Finding joy in the time of COVID can sometimes be a challenge. But, as it turns out, I have been fortunate to always find something to share, even if it does finally present itself just in the nick of time. Looking for joy really has kept me just a little more joyful, in spite of isolation, masks, and cold cold Minnesota winters.
Now, just as COVID seems to be loosening its grip (I know, I should not tempt fate by even suggesting this), a new opportunity has presented itself.
My friend, Emily, undertook an enormous challenge a few years ago. She performed an act of kindness every single day for an entire 365 days. Each day, she posted her act on Facebook. It was inspiring, and reading her posts certainly gave me a feeling of joy. I asked her how she got started doing this.
She said, “It was born out of a place of MY faith personally. My pastor is always talking about SHOWING Christ's love to other people through our actions instead of our words… I was just really searching for a way to show God's love to others. So, one random day I thought ‘I should just go out of my way to be kind to someone every day for a year.’ I grabbed a journal, did my first act and wrote it down, and next thing I knew it was three months later and I'd done nothing else. That's when I thought ‘Maybe I should take this public so I have accountability.’ I turned to a Facebook audience, explained what my commitment was going to be, and I just started posting daily whatever I did to be kind.”
This year Emily has recruited a group of friends to join her for a new 365 day challenge, and lucky me, I’m one of them! Each member of her team has been assigned a day of the week to perform and post about their act of kindness. My day is Monday.
I’ll post about my act of kindness on my assigned day on Facebook, and then describe the act in more detail on my blog.
So, on this day, February 17, “National Random Acts of Kindness Day”, the official “365 Days of Kindness” posts begin on Facebook. I am excited and so honored to be a part of this group.
I hope you’ll join and follow our group on Facebook: 365 Days of Kindness Facebook page
I hope it inspires you to perform random acts of kindness throughout your day too.