December 2016 Kindness Advent Calendar Adventures

Follow my Kindness Advent Calendar adventures here! I'll be adding my social media photos from the month's kindness activities in one gallery here. 

Day 1: Share

Join me for a little intentional kindness every day this December? Download the Kindness Advent Calendar here: http://maketodayhappy.co.uk/act-of-kindness-24-kindness-advent-calendar/

Day 2: Surprise

Surprised the kids after school by making more of their new favorite Christmas chocolate candy. Perfect end to a long week for them. ❤

Day 3: Donate

Picked up extra food at the store today to donate to our local food bank. Will drop off the donation this week. I had my daughter with me at the store and she helped me pick out the food items that she thought other families would like. 

Day 4: Make yourself laugh

Showing kindness to myself by watching "White Christmas". I had a hankering for a classic old movie and this one made me laugh too. Perfection!

Day 5: Smile

"Let my soul smile through my heart and my heart smile through my eyes, that I may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts." - Paramahansa Yogananda

Day 6: Run an errand

Run an errand (remotely) for someone who needs help. Donate to CareBox to help cancer patients get the supplies they need to prevent malnutrition, infections, and injuries from falls. I'm trying to raise $250 by the end of the year. Please consider helping. Go to https://give.classy.org/sarahbethbowman. Thank you!!

Day 7: Organ Donor

Be an organ donor. Save lives. Don't forget to tell your family about your wishes and your end of life wishes too. It might seem like a morbid conversation to have but it is very important. Make your wishes known now while you can speak for yourself.

Day 8: Send 3 people compliments

I learned today that I should do this more often because one of the recipients of my compliment texts texted back asking if I mistakenly sent the text to them. The world needs more sincere compliments all around! Can you send three people compliments today? Keep it going.

Day 9: Post a positive message on a public mirror.

I hope today's act of kindness brings joy to whoever sees it in my local Walmart restroom. Spread joy and encouragement. You never know who might be needing it. 

Day 10: Really listen to someone.

Trying to be mindful when listening and practicing being a better listener today. Hopefully I'm more successful tomorrow. We can show a lot of things through active listening- interest, respect, concern, love. We also can show a lot through not actively listening, even if we don't intended the impression we are giving off, like disinterest, lack of concern, lack of care, etc. There are so many distractions; let's make sure we are giving off the impression we mean to when others are talking to us by active listening.

Day 11: Take a walk alone.

Took myself out for a nice walk. Just me, Luna, and the Enya Holiday channel on Pandora.  It was cold and I can feel tonight's wintery weather moving in but it was peaceful and I loved it.

Day 12: Let someone go ahead of you.

I was out running errands today and was looking for opportunities to let people in front of me in traffic and in the stores. Instead I was the one who was showed kindness to, people kept letting me in. I had a rather frustrating situation come up during the day and all the random kindness that was shown to me while I was shopping was really nice. I finally got to let some people ahead of me in line at the end of the day at my last stop. Keep spreading the kindness. It's contagious.

Day 13: Spread positivity on your social media.

This quote encourages me and inspires me. One of my favorites. 

Day 14: Forgive someone you've been holding a grudge against.

Even if you can't do it for them, do it for you.

Day 15: Write a thank you note.

It only takes a couple of minutes to touch someone by sending a handwritten thank you note.

Day 16: Shift a negative conversation or gossip to something positive.

Be the one to shift a conversation from gossip to ideas or events.

Day 17: Show appreciation for good service. Smile and say thank you to everyone who serves you today.

You never know whose life you might touch by showing kindness to them.

Day 18: Show yourself some kindness. Turn up the music and dance today!

A little music and a little dancing does wonders for your soul.

Day 19: Be positive all day. Say nice things to yourself and others.

This positive message is for myself and for anyone reading this today.

Day 20: Appreciate someone who does something you take for granted.

Thank you note and tip ready to go out with our trash cans to thank our garbage pickup men.

Day 21: Write a kind message for a loved one.

I popped little snowflake love notes into the kids' school binders today. Snowflakes seemed fitting for the notes since it's the first day of winter. ❄️

Day 22: Cheer someone up.

Looking for opportunities for kindness to everyone I come in contact with today.

Day 23: But a lottery ticket and give it to someone.

Buying lottery tickets aren't my thing so I'm sharing encouragement today to look for the love. It's all around us. Sometimes drowned out by darkness or sadness, but it is still there. Look for the love. Be the love. Spread the love.

Day 24: Put your loose change in a charity box.

Sent my loose change in with my daughter for their Christmas service project. They collected change to donate to a charity as a group. 

Day 25: Be kind to yourself.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!! 
"My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?" (Bob Hope)