a pink letter on the inside.

So there you have it. A random act of kindness for the cost of no more than a few stamps, and more importantly, a bit of time thinking of someone other than myself. Next week is another outing, so stay tuned.

Em