Photo by Lori Paquette
Random Acts of Unconditional Love
Valentine’s Day... it’s a mixed bag for many folks. For those who are single, or who don’t agree with the over-commercialization of the holiday, it can bring up some negative feelings.
Today, I propose an alternative. A new way of celebrating Valentine’s Day that isn’t centered on romance, flowers, cards and chocolates. I propose making it a day of random acts of unconditional love — small gestures of kindness for all the people you interact with throughout your day.
Doing kind things for folks can sometimes be the defining moment of their day, turning a bad day around or setting the tone for a great day. And it makes you feel good in the process. So let these acts be your gift, without expecting anything in return, and have fun with it!
Here are some ideas to inspire you:
1. Send a text message to a friend, letting them know how amazing you think they are.
2. Give a genuine, heart-felt compliment to the barista who makes your coffee, or the store cashier who rings up your purchase.
3. If giving compliments isn’t your thing, let them know you appreciate them.
4. Hug someone
5. Going out to dinner tonight? Let your waiter know how much you appreciate them. Be patient and kind with them. Leave them a generous tip.
6. Do something thoughtful for a co-worker you don’t usually get along with — something that will make their day a little easier or more pleasant. Do this without expecting any particular reaction in return.
7. Say “I love you” to a family member who you haven’t said those words to in awhile, even if you aren’t sure that they’ll say it back to you.
8. Be extra courteous and generous to other drivers while you’re on the road. Let folks get in front of you. Create space for them.
9. Be extra warm with your customers/clients today. Smile more than usual, engage with them in a meaningful way, make them feel special.
10. Give your animal extra hugs and back scratches.
11. Make a cup of tea for someone.
12. Is someone in your life working on a project? Give them a special word of encouragement.
13. Be a listening ear for someone who is reaching out to you. Don’t judge, just listen. Let them know they are supported.
14. Smile warmly at a stranger.
15. Let someone get in front of you in line at the grocery store.
16. Hold the elevator door for someone, even if you’re running late.
17. Tell the person delivering your mail and packages that you appreciate them.
18. While you’re paying for your coffee or meal, give the cashier a few extra bucks for the person in line behind you.
19. Leave a thoughtful comment on someone’s blog.
20. Make a homemade dinner and share it with your roommates.
21. Write a hand-written letter to someone special.
22. Know someone who was there for you when you really needed support? Say “thank you” in a very special way.
Let’s make Valentine’s Day more than just a day for lovers to lavish extra affection on each other. Let’s make it a day that will open our hearts and the hearts of others to kindness. And then, let’s keep it going! Every day is a good day for random acts of unconditional love.
What ideas would you add to this list? Share them in the comments!
 | Daniel Collinsworth is a teacher and cloud watcher. He has a blog called Metta Drum where he shares insights on compassion, oneness, healing and freedom. You can connect with him on Facebook and Twitter. |
To read more of Daniel's guest posts on Kind Over Matter click here!
19 comments:
Leave your change in a soda/vending machine for the next person to enjoy a free soda.
Great list!
I love that one, especially because it reminds me of my brother. Back when we were kids, he would always check the coin return in those soda machines. He would really enjoy finding change that folks had left behind, this is a great example of a "small" kindness that isn't so small :)
I love all your ideas, I'm inspired to run out the door and put some of these ideas to good use! Thanks for sharing!
Cheers!
Lori
Woohoo!
i wish i could give you a hug saying thank you.
hugs and smiles~ jill
Hugzzzzz
Gorgeous piece. My random act of unconditional love this morning was loaning some coffee to a neighbor + dear friend who's been out of town the last month. And getting to spend a little time catching up with her when she came over to get it! And then some deep listening with a friend who is going through tremendous relationship difficulties right now. May we all continue to spread the love today (+ every day).
100% pure awesome, Mindy. Thanks for sharing.
I love this idea. I think it is important to be kind randomly and often. I wrote a post about 52 ways to love yourself more today, but love integrating them together, because I think when you love yourself and treat yourself with kindness, it sets the stage for how we are with others. Starts at home, and spreads like wildfire to others.
Oh, I'm so inspired by all of the ideas right here in this post.
My mom injured her knee recently and she's on crutches & currently house-bound. She adores my dogs, so I drove over this morning and surprised her with the one she likes best (the chocolate lab), and told her that he could be her valentine for the day until I could come over later and help her out. Surprise dose of pet therapy ... awesome.
What I did today was finishing some mail art...well they will not receive it on Valentine's day but maybe that will be even a bigger surprise! The cards will travel around the world: Netherlands, USA & Central A. (I will not mention all countries just because some people might be reading this blog :))
And like most people did, I joined the ''Happy Valentine's Day'' shout-out at Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr..
10. 19. 21. 22. Check! :)
Thanks for sharing the video! I really do believe that kindness catches on.
Agree 100%. It begins inside and radiates outwards.
My pleasure.
Very cool!
Aww, how cool. Pet therapy is always a good choice.
This was really really beautiful. Thank you,, Daniel.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful ideas. It's so easy to show someone else that we care, and yet so many of us seem to find it hard. I'm inspired by your list of kind things we can do for others. I particularly love #14. I try and smile at everyone I see in the street. I don't always get a smile in return, but it's heartwarming when I do. It's lovely to see that I've had a positive effect on someone else's day.
I didn't get a chance to tell you how much this post makes me love you more. x o
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