70 Random Acts of Kindness

Hard to disagree that the world would be a better place if we all made the conscious decision to leave it a little better/happier/cleaner than we found it, every day. 

Here are some ideas for turning the ideal into action:

1. Help someone load/unload their items at the store (especially heavy and/or awkward items)
2. Return shopping carts to the corral or store
3. If the bathroom stall you're using is almost out of toilet paper, resupply it for the next person
4. Leave coupons on the shelf next to the items they discount, so the next shopper to come along can have the use of them
5. Leave that lovely parking space right in front of the store for someone else
6. Leave change in a vending machine; isn't it always a bit of a thrill to find coins in the coin return?
7. Put change in a parking meter that has expired
8. At the store, reshelve things that have been carelessly or inadvertantly misplaced
9. Take the trouble to return lost items to their owner
10. Offer to run an errand for someone
11. Let someone merge into traffic in front of you
12. Pay for the person behind you at the coffee shop/fast food line/tollbooth/bus or metro kiosk
13. If it's raining, carry a neighbor's newspaper to their front porch so it will stay dry
14. Send a thank you note for no reason to someone who deserves one - a teacher, a relative, or a community organizer
15. Bake cookies and present them as a gift to someone deserving
16. Let the guy in line behind you - the one that has only a few items - go in front of you
17. Compliment someone you usually take for granted
18. Say something nice about someone to someone else
19. Deliberately turn a negative conversation positive
20. Ask if you can help someone who seems to need help
21. Give someone the benefit of a doubt
22. Pick up litter in your neighborhood
23. Leave someplace cleaner than you found it
24. Beautify a public area
25. Offer to babysit (or pet-sit) for someone who needs a night out
26. Stop and listen to someone who needs to talk
27. Stop to help someone who's car has broken down by the side of the road
28. Help a neighbor or relative with yard work (planting in spring, mowing in summer, raking in fall, shoveling in winter)
29. Hold the door open for someone
30. Stop to help someone pick up items they've dropped
31. Pay the tab for a serviceman who is dining at the same restaurant as you
32. Send a thank you card (or package) to a serviceman overseas
33. Donate blood
34. Donate clothes, furniture, books, food, etc.
35. Offer someone a piece of gum
36. Give someone your seat on the bus/metro, even if they're not elderly or pregnant
37. Make someone laugh
38. Forgive someone for something they've done to you or someone else
39. Share something - a book, a recipe, a meal, advise
40. Cheer for someone at an event
41. Help someone learn something (or figure something out)
42. Leave a nice comment on someone's online post (Facebook, blog, review, etc.)
43. If an employee at a store has been especially helpful, tell their manager about it
44. Ask someone about their cultures/traditions
45. Pull weeds
46. Lend a pencil to someone
47. Help someone tackle a chore you know they've been dreading
48. Fix someone's favorite meal (or take them to their favorite restaurant)
49. Become an organ donor
50. Attend a neighborhood, work, or community event just to show your support
51. Throw your trash away in the theater (or at the ballpark)
52. Leave a generous tip; or, write a thank-you note to your waiter/waitress on the bill
53. Give people copies of photos you've taken of them (or their children)
54. Help someone feel better about themselves
55. Volunteer your time or resources to a worthy cause
56. Raise money for (or awareness of) a good cause
57. Help an elderly or disabled neighbor (bring their trash cans in/out, drop off their mail at the door, fetch groceries from the store for them, etc.)
58. Drop off flowers at the hospital and ask that they be delivered to someone who needs cheering up
59. Say "happy birthday" to someone who isn't expecting it
60. Brush the snow/ice off of someone else's car
61. Clean the dishes in a common area, even though you weren't the one that dirtied them
62. Let someone in a hurry cut in front of you
63. Leave your newspaper behind at the restaurant or coffee shop so that someone else can read it
64. If someone accidentally leaves their purse or laptop unattended, watch it for them until they return
65. Roll up someone's car windows if it's about to rain
66. Share your umbrella with someone
67. Help someone get (or keep) a job
68. Diffuse a tense situation
69. Compliment someone on their dog (or child)
70. If someone has thrown recycling in the trash can, move it to a recycling container