Sunday, December 28, 2014

Kindness Ideas

Last month I wrote about doing #365daysofkindness
As the new year is fast approaching, I thought I would share a list of some ideas that we could tackle this coming year in 2015. 

1) Go through a drive through and pay for the car behind you. 
2) Send an encouraging card to a complete stranger. 
3) Donate items to a local food bank or shelter. 
4) Volunteer at a homeless shelter or any shelter. 
5) Give your mail carrier a gift card to thank them for their hard work. 
6) Bake some goodies and bring them to your local fire hall, police station or other public service workers. 
7) Go to a laundry mat and place some money on top of a washer or dryer. 
8) Donate towels, food, toys, blankets to your local animal shelter. 
9) Spend some time on Go Fund Me & donate to someone who touches your heart. 
10) Open the door for a complete stranger and tell them to have a nice day. 
11) Do something nice for your spouse. 
12) Do something out of the ordinary for a loved one. 
13) Spend an hour of your time volunteering at a nursing home & play some games with some of the residents. 
14) Start a canned food drive at your work to bring to a shelter. 
15) Send birthday cards to family members & friends. 
16) In the express lane at a grocery check out, offer to pay for someone who has a few items. 
17) During Valentines Day week, send valentines to a nursing home. 
18) Volunteer at your local Veterans Hospital. 
19) Send a care package to a soldier overseas. 
20) Make up some care packages to keep in your car to hand out to homeless as you pass them by on the streets. 
21) Encourage others to join this movement. 
22) Tape $5 to a gas pump. 
23) Tape some popcorn to a redbox machine. 
24) Tape money to a vending machine. 
25) Tape money to a parking machine/meter. 
26) Send get well mail to a sick child. 
27) Donate baby supplies to your local NICU. 
28) Do something out of the ordinary for someone who has impacted your life & let them know how much you appreciate them for it. 
29) Send a thank you email to an old school teacher or professor who impacted your life. 
30) Pay for lunch for a good friend or coworker. 
31) Make a care package or donate food to your local Ronald McDonald house. 
32) Make a homemade meal for a family or friend to show them you care. 
33) During Easter or the Month of April, hand out chocolate eggs that have a tag that reads "Have an Egg-celent day" 
34) Donate old magazines or a deck of cards to your local hospital. 
35) Offer to walk your neighbors dogs. 
36) Send shoes to an orphanage in another country. 
37) Walk for a cause - Relay for Life etc. 
38) Pay for a strangers coffee at a cafe. 
39) Buy the office receptionist some flowers just to say thank you. 
40) Help an elderly person with their groceries. 
41) Pay for a service members lunch or coffee. 
42) Each time you buy a new piece of clothing, give away something old. 
43) Bring in breakfast to share with the office. 
44) Help a friend pack or move. 
45) Leave a generous tip for a waiter who did a great job. 
46) Listen to someone attentively who needs to vent. 
47) Pass along a great book that you have finished reading. 
48) Donate old books to a nursing home, hospital, church or wherever you see fit. 
49) Encourage a friend to make a leap of faith. 
50) Call someone just to tell then you love them. 
51) Write a note of appreciation to your colleague. 
52) Gift someone with a journal where they can write their own reflections. 
53) Participate in a park or neighborhood clean up. 
54) Send a thank you card to someone who helped you when you really needed it. 
55) Send a card with a beautiful message to a friend or co worker anonymously. 
56) Become a mentor for a child. 
57) Get children excited about kindness. 
58) Pick up litter at a public place. 
59) Smile at a stranger. 
60) Give a sincere compliment. 
61) Read to a child. 
62) Refrain from gossiping about something. 
63) Become a pen pal. 
64) Donate blood. 
65) Start a kinds book and pass it around. On the very last page of the book, have them mail it back to you so you can reflect on other peoples good deeds. 
66) Contact an animal shelter & find out what donations they need & collect those items to donate. 
67) Stop and help someone who is broken down on the side of the road. 
68) Leave flowers for someone anonymously. 
69) Leave an encouraging note for someone you know is or was having a tough day or week. 
70) Treat a friend to a movie for no reason. 
71) Let someone jump in front of you at a line. 
72) Help someone with children at an airport, maybe with their bags or stroller or whatever they may be struggling with. 
73) Make a CD for an old friend with songs that remind you of your friendship with the. 
74) Befriend a new coworker. 
75) Renew an old friendship by sending a letter to say hi. 
76) Give a bag of groceries to a homeless person 
77) Offer to babysit for free. 
78) Volunteer for a non-profit organization. 
79) Volunteer at a hospice center 
80) Put a smiley face post it on someones desk. 
81) Buy a lottery ticket for a stranger. 
82) Bring soup to a friend with a cold. 
83) Tip the garbage man. 
84) Donate some school supplies to a school with under-privileged children. 
85) When you see someone else doing a small act of kindness, acknowledge them for it. 
86) Do your best to prevent bullying. Stand up for something you see that is wrong. 
87) If you see someone crying, stop and ask if there is anything you can do.. and genuinely mean it when you ask them. 
88) Wake up early & make your spouse breakfast in bed. 
89) Return a lost item if you find it. 
90) Start a coin jar & when its full, donate the money to a charity. 
91) Buy a phone card & give it to someone who is less fortunate. 
92) Stay after a holiday party and help clean up. 
93) Buy ice-cream for a kid. 
94) Encourage someone to pursue their dreams. 
95) Subscribe someone to their favorite magazine. 
96) Let go of a grudge. 
97) Say a prayer for someone in need. 
98) Write a referral for someone on LinkedIn. 
99) Randomly hand out balloons to children in a park. 
100) Sign up to be an organ donor. 
101) Hide an inspiring note in a library book. 
102) Donate coloring books and crayons to a children's hospital. 
103) Clean up someone else's mess. 
104) Be kind to someone you don't like. 
105) Buy a homeless person a sandwich. 
106) Bake cookies and share them with family and friends. 
107) Make a new friend. 
108) Attend an important event to support your loved one (even if you're not interested in it). 
109) Share a positive blog post 
110) Share your snack. 
111) Leave a nice note on a strangers car. 
112) Thank your boss for their leadership. 
113) Forgive yourself for something you regret. 
114) Offer to take a picture for someone when you see them  trying to take the picture themselves. 
115) Let your spouse have control of the remote for the evening. 
116) Help a kid with their homework. 
117) Pay for a round of shots at happy hour. 
118) Photocopy some jokes & leave them on some peoples windshields. 
119) If you stay at a friends house, leave a little thank you gift behind. 
120) Teach a child something you wish you knew at their age. 

