CCFB News» February 2021

There seems to be a designated day to celebrate just about everything on the various calendar websites. I often glance through them and take note of some that strike me as special. One that stood out this month as particularly meaningful for our current times is called Random Acts of Kindness Day and takes place on February 17. A day to bring joy to the people you come across.

There is a Random Acts of Kindness Foundation that promotes kindness in the workplace, school, and home. While we share our Ag in the Classroom curriculum, they share their Kindness in the Classroom® curriculum which features the phrase, “Make kindness the norm.”

I evidenced a random act of kindness a few weeks ago that took me by surprise. As we got a small snow one evening our doorbell rang and I opened it to see six smiling eyes, and they were not the deer I’m always obsessing about. It was three neighbor children asking if it was OK if they shoveled our driveway. As they shoveled while talking and laughing it brought me right back to the past when our boys went door to door looking to shovel and I always said, “And don’t take any money” and they would always come back with some money. I’m not so sure my kids were doing a random act of kindness or a fundraiser for themselves. I’ll let someone else be the final judge on that.

Any small gesture has the power to make someone happy and turn their bad day into a good one. Trust me, I’m sure we’ve all had some challenging days these last few months and welcomed a personal note or gesture of kindness. I get a dose of happiness every time I open an email from a specific individual. Each of her emails has a quote on it that says, “Focus on the good. It's there.” Those words have never felt more reassuring as they did these last few months. Try to take a moment to celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Day on February 17 or maybe every day this year.