RAK #186 – we had family in town this week, and we decided to secretly pay for their hotel room after they paid. The hotel was gracious about reversing the charges, and we hoped that it would make life a little easier for them.

RAK #185 – Hope everyone had a safe and wonderful 4th!  Hard to believe the year is half over already, and so is this project…while it hasn’t be easy, it definitely has helped be be a better person, I think.

Today we stopped at an ice cream shop, and I waited until no one was looking and put extra money in the tip jar.  Of course there’s nothing wrong with doing it while the employees see you, but that can be a little self-serving, right?  Maybe next time do this, just because it feels good to you.

RAK #184 – OK, so this wasn’t ‘random’, but it still counts – we treated some out-of-town family members to dinner at a upscale restaurant we have been talking about for years. It was an amazing night, and we felt blessed to be able to share this experience with them.

RAK #183 – heh..well, this one sounds rather personal, right?  Without going into too many details, I recently had conflict with a close family member, but did my best to keep the situation neutral and limit the hurtfulness.  While this isn’t something I would claim for this project, I did find this on a Act of Kindness idea list:

45. Tolerate a loved one’s behavior a little more than usual. 

So I suppose it counts…hey, at least something good came out of it, right?

RAK #182 – tonight I stopped at my local Sprouts store for milk, and while I was in line, I asked the customary “how is your day going?” to the cashier, and he responded, “not so good”. I asked him for details, and he explained that his family dog passed away, and that it has been really hard dealing with it.  As there was on one else in line, I listened to him and we talked for about ten minutes about the impact pets have on our lives.  As I bid him farewell, and thanked me for listening, and I hope it helped him in his grief.

RAK #181 – a company recently did some work for needed some immediate assistance with a marketing project, and I decided to help them at no charge.  Some have criticized me for continuing to do this kind of work for free, but for me, not everything is always about money.  Sometimes just being able to help is enough.

RAK #180 – we had some appliances delivered today, and the delivery guys took extra time being careful while removing the old items and bringing in the new ones, and also hooked everything up and tested it before they left.  We gave them a generous tip, and, seeing as it was their last delivery of the day, also gave them water and cold beer. Free Beer totally counts!

RAK #179 – another old standby…I left some inspirational RAKnotes in random places for coworkers to find.  A few have caught on to my act, so now I am placing them in other buildings in our campus…more work for me, but I don’t mind, as long as it helps make someone’s day.

RAK #178 – I stopped by the Colorado Freedom Memorial briefly to again clean up trash and wipe down the glass…it’s such a peaceful and majestic place, I never tire of this activity.

RAK #177 – this week I donated my time to help with a workplace activity centered around ‘healthy living’; my friends that own a disc golf store provided a working demonstration of the sport at my office, so I spent a few hours helping set up the equipment and instructing coworkers on how to play.  I think everyone had a great time learning something new, and gave me a chance to spend a few hours outside. Great day!