Kindness on a Budget

In light of these hard economic times where people are literally hanging on by a thread, I thought I would pass along some ideas to help us keep the acts of kindness in our daily actions~

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It never ceases to amaze me how generous people who post on this site are. From those who are fortunate enough to be able to use some of their money to help others, people making things for others, or just giving up a moment of their time to someone in need. But what I would like to do here is offer some ideas on how to bring kindness into other people’s lives without needing to spend money.

So here I offer some ideas for acts of kindness that only need you, your hands, your knowledge or your ears.

1. Help strangers find their way. This is one I try to do every day if I can. Here in London we have some useful information panels scattered around with maps of the local area on them. If ever I see someone looking at the panel, or just looking at a map anywhere near where I work, I’ll go up and offer to help them find their way.

2. Make something for a stranger or a child. I love making mandalas using a compass and colored pens, but I don’t always have them with me and each mandala can take a while to complete. So I needed something quicker and easier and I found instructions for making origami jumping frogs!! (http://www.origami-fun.com/origami-jumping-frog.html). After a little practice I can now make them on the bus, or anywhere I find myself (there are eight lined up on my desk right now!) to have ready to give away. My friend and I were out for dinner a couple of weeks ago and we had a lovely family sitting behind us. We helped take a photo for them at the table and I realized they were the perfect recipients for the frogs (two kids of 6-10). It only took me a few minutes and as we were leaving I was able to give them to them and show them how to make them jump. The kids were thrilled and the parents happy too! In fact I have not come across anyone who doesn’t love them, even my 90 year old Grandmother!

3. Do something kind for a relative or loved one. I’m sure I’ve said this before, but I know a lot of us do not often think of our relatives or loved ones when it comes to doing acts of kindness. And these are the people who are the dearest to us of all!! So what can you do? Spend some time listening to one of your relations, one who maybe doesn’t get listened to as much as they would like. Take someone out for the afternoon, someone who might not get out as much as they used to or who just needs a little break from it all. Write a card/letter/e-mail to one of your relatives and tell them how much they mean to you and why you appreciate some of the things they have done for you down the years. Take some time out from your day and tell your loved one why they mean the world to you and how happy you are to have them in your life!