Earlier this year I was downtown in a coffee shop (that’s pretty typical for me), and was on the second floor near a window getting a few things done. I looked out the window, and down on the sidewalk there was a homeless man sitting there. He didn’t really look anyone in the eye as they passed and didn’t smile; he was just holding his sign and watching his few belongings. It was January in Colorado, so it was pretty cold outside. As I was watching him from the window, a younger man walked out to him with a cup of coffee and a muffin. He sat down beside him, handed him the coffee, and began to split the muffin in two, offering this man half while he started to eat the other half. The younger man began talking to him, and although I couldn’t hear their conversation (I was inside), it looked like he was asking the homeless man questions, and just having a conversation with him as they shared the muffin. It took a few minutes, but eventually the homeless man looked into the young man’s eyes and was smiling as he talked. A few minutes later the young man got up to leave, and shook the homeless man’s hand as he did. The homeless man kept smiling for several minutes after he left. I don’t know what was said, but I have a feeling it doesn’t matter; what matters is that someone looked at him not as homeless, but as a human being, and just by having a conversation with him was able to remind him that he’s still human and still valuable. One random act of kindness could have given him just the encouragement he needed to keep going another day.

This young man reminded me the importance of kindness; one random act of kindness in itself doesn’t change the world, but it has potential to change someone’s day, and over time, perhaps even someone’s life. Why don’t we all try practicing kindness more regularly? Here’s a few ideas for random acts of kindness that we can practice from day to day:

1. Leave someone a handwritten note telling them you appreciate them. Handwritten notes are few and far between in this world of text messages and emails. Leave a coworker, family member, friend, or significant other a sticky note or small letter telling them that they’re important.
2. Help someone with a lot in their hands. Perhaps it’s a mom walking out of the grocery with her kids and all the grocery bags; offer a hand. Or maybe a student struggling with their backpack and books. Or a coworker with a lot of papers or files. Offer a hand to someone who could very literally use another hand.
3. Leave a generous tip. It doesn’t have to be a lot more than you would usually tip (though it can be). But leaving someone more than they expected and even a small note like “Great job!” can really make someone’s day.
4. Shovel someone’s driveway or mow their lawn. I can’t tell you how much this can mean; my dad was recovering from a surgery to remove a tumor last year, and while he was recovering we had neighbors who mowed our lawn and anonymously left pots of flowers on our porch (my dad always plants them and he couldn’t that year). And earlier in the year when we first found out he was dealing with cancer, we had other neighbors shovel our driveway every time it snowed, even though we didn’t expect anyone to do any of that for us. It lightened the stress on my mom in a huge way and was such a blessing to us.
5. Pay for the person behind you at the drive-through. Last winter I was in a Starbucks and the family in front of me struck up a conversation with me. We only talked for a few minutes, but when they ordered they wouldn’t give the cashier their credit card until I had ordered my drink as well. They insisted on paying for me. I was blown away at the kindness of these strangers -- it made my day.
6. Mail cards to a senior center or nursing home. Often the people in these places don’t get to see their family often and are lonely; kind words from a stranger letting them know that they aren’t forgotten can mean the world.
7. Offer to babysit for free for a night. Babysitters can be expensive, and oftentimes one of the best ways to bless young parents or a family going through a hard time is by giving them a night out without having to worry about childcare.
8. Buy someone’s meal or even a snack and share conversation with them. Much like the young man I talked about earlier, buying someone (even a stranger) a small snack and asking how they are genuinely doing can mean the world.
9. Leave a mailman/trash man/officer/firefighter/etc. a note. Even though we may not know who they are (or maybe you do; I don’t know), they do a lot for us. My street would be pretty gross if the trash man didn’t come once a week to pick all of it up. Leaving them a note or some cookies to let them know their work is appreciated could make their day.
10. Smile at strangers. This sounds so small and insignificant, but think about it… how often do we smile at people we pass on the street? Or even smile at our coworkers? It doesn’t have to be creepy, even just smiling and nodding at someone when you walk by them can brighten someone’s day.

It doesn’t take a whole lot to be kind. It might take some conscious effort at first, but the more you do it, the more natural it becomes. And one random act of kindness can change someone’s day, and maybe over time, it could even change someone’s life.

“Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of human change.” – Bob Kerrey