Good deeds make me happy. It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling that temporarily overcomes the general pessimism everyone else has about this lonely world. Baby kittens wearing hats also make me happy. They’re so cute…
The Challenge
Show appreciation to strangers who have done a good deed.
The Reason
Why Not? People are doing good deeds all the time and I’ve always said ‘that was a nice thing to do’ in my head. There must be a way to show them with more than a creepy smile. I know – I’ll give them a creepy smile and hand them a business card.
The Result
I made the little cards on www.zazzle.com and printed out 40 for a test run. From there, I just kept a lookout for good deeds while going about my day. Here are the top things I found that warmed my heart from the public:
- Train subway conductor reopened the doors for a child with his mom (who was clearly having a bad day)
- Guy at the Chinese restaurant excused a dollar from a man who didn’t have enough to pay for his meal
- While in line to pay for my groceries, lady ahead of me saw another lady was short a few dollars to pay for her groceries. She wound up buying a few of the lady’s items and giving it to her afterwards.
- Old man (late 60s) takes off his hat and gets up to give his seat to an old lady. (He liked the idea of the card, but did not like the profanity).
- Guitar player, super happy about receiving a dollar, asks the man for a request and plays “What a Wonderful World”
- Old lady tells 20-some-year-old gay guy that his overly large scarf is dragging on the floor
- Subway performer (teenager) gives some of the money he just earned with crazy train flips to a homeless man who walks on after his performance
- Drunk man on the street goes into McDonald’s and buys a hamburger for the guy outside asking for money
The Conclusion
I like side projects and this one was fun, easy, and very rewarding. I feel like I’ve spread a lot of joy with this gesture and made people more aware of their surroundings. Good gestures are everywhere and I’m glad I took the time to acknowledge the people that do them. I have seen many positive reactions from these cards and always a happy smile.I’m glad I didn’t put any contact information or hints on these cards. Instead, I encouraged each person to give their card to others who they see do awesome things. Without any trace back to getting more views or any attention for the project means that doing good isn’t to satisfy some personal agenda – doing good is innocent: I just want people to smile.
~See Lemons Hope People Keep that Shit Up