39 Acts

I posted a video to Facebook and twitter last week. It was my birthday topic. I don't know if topic is the right word. It was my birthday idea. Its what I did for my birthday. And it was simple (and borrowed): I did 39 acts of kindness for 39 people. Pretty simple. And it recently got me thinking about this.

My dad taught me about doing good deeds. He made sure he helped other people even when he may not have always had time. Maybe it was just a kind word to someone. Maybe it was slipping someone $20 because they were short. Maybe it was mentoring a young employee, even in a different company. Maybe it was spending time with a reporter to provide them with background so they understood a topic. He always tried to do good deeds.

I learned from that. Sometimes, however, I forgot it. It is easy to forget this. It is so simple, yet how many times do we actually do it? So I spent my birthday doing acts of kindness for others. It felt good.

As I sit tonight at home, after a long drive, and a lot of time to think, I wonder how many of us would spend our birthdays, or any day, doing things for strangers? Maybe its giving someone a $1 scratcher or buying a cup of coffee for them. Maybe its volunteering at your kid's school and filing papers for the office staff. Maybe its bringing balloons to the nursing home. Its easy to give these things lip service. Its harder to actually do them.

And I wonder, how many of our "public officials" would do them? Sure, they put on "events" but these events are election stunts. They do these things when there is a camera around or a newspaper reporter or a blogger or ..........well, you get the point. How many of them would do it just to do it and never say a word? Other than my wife, my neighbor and the principal of my kids' school, none of the people who received an act of kindness have any idea who I am. 36 people who received things without knowing who I am, why I did it or that it was something that was important to me. And that is how it should be.

I think I spent last week making the world a bit better. I know I made my town a bit better. I think that is what is important. I think my kids will be spending their birthdays doing it as well.