Once the calendar page flips over to November, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season with thinking about cooking Thanksgiving food, wrapping Christmas presents and planning activities like looking at Christmas lights, but it’s also important to take a moment and step back to help others. Starting in Tokyo and expanding to across the globe, several organizations came together to create an entire movement focused on kindness and helping others.
World Kindness Day was created in 1998 and happens annually on Nov. 13.
There are several simple and kind things you can do for others to celebrate World Kindness Day. It’s a great way to show your kids how to think of others before themselves.
Help a neighbor.
Think of your neighbor who lives alone or the lady down the street who doesn’t have any family in town, and figure out how you can help them. Maybe they need help raking leaves or need help getting groceries. See what would help them the most and figure out a way to make it happen. Take it a step further and agree to check in and help with something else weekly or monthly.
Pay it forward at the drive-thru.
I am sure most of you stop at the coffee shop every now and then (or maybe even more frequently, like daily) on your way to work or while running errands. A quick caffeine boost can definitely brighten anyone’s day. Even better? When you get to the drive-thru window and your drink’s been paid for already! Keep the kindness going or start the chain yourself and pay for the order behind you. Spending a few extra bucks on someone else can be a small way to really brighten someone else’s day.
Spend time with a relative.
We all get busy with work, school activities and other weekly commitments and it can be easy to realize that you have gone months without talking to grandma, your uncle, or even your mom and dad. Find time to spend with them by going to lunch or stopping by their house for a little while. If you can’t get to them in person, even sending a text or a phone call can mean a lot to relatives who might be lonely or unable to get out and do as much as they used to be able to do. Taking the time to show then you care and are thinking about them can show them kindness and support.
Showing someone else kindness doesn’t have to be complicated or even super inconvenient with a little planning and work on your part, but it can make a world of difference to the person who was shown kindness.
