February 17th is the so-called «Random Acts of Kindness Day», or «RAK». In fact, this day is by no means a stand-alone, but part of an entire «Random Acts of Kindness Week», which this year has begun on February 14th and will last until February 20th. During this time, people are to show friendliness to the outside world with spontaneous gestures of kindness. For instance, you can brighten someone’s day unexpectedly by complimenting a stranger, surprising your co-worker with fresh muffins or showing a loved one how much you value them.
The «Random Acts of Kindness Day» was founded by New Zealanders Josh de Jong, Marshall Gray, Megan Singleton and Reuben Gwyn in 2005. With this day, they are setting an example and emphasising the value of kindness and politeness. Thereby they refer to numerous psychological studies, which demonstrate that both giving and receiving kindness have a positive effect on the individual.
Originally, the «Random Acts of Kindness Day» was celebrated in New Zealand and the USA only. Meanwhile, however, it has established itself as a worldwide, annual tradition. There are even groups as well as «RAKtivists», i.e. activists who regularly devote themselves to the purpose of this special day! Many charities also call on people to donate to a good cause on the «Random Acts of Kindness Day». At the same time, this day is being addressed in many schools to encourage students to perform more kind gestures in their daily lives.
A few ideas for nice gestures
So, have we inspired you to do something kind today? Here are twelve «Random Acts of Kindness» ideas for you:
- support a local business
- donate your Farmy Bonus Eggs*, money, food or clothes
- surprise your partner with a delicious breakfast in bed
- pay a compliment to a stranger
- contribute to a cleaner environment, for example with the app «the fortunate planet»
- carry someone’s groceries for them
- put coins in an expired parking meter
- walk your neighbour’s dog
- show a person how much you appreciate them, for example with flowers or post-its with sweet messages
- give a generous tip to a courier or a waitress/waiter
- surprise a loved one
- make someone laugh
Now it’s your turn – we challenge you to make someone’s (and your own) day a little brighter with a nice gesture. And even when the «Random Acts of Kindness Day» is over again, don’t stop there! Ideally, commit to doing something nice for others every single day. After all, that’s how you can help kindness to become the norm.
*Sign up to your farmy.ch account to access your bonus eggs.
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