DSD Week 2: Kindness II

It's the end of the week and I'm pleased with what we've done, although nothing's been particularly random. We've made a rhubabrb cake and given it the ladies at our gym's creche; done all the ironing (a chore Nick usually does); paid for some of an old chap's shopping in Wilko's when he couldn't find enough change; taken a friend to lunch; made dinner for our childminder and family; let a very slow moving tractor pull out in front of me; taken flowers to a friend; visited some elderly neighbours from where we used to live; helped a novice user of the gym I go to; bought a book for a friend's child to explain his mother's burgeoning tummy; baked cakes for Nick's workmates; delivered food to a friend after her holiday; given sincere thanks to a harassed postman for all the hardwork him and the R/M do; cooked Sunday lunch for pals. Then there's been all the little things we always do - the smiles, chatting to elderly early morning walkers, opening doors, helping people with buggies etc.

DSD Week 2: Kindness

It's day 2 of the second Team Chivers "Do Something Different" 2009 Challenge - a week of Random Acts of Kindness (the first was a week of no spend in January). Yesterday I was disappointed that I didn't come across more opportunities to be kind and I think a lot of what I did I would have done anyway, except maybe do all the ironing (one of Nick's chores) and think to buy the lovely park attendant a cup of coffee for all his efforts to clear the snow outside the gym. But that was a frustration in itself as I couldn't get safely to a cafe with a toddler on the loose next to a main road so I didn't. The thought was there though! I took cake into the ladies in the gym creche, opened plenty of doors and did lots of smiling. Today my big gesture is going to be to double up on our evening meal and leave half with our childminding team for their dinner this evening and also treat a friend to lunch. I think I need to drop the term 'random' for this week as my ideas aren't particularly.

More Kindness

Whilst reading Christopher Peterson's thoughtful and engaging Primer of Positive Psychology, I came across a website to inspire us for this month's 'Do Something Different' challenge (random acts of kindness, 14-20th Feb). www.actsofkindness.org is a well put together resource to encourage all of us to be a little bit kinder and in a freak coincidence the site bills 9-15 February as RAOK Week...so I think we'll tie in with this instead. So far I haven't got beyond the idea of giving things away (baking, books left on benches etc) and opening doors and helping old ladies with their shopping so I think I need to work on my randomness. Perhaps once I get going I'll get more random?

Kindness

We had friends for dinner at the weekend and were discussing the "Team Chivers" year of DSD challenges (Do Something Different). Having knocked the first one off (no spend for a week) we're fairly confident we can do the rest, although March's wartime rations is going to be a toughie. Or maybe not depending on how I'm doing at curbing the growth of my sweet tooth come sun down. So in a fortnight's time February's challenge is to focus on random acts of kindness for a week. This inspired our dinner pals to extend a hand of kindness to their elderly neighbours today (a difficult and pride-swallowing task given how much they've been costing them in planning application objections recently) and it makes me feel more than a little bit nice to know that I've rubbed off on someone in a positive way. And they rubbed off on me too in that I'm heeding their suggestion to re-read a favourite book (something I've never thought a particularly worthwhile thing to do) and we're going to incorporate their joint favourtite film into our November challenge. The book re-reading is interesting in that I will happily re-watch a favourite film or a CD but have always thought it odd to do it with a book. But as Kim pointed out, every time you read it you get soemthing new from it and the book becomes like a best friend. She reads Pride and Prejudice every year and I'm wondering what I might grow to have the same sort of affection for. Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca maybe? Right now though I have the final 30 pages of No Time for Goodbye, a slice of carrot cake and a silent house to savour.