Day 6

Today was exciting and- yet again- I had to defer to my second choice. But at least I was still able to do something.

I typed up a sheet of my favorite 25 inspirational quotes and Bible verses (trust me, it was hard to choose just 25). And I wrote out 25 little cards that said, "Have an awesome day! Do something incredible! I know you can! :)" and stapled them to the quote slips I made. Then, I went to the public library and tried to find books that stressed- out people would check out (study books for standardized tests, etc.) And I slipped the card and quote into each book. (As a side note, it is very difficult to do such sketchy things at the library without being seen, haha. The librarians watch everything like hawks.)

Anyway, I encourage this for the future if anybody wants to try it. It can be done at a library, or you could be creative and do something else. Leave the notes around town. Put them in people's mailboxes. Leave them in classrooms (we all know that students can get pretty stressed). Whatever you do, take action and inspire people!

"Good words bring good feelings to the heart. Speak with kindness always." -Rod Williams

Day 5

Picking up trash in my neighborhood was not what I had planned for today, but I had to change my plans last- minute. Nonetheless, I think it turned out really well. There are a lot of houses under construction in my neighborhood, and the workers are very messy. So I spent about an hour and a half walking around and picking up their cups and wrappers and stuff. Nothing big, but I hope it makes them feel good to have a clean workplace tomorrow when they come in the morning. Hopefully, it'll elevate their mood, or inspire them to do something nice or someone else.

While I was working, a builder drove by and asked me what I was doing. I told him I was picking up trash, and he smiled. Picking up trash and sweeping streets was usually his job, so it made me feel good to know that I was helping him. And putting smiles on people's faces is what I'm going for, so I'm glad I got to witness at least one. 

After that, it was almost dark. So I went home and made notes that said, "You are awesome! Keep it up! Have a great day!", and I put them in people's mailboxes. Good thing it was getting dark, because it probably looked pretty sketchy :)

I definitely encourage you to pick up trash in your neighborhood. It's fairly easy, and all you need is a garbage bag and the desire to help. It makes your neighborhood look better, and you're helping out significantly whoever was supposed to clean up. Remember, you can help make the world a better place at any time. You don't even have to leave your neighborhood.

"I will pass this way but once; any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being; let me do it now. Let me not defer it nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again." - Etienne de Grellet

Day 4

We are very fortunate in America in that most of us have plenty to eat every day. But there are still MILLIONS of people around the world who go hungry every day, so I decided that today's act would be to benefit them.

The website www.freerice.com is an excellent resource! You can play trivia games, and for every question you answer correctly, they donate 10 grains of rice to the World Food Programme, which distributes it to people who need it. I played Spanish vocabulary trivia for an hour and managed to answer 500 questions (5,000 grains of rice donated). This is useful in 2 different ways: it allowed me to help the hungry and to practice my Spanish skills at the same time!

There are many different topics on Free Rice: SAT review, English vocab, English grammar, Math, German, Latin, French, Spanish... You name it, they probably have it! I highly encourage spending a few minutes or an hour answering trivia on Free Rice. You may end up saving someone's life!

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." -Aesop

Day 3

Today was Memorial Day, a day that we honor all the men and women who serve and have served our country. In honor of that occasion, I decided to try to affect soldiers with today's act of kindness. I set out to write 50 letters today, each of them with different pictures, notes, and designs. No two cards were to be the same. Little did I know that today would be a huge test of patience. I had no idea what I was getting into.

I ended up working a total of 7 hours today on making letters. I didn't plan on spending anywhere near that length of time on them, but I thought about how each letter would go to a real soldier and decided that I had the responsibility to make the letters as awesome and uplifting as possible. So I got out the Kindergarten supplies. Markers, pens, pencils, crayons, colored pencils, even paint! I found every red, blue, and black writing utensil in the house to make them more patriotic. And let me tell you, I have never drawn so many American flags in my life!

I finally finished all of the cards and stuffed them in 4 envelopes to be shipped to California (and then onto military bases) as a part of the "Thanks A Million" program. I was highly impressed with this program, and I suggest that you check it out. Simply write as many letters as you can, then send them to the headquarters, where they are shipped to soldiers who need them.

Doing this project definitely helped me realize just how thankful I need to be to the men and women of our military. Writing "Thank you for..." and then everything I'm thankful for caused me to realize just how many things they do every day to keep our country safe, things that I don't often appreciate.

So I encourage you to do this as well! It was extremely informative, and helped to change my perspective. And if you can't find the time to sit down and write a letter to a soldier, just make sure to thank the next soldier you see. And spend some serious time thinking about everything you're thankful for. It could really change your life.

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle." - Plato

Here are a couple of my letters below:

Day 2

Today I stayed with another anonymous act, and hopefully, this one caused a couple of smiles, too.

I went downstairs to the vending machines at my church with a few dollars and post it notes that said, "Have an awesome day! Give someone a smile :)" I wrapped each dollar up in the post it note and tried my best to hide the little bundle in the coin slot for someone to find, and get themselves something for free. Haha, I had to hide behind a wall a couple times because people were walking nearby :)

And I had one dollar left and no more vending machines to fill, so I bought a snickers bar, wrapped it in the post- it, and put it in the slot where the items come out.

Hopefully this inspires the people who have something small done for them (have their snack paid for) to pass along something much more valuable- a smile. And maybe that smile will brighten someone's day, or start a conversation, or even a friendship. And I won't be able to see these results, but I hope that something awesome happens. Remember that one little thing can cause a large ripple effect in your community!

"If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours." -Dolly Parton

Day 1

Today was my first official day of the "Awesome Project", and I decided to start off with an anonymous act of kindness. So I traveled to the public library down the street and visited the children's section, a place where I spent a lot of my time growing up. I brought several $1 bills and notes that said, "I loved this book as a kid! Hope you enjoy it too! Have a great day :)" I searched the aisles for my favorite books growing up (believe me, it was a hard decision). I finally settled on a few, and slipped a dollar and note carefully into each book. Here are a few of the books I chose, and one of the notes I put in them: 

 

This was a really small thing to do, and it only took about 10 minutes and a few dollars. I highly encourage this easy act of kindness to bring smiles to some local children's faces!

"That best portion of a good man's life: his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love." -William Wordsworth