I can't take credit for all of these great ideas. I used google. 
But, you get the idea. 

Now let's start off 2015 with some KINDNESS!!! Be sure to tag your ideas on the Facebook page & Instagram using the hashtag #365daysofkindness 

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Our Bucket List & #365daysofkindness

Last time I wrote, it was just shy of a year ago. 
I have a lot of plans for the next year and I figured I should start documenting them. 
After I lost my Grandma I started thinking of ways I could make my life better. How I could change other peoples lives. 
This is what I came up with. 

I plan on starting a movement. 
I want to complete 
#365daysofkindness 
So everyday, in 2015, I am planning to do something nice for someone else. It can be something as small as saying "Thank you so much" or something larger like handing out care packages to homeless, or volunteering my time.
I plan on documenting my acts of kindness on social media… whether it be here on my blog, on the Facebook page I created, or on my Instagram @ wisdomfromawichman
I encourage everyone to join in with me. 

After losing my Grandma, I also realized life is WAY too short to not set goals for myself. 
My husband and I have taken the last few days to sit down and go over things we really want to do with our lives before we leave this Earth. 
Things we would be sad we didn't get to do. 
A lot of it is travel. We both really love to travel. 
I personally think the best way to broaden your knowledge on the world is to experience it first hand. 
I have been very fortunate to have seen Rome, London, Paris & several parts of Germany in the last few years and I can only hope that I will be blessed enough to continue to see the world. 

