There are two ways to take the kindness & gratitude #AmericaIsKind Challenge:
#1: On social media, SHARE an ACT OF KINDNESS you have witnessed with the tag #AmericaIsKind, then PAY IT FORWARD by doing a random act of kindness for a stranger. TAG 3-5 friends to take the #AmericaIsKind Challenge to keep the acts of good going.
And/Or
#2: Participate in the 30-day #AmericaIsKind Challenge, where we are turning our #GratefulToGood by practicing gratitude and acts of kindness every day for a month. You can find the daily gratitude, acts of good, and highlighted charities HERE. Jump in or out any day...whenever you find the challenge is the perfect time to begin.
Today is Day 30 of the 30-Day #AmericaIsKind Challenge: If you've been following along with our daily gratitudes and acts of good, congratulations! You have made "gratitudeness" (gratitude + kindness= gratitudeness) a habit.
Our final theme today is (no surprise!) Kindness, and our Charity of the Day is: Random Acts
"It’s our mission to conquer the world one random act of kindness at a time. We are here to inspire acts of kindness around the world both big and small."
“Every individual can be a catalyst for positive change in the world and in his/her own life. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect. Each person can make a positive impact within his/her social network and community. Kindness breeds kindness.”
Gratitude: “I am grateful for the kindness of strangers."
Since I began working on the #AmericaIsKind project, I've asked many people two questions: "Have you ever done something kind for a stranger?" and "Has a stranger every done anything kind for you?" The answer to both questions was "Yes!" 100% of the time. Everyone has experienced moments of kindness with strangers.
When I was nineteen, I drove my grandparents to the airport at 3am. It was a two-hour drive each way, and somewhere around 5am I realized I was (a) hopelessly lost, still hours from home (b) without my purse, which meant I had no money or phone (c) wearing slippers and (d) very nearly out of gas. I stopped at the nearest payphone--yes, they were still around 15 years ago--and attempted to collect call everyone whose number I knew. No one answered.
So there I was somewhere in rural Michigan at a mom-and-pop gas station: no money, no phone, no shoes, no way to get enough gas to get home. I started to cry, and the attendant heard me. She asked what was wrong; I told her the story, and without hesitating she pulled $40 from her wallet and told me she would cover my gas. The Pepsi delivery guy overheard, and he pulled out $20 "just in case" I needed to get something to eat on the way home. Thanks to the kindness of these two strangers, I got home safely. I remain thankful to this day, and pay their kindness forward as often as I'm able.
Good: Our final Act of Good for the #AmericaIsKind 30-day Challenge is a "choose-your-own adventure" random act of kindness. The only requirement is to do the random act of kindness for a stranger. If you're low on ideas, check here or here. Also, for inspiration watch this video:
Thank you for participating in the #AmericaIsKind Challenge, and reminding us all that America is kind because Americans are kind. Keep up the kind work!
Reba Riley is the author of Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome: One Woman’s Desperate, Funny, Healing Journey To Explore 30 Religions By Her 30th Birthday, the 2016 memoir Elizabeth Gilbert calls: “Hilarious, courageous, provocative, profound...Reba Riley brings the light for seekers of all paths. If Eat Pray Love had a gutsy, wise, funny little sister, it would be Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome.” She is a motivational speaker, blogger, and television contributor. You can find her online on Facebook Instagram Twitter