Kindness Day

On Saturday, we joined loads of other Sisters in being intentionally kind in our community. If you haven’t already, read about The Sisterhood‘s National Kindness Day, and visit The Sisterhood’s Facebook page to be inspired by what others got up to.

My grand plans for Kindness Day were halted somewhat by a sad little Pickle-shaped panda, who was struggling with a pesky tooth and a developing cold. I was hoping to bake for new mums, and join 13 other Dunedin mums in spreading some love in the local maternity unit, but my arms were full of baby, which made it a bit tough to bake. I was feeling a bit fretful, until the lovely woman coordinating the drop reminded me that I needed to be kind to myself, too.

So I stopped worrying about what I couldn’t do, and turned my attention to what I could do.

Before Tall headed off to play cricket, I whipped up a batch of chocolate fudge – a mighty good work out for the arms! – and nipped to the supermarket for wrapped chocolates. In little paper cups, wrapped in cellophane and tied with a bow, they became a sweet-looking little treat.

Knowing that I’d need to do my drops while Pickle slept in the car, I packed a bag of kindness, hustled the boys into the car and set out. With no plan, just a desire to get Pickle sleeping. The plan would hopefully come later.

On Thursday, I sent a card to a friend, with a simple message, and also sent a little something to another friend to help fund her crafting habit. I suspect that I was a little late with my posting, and they might not have arrived in time, but the thought was still there!

I was tempted to pull in for a fundraising car wash, but instead, stopped and gave two ladies and two girls promoting it a little cup of treats. My heart was pounding and I mumbled something incoherent, before escaping back to my car and speeding off. I was amazed at the sudden surge of adrenalin, the sensation of hot tears, and the feeling of having done something so nice. “Ooooh, that felt good!” I said out loud, to which Tiny replied, “It did, didn’t it mummy?”

We dropped some chocolate and a nice bar of baby soap in the letterbox of a young family up the road; I don’t know them, but know of them, and it felt nice to do something quite anonymous but knowingly useful.

We left a book at a bus stop down near the university,

and accosted a woman hard at work in her garden, handing over more chocolatey treats. She was so surprised, but really grateful, and it made me smile knowing she’d be enjoying a well-deserved Crunchie bar or two for afternoon tea.

We dropped jars of homemade coriander spice rub in the letterboxes of friends, and left an hour’s parking in a few of the meters down by the hospital. I timed this drop to coincide with the maternity ward visiting hours, and we did a couple of sneaky laps of the car park to see people finding the coins.

Lastly, we stopped at the local fire station and dropped chocolates off for the firemen. This was my favourite drop of the day, mostly because of the joy Tiny got from this experience. He gave the fireman the chocolates and they had a big chat. When he was asked if he’d like to sit in the fire engine, Tiny’s eyes widened. When he was asked if he’d like to “drive” the engine, his jaw dropped. And when the fireman gave him a cap, he just about burst with excitement. When I thanked the fireman, he said, “One good turn deserves another”, and I left with a huge smile on my face and in my heart.

That was what this was all about: kindness begetting kindness. Showing people that they are cared about, loved, appreciated. Little gestures with big outcomes.

While I didn’t accomplish everything I set out to, it still felt amazing to be part of such a special event. Seeing what other people got up to throughout the day was wonderful, and I’m excited by the possibilities for future (personal or national) Kindness Days.

A huge, GINORMOUS THANK YOU to Sophie and LJ for all their hard work in making this day a possibility and a reality xxxx

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Linking up with Meghan for