For the last 6 years I have been performing Random Acts of Kindness and handing out Smile Cards! Which, in my opinion, are one of the greatest ideas in the world! I guess I was truly inspired by the movie, "Pay it Forward," a must see for all! I had done little things before... and I always enjoyed surprising others and helping out others who were in need.... but discovering the Smile cards was truly the spark that ignited my passion!
I discovered the cards while I was working on one of the projects for the volunteer group I ran, Students Taking a Responsible Step, or S.T.A.R.S. I really wanted to share the practice of Random Acts of Kindness with the kids in my group. I was researching the movie we would be watching, and somehow came across HelpOthers.org, home of the smile cards.
Since that day, I have carried around a bundle of the cards just in case an opportunity to use one came along. Today and yesterday was one of those days! I had to travel on the Turnpike to get to my families house in Ark City and then to return to my home. Yesterday, as I got off and paid at the toll booth, I gave the cashier an extra $2.50 and a smile card and asked her to pay the toll for the car behind me and to give them the card. She smiled nervously, but took the money and the card and I jetted off. As I looked in my rear-view mirror at the car behind me, the man who was in it looked down at the card that she had just given him and he smiled SO big! That is why I do it, for the smiles! That is more payment than I could ever wish for!
Toll money is not the only area I pass out cards; I come up with new ideas all the time! I do have a favorite story though!
When I graduated from high school, I received a huge bouquet of carnations; 40 to be exact! I had so many that I didn't know what to do with them. The next weekend my niece and nephew came (ages 4 and 5) and we took every single carnation and tied a smile card to it's stem. We then went to our local Dillion's Store and I gave each of them one flower at a time. I explained that these flowers would make other people smile, and then they could take the cards and do something nice for someone else! They loved the idea, but I wasn't sure if they fully grasped the idea. Furthermore, I thought that they possibly might get to shy at the last minute, but boy was I surprised! My nephew ran excitedly through the doors of the store and found the very first lady he lay eyes on! He ran up to her and handed her the flower! Her smile was so big, but his was even bigger!
In no time at all, we neared the end of our bouquet, but there were a few left. My niece took one up to an elderly lady, and then came back to me and as we were walking away she tugged on my sleeve and asked..."Did you see her smile?!" "It was really big."
We left the store with three flowers left, and went to Subway for lunch. The kids saw a woman at the counter and took a flower up to her. She smiled and turned around and said "that just made my day! Thank you guys!"
The final two flowers went to the waitresses at the restaurant! Both of which were really excited to receive flowers. Later, as we were setting and eating our lunch, one of the waitresses came up to the kids with two giant chocolate chip cookies! She said that they were for them and that she really liked her flower! As they gobbled down the cookies my niece and nephew looked at me with the biggest chocolate covered smiles I had ever seen. My nephew said "being nice is fun!"
It turned out being a great day, not only for myself and my family, but for 40 other random people. We spread a lot of smiles, and the kids learned an important lesson in the process. In fact they couldn't wait until the next time they got to come and visit!
In the last 6 years, I have had so much fun, and seen smiles that I will never forget. I know this is something that I plan to continue as long as I am alive! I have seen the way if affects others, and I have been affected as well. The simplest things can make the biggest difference to someone. You may never know how big of a difference you have made, but I can promise you, it IS made!
I write about this because it is one of my passions; and it is human kindness that serves as one of my inspirations to life, and to my writing. Life is one big story of which we all play a part. Each day is a new page, and it is written as we go along. Why not become a part of another's story? Why not spread a smile? Why not Pass It On? In fact... I dare you!
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