A few years back, I read an article about how throughout the holiday season people were choosing to do 30 random acts of kindness as a way of showing how thankful they were. I loved the concept and immediately came up with my own twist on the idea. I headed out to the grocery store and purchased 30 lottery tickets.

“I’m going to put these tickets in the teacher’s mail slots at my kids’ school tomorrow,” I rattled on, basically tooting my own horn of greatness to the cashier selling me the tickets. The woman behind the counter suddenly got a very strange look on her face. “You mean you are giving the tickets out tomorrow?” she asked confused. “Yes,” I said, “that’s the plan.”  The woman looked at me apologetically and pointed to the date on the tickets. I had just purchased 30 “quick pick” tickets for the drawing that would happen…THAT NIGHT!

“Okay, plan number two,“ I told the cashier. “Let me have 30 ‘Scratch Off’ tickets please. And here, you take these lottery tickets back and hand them to the next person who comes to buy ‘quick picks’ for tonight. Tell them that a sweet woman wanting to spread kindness left them for them,” I added, feeling full of myself. The cashier became very nervous. “Oh no! I can’t do that; I could get in trouble,” she said and pushed the tickets back at me. This plan was certainly not going the way I had imagined it. I took the 30 “Scratchers” and my 30 “Quick Picks” and started to exit the store.

On the way out the door, it hit me (an idea, not the door). Why not give the “Quick Pick” tickets away to random shoppers? Happy with my new plan, I turned around and grabbed a basket, you know, so I wouldn’t look like some crazy lady who was stalking people. I saw a sweet looking elderly woman having a hard time trying to grab a can of creamed corn off the top shelf. “Here, let me help you with that,” I said in my best Girl Scout voice. “Why, thank you, dear,” she replied as she took the can from me and turned to walk away. Now was my time to really do something nice. I tapped the woman on the shoulder and said, “Excuse me, this is for you.” The woman turned and looked at the ticket in my hand rather skeptically. “Here, take it. It is a ‘quick pick’ lottery ticket for tonight’s drawing. I hope you win,” I said and like a proud peacock started to strut away.

I hadn’t gotten very far when I felt a purse make contact with my right shoulder. The elderly lady threw the ticket back at me and said, “I don’t need your pity ticket. I can buy my own if I wanted one,” then she slugged her handbag at me one more time and huffed angrily away.  I went home and iced my shoulder.

The next day, I took in the “scratch-off” tickets to the school and quietly slipped the tickets and a little note into the teachers’ mail slots. As I made my way out the door trying to go unnoticed, I overheard a teacher. “WOW! This made my day!” Then I watched as she practically skipped out the door holding it open for another person behind her and saying, “Here, let me get that for you!”

I’m grateful for the lessons I learned that day. I learned that kindness does not require chasing folks down and doing loud, grandiose gestures. It can be simply a door held open, a kind note, helping someone reach for a can. And I also learned never ever to underestimate the right hook of an elderly woman who eats creamed corn!

Sharon Fuentes is an award-winning writer, author of The Don’t Freak Out Guide to Parenting Kids with Asperger’s and a fan of Random Acts of Kindness, but not creamed corn. Email her at Sharon@sharonfuentes.com.

Looking to do your own Random Acts of Kindness throughout the holidays? Perhaps try one of these suggestions that do NOT include chasing random people down in a grocery store:

1. Let people merge in front of you in traffic.
2. Rather than texting, actually CALL a friend on the phone.
3. Send a post card in the mail to a relative just to say hello.
4. Hold the door for a stranger.
5. Pay for someone’s coffee.
6. Clean a mess for someone without expecting any acknowledgement or being asked to do so.
7. Write a happy message on the sidewalk with chalk for some passersby to see.
8. Offer to give stressed parents a free night of babysitting.
9. Tell someone they’re having a great hair day.
10. Donate blood.
11. Take donuts to work, just because.
12. Take treats to the police department and fire station to say thank you.
13. Have your child write a note of appreciation to a teacher.
14. Hang a bird feeder.
15. Leave a nice comment on a blog.
16. Leave an extra-generous tip for a hard-working waiter.
17. Visit a nursing home and spend time with the residents.
18. Leave your neighbor a special present or bottle of wine just because.
19. Become an organ donor.
20. Leave a love note for your spouse or child or BOTH!
21. Pick up litter you find on the street.
22. Pay someone’s parking meter.
23. Say good morning.
24. Ask a teacher if you can come in and read to their class.
25. Forgive someone who has done you wrong.
26. Offer to mow someone’s yard.

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