So, this is our bucket list. 
I am sure with time things will get completed & new things will be added. But I think this is a hefty start! 

1. Rome, Italy - completed. 
2. London, England- completed. 
3. Paris, France- completed. 
4. Visit Cancun, Mexico- which we may never do if it continues to be this unsafe.
5. Visit Grand Canyon 
6. Visit Dominican Republic (I have completed but Joe has not, so hey, let's go again).
7. Visit Capri, Italy
8. Visit Spain 
9. Sky diving 
10. Live in another State. 
11. Go to a Chris Brown Concert. 
12. Go to an Ed Sheeran Concert. 
13. Own a corvette 
14. Visit Bora Bora. 
15. Have children. 
16. Build our dream home.
17. Retire early. 
18. Spend a summer abroad.
19. Travel to all 50 States. 
20. Visit the US Virgin Islands. 
21. Visit the Maldives. 
22. Visit Scottland and see the Fairy Pools. 
23. Visit Prague. 
24. Visit Greece 
25. See the Mendenhall Ice Caves of Juneau in Alaska 
26. Visit Australia
27. See the Marble Caves at General Carrera Lake in Argentina 
28. Visit Dubai 
29. Buy a Louis Vuitton 
30. See the Antelope Canyon in Arizona. 
31. Go to the Cherry Blossom Festival in Japan.
32. Go to the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC. 
33. See a drive in movie together 
34. Visit Thailand. 
35. Elephant ride in Thailand. 
36. Run a successful blog 
37. #365daysofkindess 
38. Go on a RV camping trip through the USA.
39. See the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade. 
40. New Years Eve in NYC. 
41. Learn a new dance together. 
42. Go on a game show. 
43. Shower in a waterfall. 
44. Spend New Years in an exotic location. 
45. Find a job we love. 
46. Go on a hot air balloon ride. 
47. Visit the Statute of Liberty & Ellis Island. 
48. Run a marathon (JOE)
49. Try a famous Cronut
50. Give a shelter pet a home.
51. See the Victoria Secret Fashion show in person 
52. Visit "Real" Santa in Finland. 
53. Celebrate our 50th Wedding Anniversary. 
54. Attend the Kentucky Derby and bet on it. 
55. See a Broadway musical. 
56. Tour Googleplex. 
57. Take a gondola ride in Venice, Italy
58. Go zip lining. 
59. See the Hollywood Sign
60. Go on a Haunted Mansion Tour in California 
61. Float in the Dead Sea. 
62. Own a Vespa 
63. Go to the Olympics 
64. Visit a chocolate factory 
65. Soak in the Hot Springs in Iceland (Blue Lagoon)
66. See Andrea Bocelli live 
67. See the fireworks over Cinderella's Castle. 
68. Prepare a care package for the homeless 
69. Visit San Alfonso Del Mar, Chile 
70. See the Northern Lights 
71. Go to Disney Land in California & Lego Land 
72. Visit Machu Picchu, Peru 
73. Visit Iguazu Falls, Argentina 
74. Visit Taj Mahal, India 
75. Eat at a restaurant from Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives 
76. Write and publish a book 
77. Join a cooking class 
78. Learn a new instrument. 
79. Volunteer at a hospice care facility 
80. Go horseback riding together. 
81. Be a mentor 
82. Go on a wine tour. 
83. Further our education
84. Organize a picnic outing with friends. 
85. Visit an active volcano 
86. Take a helicopter ride 
87. Go on a river cruise 
88. Learn another language. 
89. Go grape stomping. 
90. Attend a music festival 
91. Visit the Galapagos Islands 
92. Go to The Ellen Show 
93. Unplug for 48 hours 
94. Airboat through an alligator infested swamp 
95. See the Tunnel of Lights in Japan
96. Walk the Golden Gate Bridge 
97. Research the family tree 
98. Renew our vows in Vegas.
99. Learn pole dancing
100. Visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa. 
101. Make a time capsule with our children
102. Go skinny dipping 
103. Stand on the equator

Here's to a lifetime of goals!