Day 31

This morning I woke up bright and early and went to the oldest cemetery in Charlottetown to spread some kindness. This seemed to be the only cemetery that didn’t have flowers - so cold and unloved, not an ideal resting place for those that were buried there. I bought 75 silk flowers thinking I would have enough to give one flower to every plot. I soon realized I really underestimated the size of the grave yard - there were 425 stones. I took the time to read the headstones as I made my way through the rows. I was deep into the cemetery and only had a couple of flowers left, when I heard a man speak to me. It startled me for a minute but I turned around and saw such a big smile. He said how great the flowers looked and that they really brightened things up in there. His name was Carl and he was the caretaker of the graveyard and also a metallic sculpture artist. We really hit it off and he told me stories about the graveyard and the people buried there. It turns out no one had been buried there since 1873, no wonder there were no flowers from loved ones, so many generations later. I am really glad I was able to pay my respect to 75 of them today and to learn so much about this historical burial ground.

On my lunch break I brought skipping ropes, hula hoops and beach toys to the park and put a “Have Fun!” sign on them. I walked by after work today and the beach toys were in the sand box area and it looked like the other things had all been played with too. It was nice to see that kids played with the toys but they left them behind for others to enjoy too.

It was such a gorgeous warm day today so I brought some freezies in to work for my colleagues. On my way home I gave out the rest of them to people that I saw while walking. I got such mixed reviews, some were so appreciative you would think I gave them a hundred dollars. Others were puzzled and tried to pay me for them. A few were apprehensive and declined. It was a neat little experiment, next time I will try popsicles, that way I wouldn't have to carry around scissors to cut the ends off for them :)

I also helped two tourists from Ontario narrow down their choices for dinner, we talked for 15 minutes and I felt like I knew them for years -very kind people. Then I dropped off teddy bears to “Pat and the Elephant” as they were taking donations for a little girl who lost all her teddy bears in a house fire.

It was such an incredible day, a perfect ending to my 31 days of kindness.  Although my blog ends today, I know my random acts of kindness will continue. Kindness is truly the best feeling I have ever experienced, I had no idea the impact this month would have on my life.  Thank you to all of you who followed along on my little journey and also for those of you who started up your own kindness acts/initiatives as a result :)

I’m concluding my last post with Danielle LaPorte’s  inspiring words: 

“Be the Giver”

Give. Be the giver. Be generous. Be voluptuous with your love.

Give first. Be the first to say who you are -- otherwise, the world will define you and you'll have less to give.

Be the first to say I love you, because you do love -- instantly.

Be the first to give an apology, even if you’re just thinking about being sorry.

Giving will show you who you are.

(You may not be who you thought you were, and you'll realize you have so much more ... to give.)

Give up your seat.

Give up your beliefs and you'll be able to give more freely.

Give in the way that only you can give.

Give of yourself. You’ll never regret it.

And never stop giving.

Day 30

Today was by far my favourite day of kindness. I had been carrying around an extra umbrella all day in the event it started to rain. This evening it finally rained and I went on a little search for someone that was caught in the rain without an umbrella or jacket. Within minutes I found someone and offered her my pink umbrella, she was so happy! She didn’t even hesitate to accept, just a huge thank you and a big smile :)

I went to Andrews of Charlottetown to visit with some residents. I taught French once a week at Andrews of Stratford for three years and I really enjoyed it. There was always a class full of 10-15 seniors each week that really loved my classes. I often wondered why I stopped, but my schedule got busy and I took on new things, and after three years of teaching it was hard to come up with new lesson plans each week.  Instead of teaching a class tonight I thought it would be nice to read to someone who was blind. When I arranged my visit earlier this week the activities director gave me a list of 5 names and said I can visit one or all of them.

The first woman I visited was incredible, she was 97.5 (her 1/2 birthday is tomorrow) and she had made 87 wedding dresses by hand over the years, her dresses were even featured in the Eptek Museum. She talked about her family, her life growing up, her sewing, and her fondest memories. We instantly bonded as I used to model wedding dresses in high school and my aunt owned the wedding place. She broke her arm a month ago and couldn’t wait to get the cast off so she could get back to crocheting.  We had a nice ½ hour visit and then I told her I would be back to buy some of her crochet ornaments that she was selling for $4. She is so talented!

