I’ve always thought that random acts of kindness are important. They may not be monumental or change the world but are significant in their own way. I’ve been touched by simple acts over the years such as seeing “You are beautiful” written on the bathroom mirror when I was in school. It made my day and I was disappointed when the school cleaned it off a few days later. There is a smiley face carved onto the pedestrian symbol on the path I see on my way to college, I still smile whenever I see it.
I don’t recall how the idea of leaving sticky notes with nice messages came about, but it was something a friend and I wanted to do for a while and we finally got around to it. We got ourselves some sticky notes and a sharpie and wrote messages on them. They said things like “You’re Beautiful”, “You are Worth it”, “Stay Strong” etc., we even quoted the well-known catch phrase of Timon and Pumbaa from the Lion King with “Hakuna Matata”. We left them on park benches, outside restaurants, on trees, and on monuments. These may seem cheesy but sometimes you need to hear things like this. Sometimes all you want is for someone to tell you that everything is okay, or for a sign that things will get better. Knowing that there are people out there who care can make all the difference to someone.
Limerick, sadly, has a high suicide rate and the river is patrolled by suicide watches most nights so we made sure to leave some around there. I don’t know if the gesture could save a life, but I do hope that seeing kindness in ones worst moments could inspire someone to think twice about taking their life and encourage them to seek help. Maybe a trend could be sparked around the country of leaving these little messages in places people may need to hear them? If people shared how they spread kindness on social media perhaps others will follow. When you think about it, a marker and a pack of sticky notes isn’t all that costly and the activity is even fun to do. If anything, maybe this will make someone else smile. For us, it’s something that we plan on doing again.
Given that 2016 was a turbulent and fearful year all over the world I think acts like this are more important than ever. Throughout each tragedy and attack, the world has banded together in sharing love and support. One of the beautiful things about social media is that people in any continent can show support for the likes of Syria, France, and Orlando. I’m not naive enough to believe that a mere sticky note can combat acts of war, racism or homophobia but even in times of fear and uncertainty I think we need to be reminded that our world still has love in it.
In this climate it’s easy to lose faith in humanity. Furthermore, fear wreaks havoc on one’s mental health, and many people worldwide are sure to be grieving and living in anxiety. Loved ones have been lost, homes destroyed, and many are fearful that they could suffer the same fate. As I said before, this won’t save the world, but one tiny gesture could mean the world to someone else. One tiny gesture can show that strength and love still exist.
There is so much one can do to make someone smile, here are just a few ideas:
- Compliment a stranger.
- Hold the door open for the person behind you.
- Buy someone coffee, or give that free drink on your loyalty card to someone else.
- Leave a few nice messages around or even a letter.
- Buy food, warm clothes, and blankets for someone who is currently homeless.
- Remind people of their worth.
- Read a book you think a friend would like? Lend it to them.
- Tip your waitresses/waiters and baristas.
- Give somebody your seat on the bus, and thank the bus driver when you’re getting off.
- Donate old clothes to charity.
- Thank the people who have helped you or made a difference in your life, for example old teachers or employers.
- Let people know you appreciate them.
- Be extra nice and helpful to someone you know is having a hard time.
- Give somebody a lift home.
- Bring treats into work, school, or college to share with others.
These acts aren’t solely for the benefit of others, we feel better after doing something nice so what’s stopping you?