22 Acts of Kindness

Last year I made a goal to spend my 21st birthday doing 21 acts of service. But then I was traveling on my 21st birthday. So I thought, I'll do it on my 22nd birthday. But then I decided to go on a mission. 

So then I thought...why wait to be kind? 

So on Thursday I began my quest!

1. Write notes to family members.

I decided to write notes to each person in my family, telling them my favorite things about them, and I left them on the microwave for when people woke up.

2. Clean the kitchen.

My mom was pretty excited about this one. I cheated and did it the night before because no one can get up earlier than my mom.

3. Mail a thank-you note.

My grandparents gave me a LARGE pile of money recently and they're really nice so it was the least I could do.

4. Leave change on vending machines.

I left quarters on a bunch of the machines at Smith's, including this claw machine. 

5. Take flowers to the cemetery.

This one was a bit more time consuming since I had to drive to Ogden, but I'm glad I included it.

6. Help a lost dog.

This was never on my list. When I got to the cemetery, I was on the phone so I got distracted and started walking the wrong way. There was this dog following me around, but I barely noticed it because it wasn't following too closely. But then some of the groundskeepers of the cemetery started following us both around. "Is that your dog?" I shook my head no, still on the phone and walking around in circles when I realized I was in the wrong spot. Finally, one of the workers walked up to me with a leash and said, "I'm sorry, the dog really likes you and he's not responding to us. Can you get him for us?" Easy peasy. The dog had a collar so I hope his person finds him! 

7. Surprise someone at the nursing home.

This was probably my favorite one of the day! I took a bouquet into the nursing home and asked if there was anyone having a bad day that needed some flowers. The receptionist was really sweet and told me of someone who didn't have any family around and would be out of her room for a while. I wrote her a note and left the flowers on her bed. 

8. Thank the mailman.

Luckily Rachel never goes to school anymore so she was there for the next few service moments. We made muddy buddies and left some in the mailbox.

Later we found this! Who knew our mailman's name was Ron?

9. Take a treat to our Bishop.

Our dad was the Bishop for seven years, so we know how much Bishops deserve a minute to relax and just eat some muddy buddies.

10. Temple work.

Rachel came with me to Bountiful and she did baptisms while I did initiatory work. You can read about why the temple is a place of service to me here.

11. Be a courteous driver.

Done.

12. Donate clothes to the women's shelter.

No matter what, I always have clothes in my closet that I never wear. And I can't think of anyone who deserves them more. 

13. Leave encouraging notes around town.

Everyone needs a pick-me-up. I decided to leave "Take What You Need" signs in store bathrooms and in parks. You can read more about the "Take What You Need" project and download the poster here.

14. Write to a missionary.

No problem.

15. Be nice to nature.

We have a pretty little reservoir within walking distance of our house. And it needs some love. Rachel and I picked up a lot of trash, including but not limited to, cans, pizza boxes, and socks. 

 

16. Donate children's books.

I wanted to get the little kids involved in one of my projects. The three of us went through their books and decided which ones were a little too young for them now. Hannah and Janie donated 45 - FORTY-FIVE - books!

They were pretty excited about it even BEFORE McDonald's gave them free ice cream for donating.

17. Leave heads-up coins on the sidewalk.

For little kids to find! 

18. Share family history.

Last week I got to talk with my sweet Grandma about why she decided to join the church. I recorded what she said and typed it up, and I then I sent it to my mom's siblings. Stories matter!

19. Surprise random children with ice cream.

Lauren and I went to visit Rachel at work at Pace's. I paid for three ice cream cones and had Rachel take them to some little kids there who were with their grandparents. Rachel said they were pretty excited!

20. Support music education.

This was never on my list either. The day before this, Lauren asked me to go with her to the junior high concert. "I have to go and I don't want to go alone!" I said, "Lauren I don't have time! I have to do 22 acts of kindness!" I am sometimes ridiculous but it usually doesn't take me long to realize it. Doing something you would rather not do because you love the person who wants you to do it with them is an act of service. 

And a pretty easy one when you have a Reese's shake from Pace's with you.

21. Leave packs of gum in family members' cars.

Because everyone loves gum.

22. Donate to the Red Cross.

Originally on my list, I wanted to give to Kiva, which I still think is a great idea and can be looked into here.

But because of the tornado in Oklahoma, I decided to give to the Red Cross. You can do that in about 60 seconds here.

That makes 22! A very happy unbirthday to me!