Next I met with a sweet woman who was 100 years old, she was almost blind and could only hear out of one ear but she could not stop smiling. She grew up in North Wiltshire where I used to live and we ended up knowing the same people. She graduated from Prince of Wales University in the 1920s and was a school teacher. My grandmother also went to school there and also was a teacher so we had lots to chat about.  We talked about her life growing up, her family and her favourite foods. She loves cupcakes as much as I do :) At the age of 100 she has very few wrinkles and she said her little secret is she still puts cream on her face everyday. She said her son teases her about it as at age 100 he said she probably doesn't need to worry too much about having wrinkles :)  

My third visit was with a brilliant 96 year old man. I visited him for 2 hours and the time flew by. We talked about current events and history - his mind was so sharp. His eyesight was deteriorating but he still tried to read the newspaper every day, as well as watch the news and listen to CBC radio. We bonded instantly, we talked about everything. The details he remembered of his growing up were timeless. I felt like I was there the way he described events, he was an amazing storyteller. It turned out he even knew my grandmother and used to play cards with her,that made me so happy! He said she was a real card shark, which made me smile even more :) He really opened up to me, I could have stayed with him for 2 more hours but it was almost 10pm when I left. He told me how much he missed the company of his wife and that the days were long and his family lived out of province. I promised him I would come back and visit him as I enjoyed the time we spent together. He said he really hopes I do come back.

Tonight I realized the importance of giving someone your time, how much it can make a difference. I have always been a good listener as I love people and love to hear what they have to say.  Meeting three strangers tonight and having bonded with them the way I did is a feeling I can’t even describe. My heart is full of love for them and we only just met.

Makes me realize how much I miss my grandparents as we were very close and had similar heart to heart talks every time we were together. I cherish those moments and I am so grateful to have those memories now after they are gone.

Tonight on my way home I was on such a high from my visits I stopped in for a surprise visit to see my sister-in-law. She was tired when I arrived, so we just laid on her bed, ate chocolate bars and had sister bonding time. It was a perfect ending to my night :) 

Day 29

I’ve waited all month for perfect conditions to paint, tonight was the night, 19 degrees and sunny. Our Island is so beautiful that it is a shame to see all the amateur graffiti on buildings around town. What started out as a little project to clean up city graffiti turned into a collaborative team effort. My friend Kelly and I and her three amazing children had a fun evening erasing the vandalism on our city buildings. We still have lots more we would like to do but tonight was a great start. It was an excellent lesson for the kids as well, to understand the true meaning of RAOKs. They are very excited to start their own kindness challenge for the month of June and already have lots of great ideas. It meant a lot to me to have their help tonight.

Tonight I brought my darling Mom a little "care package" of popsicles, honibe lozenges, Gatorade, a magazine and fuzzy peaches as she wasn’t feeling well and I wanted to brighten her evening with a little surprise visit. 

Day 28

Last summer I used to give money to a man that held a sign that said “Good Karma for $1”. At the time I thought it was a really unique and positive way to ask for money instead of the sad signs I have seen about hunger, out of work, broke etc. I have seen that man a lot this past year and he seemed to have lost hope. 

Today I finally got the courage to talk to him more deeply than just hello. First I gave him $5 so that seemed to make him smile but then I asked if I could talk to him for a minute. I said I know I can give him money whenever I am walking by, but will that really help him? I told him he is a young, intelligent guy that has his whole life ahead of him and how it saddened me to see him on the street this past year when I know that he would have dreams of doing so much more. I said that last year when I saw him his sign was "Good Karma", and now it says "I need $20 no place to live", so I could tell that he had given up hope. I asked him what could I do to really make a difference in his life? I think I caught him off guard as he didn’t know what to say. I asked him if he needed clothes, food, supplies, help with his resume, someone to help him search for jobs on the job bank? Was he aware of all the supports that are available to help him get back on his feet? 

