Acts of Kindness

As I gathered ideas for the acts of kindness, one thing that stood out is how many different people suggested some verion of 'smile at someone', so many, in fact, that I included it twice, at the beginning and end of my list. I wonder if that is specific to LA, where we have a heavily car culture, or if maybe we just don't, as a society, smile and greet one another enough.

I didn't have any hard and fast rules about what would constitute an act of kindness but a set of guidelines. I wanted it to be something that most anyone could do without a huge effort, and I wanted the various acts to require a roughly equivalent effort. Also, I didn't want it to involve money, with the exception of a few that involve making or giving food so that would require a small amount. Giving money is wonderful, but I wanted there to be an interaction.

There are some acts of kindess that are literal as well as metaphorical, such as, "Help someone carry a heavy load." And there are two that involve learning because, as we come to understand issues and means of support, we are more empathetic and kind. And though it is vital that we practice kindness with ourselves (and doing so makes us kinder to others), for this project, I decided for this round to include acts of kindness directed towards others.

What do you think—what constitutes an act of kindness? If you want to participate and create your own acts of kindness and butterflies to share, feel free to use this list for inspiration but add your own ideas and make your own guidelines. I would love to hear how it goes!