Join us in Making Kindness the Norm

Alaska is starting to get lighter and lighter, and it's not just the sun setting later everyday that is causing the change. Hope that a brighter future and a return to a level of normalcy is coming soon is ever-present in conversation as Alaska makes strides to vaccinate members of our community. Nevertheless, we could all still use a good boost in morale! Join us in brightening someone's day by celebrating Random Acts of Kindness Day today.

Random Acts of Kindness are selfless acts, both large and small, done unexpectedly and unprompted with no ulterior motive.

This week, team member Maleah and her COVID-19 friend bubble made 19 Pantry Packs for Bean's Cafe. These boxes of nonperishable food items will feed Anchorage's homeless population. Team member Kaila helped Homer's Haven House by donating gift certificates to the local bookstore to ensure children served at the House are able to buy reading material for school.

What random, selfless act can you do to brighten someone else's day?

Blessing Bag

Gather items to create a blessing bag for a temporarily displaced person. Once complete, put it in a vehicle you often travel in to hand out to the next person who could use a lift me up.

Items to include: hand warmers, socks, to go wet wipes, tissues, face mask(s), toothbrush & toothpaste, pads/tampons, small first aid kit, hat, gloves, protein bars, instant oatmeal packets, and other nonperishable and easy-to-eat foods.

When handing to the recipient don’t forget to make eye contact and smile as human connection helps us all remember to Explore the Good and help Make Kindness the Norm.

Kindness Jar

Start with an empty jar & decorate it however you'd like. Every time you witness an act of kindness, write it down and place the memory in the jar. Collect memories, observations and unexpected surprises of kindness throughout February.

On the last day of the month, empty the jar and reflect back on the kindness you experienced, witnessed, or perhaps performed yourself.

Keep the jar going and continue to Explore the Good throughout 2021 and help Make Kindness the Norm.

Kindness Worksheet

Download this worksheet and list five day-to-day activities you do. Then, next to each activity, write a way you can do the same activity, but with an added element of kindness.

For example, "Floss & brush teeth" might get transformed into "Think of five things I'm grateful for while flossing and brushing." This is an excellent exercise to think of ways to incorporate kindness (for others and yourself) into your daily routine.

If you come up with any clever ideas, please post it to social media with #explorethegood and #makekindnessthenorm to inspire others.

Love Note

Find your favorite pen and two nice pieces of paper. Write a letter to someone who has changed your life for the better. Tell them how they have helped you. Then send it.

Next, write a letter to yourself. Describe all your strengths, skills, values, behaviors and actions that have gotten you to where you are. Seal it in an envelope and put it somewhere that you’ll find later when you really need to hear those words.

Pay it Backward

Next time you roll up to a drive-through window, pay for your meal and the next person’s. Paying it backward can cause a chain reaction of kindness and reassure people feeling down that the world is full of kind people.

Reflection

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation follows a simple kindness framework for everything they do. One of the last steps in that framework is to reflect on how kind acts affect others and yourself.

We are hopeful that thinking back to those good thoughts and feelings you experience through your acts will lead to including kindness more in your daily lives.

For more on Random Acts of Kindness Day, visit the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, where these tips came from!