I didn't just stand there and ask him questions, we had a good conversation and he said he is hoping to have a job in June. I told him that I used to manage the Homelessness Initiatives at Service Canada and I knew enough about what was available to him so that if he wanted, I could tell him more about these programs.

At the end I said that I see him often but never introduced myself to him and then I shook his hand. He said his name was Eddy. I told Eddy to think about my offer to help him and that I would come talk to him again the next time I saw him. He seems like a really nice person, I am not sure if I made a difference for him today by showing that I cared. I really tried my best.

Day 27

The tear-off signs from Day 18 were so popular that I thought I would try another idea I saw on pinterest.  I bought some beautiful rainbow sticky notes on the weekend and decided that today I would write little notes with inspirational messages and quotes on them and leave them in random places around the city. I walked around at lunch and left the notes on store shelves, elevators, stairwells, the mirror in a public bathroom, on car windshields, park benches, bus shelters etc... just a little trail or kindness every few steps I took.  It was fun to do, especially trying to place the notes around without people noticing me do it. They just magically appeared around the city ;)

I thought the car windshield would be the nicest for people as they would be expecting it to either be a parking ticket or a flyer but when they see the little hand written note, I hope they smiled. 

Tonight I delivered cupcakes to my neighbour who was called to the bar on Friday, I’m very proud of her! Just a kind gesture to let her know how amazing I think she is.

Day 26

I have been receiving so many kind emails, texts and tweets the past few days about my 31 days of kindness. It means so much to me that people are reading my blog and are incorporating kindness as part of their day as well. One friend said she gave money to a young girl holding a sign, she said she never did that before and that I inspired her to do it. Another friend said she is planning on doing some kindness acts with her children, and another friend has started capturing his kindness through his blog. Kindness is so contagious, if my small acts can inspire others, just imagine how amazing the world would be if everyone put kindness first.

This afternoon when I was at the mall I decided to fill the gumball and toy/sticker machines with loonies and quarters so that when a child comes along they will get a free surprise, or if they happen to look at the other machines they may just get lots of surprises :) I know when I was little I was always fascinated with the candy machines so I hope I make some children happy.

Now I know pay phones are nearly extinct but I thought I would add a quarter to each change return, just in case. That way someone will come along and get a free phone call, or 3 calls if they look in all three phones.  

Before leaving,  I wrapped a toonie in a coloured note that said “Here’s a water on me for RAOK :)” and put it in the change return. That way they will know it was meant for them, not just someone forgetting their change in the machine. 

Very small acts of kindness today, but every little bit helps.

Day 25

Today was a rainy day so I took a couple of hours and went through my closet and drawers for things I know longer wore, loved or needed. A year ago I purged 80% of my belongings and decided I wanted to have a more “minimalist” lifestyle.  It is an incredible feeling to only own the things I need, love and use. A “clutter free” lifestyle frees up all my time as my beautiful apartment is so easy to clean and everything has a place so I don’t have to spend time looking for things. And all the belonging I had that I didn’t use went to people in need instead of filling closets or collecting dust.

Today I went through all my winter and summer clothes and filled four blue bags full of things that no longer fit, or that I didn’t wear over the past six months. I read somewhere that we only wear 20% of the clothes we own, so why bother keeping the other 80%. It is better to give the clothes away while they still have value so that someone else can enjoy them. I donated the four bags to Value Village, and they will sell them to someone who needs them. As an added bonus to my donation, all the proceeds from Value Village go to the Canadian Diabetes Association.

Tonight was the PEI Wine Festival and I decided to be the designated driver so that my friends could sample all the wines they wanted. Instead of drinking the wine from every station I was selective in my choices and just had a sip of each rather than drinking the full amount they gave me. I spent so much time chatting with everyone that was there that I lost interest in the wine and just enjoyed the great conversations. I don’t even think I had an accumulation of one glass the whole evening but I had so much fun. Everyone was appreciative to have me as DD for the night as well :)

"A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves". ~ Amelia Earhart