RAK #192 – this week, I volunteered to make a Newsletter for a Boy Scout Troop that needed help with organization. Despite being busy, I dedicated a few hours creating and revising the item, and sent it out to the entire group, and they really appreciated it.

RAK #191 – this was an easy one; I simply listened intently to a family member, was they told me something that was important to them. At first, this may not seem like an ‘act of kindness’, but we often are so distracted by technology that we don’t really focus on the people we talk to…we check our phones, sit in front of the monitor, watch TV…and don’t really listen.

So give it a shot – turn off the TV, set down the phone, get up from the computer…and really listen to someone.

RAK #190 – this was an unusual one…at my softball game, while playing 3rd base, a runner from the opposing team collided with me during the game and proceeded to fall down and injure himself. He was upset, blaming me for the incident, as was his teammates. He limped to his dugout while his team tended to him.  After the inning was over, I went to my car and grabbed my first aid kit, and ran it over to the other team, giving them icepacks and bandages.  They were still upset, and no one said ‘thank you’, but it was still the right thing to do. And that’s all that matters.

And for the record – it wasn’t my fault. The guy was clumsy and tripped over the bag!

RAK #188 – another simple RAKNote and Candy for the guy working the counter at Sonic when we stopped for a snack. He loved it!

RAK #187 – Picked up basic trash again during our daily dog walk…much better now that I’m using gloves!

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.