By Cara Beth Lewis
The last week of August is an annual celebration of kindness known as “Be Kind to Humankind Week.” The week was founded in August of 1988 by a New Jersey woman named Lorraine Jara, who explained the week as “a week of reflection and kind thoughts of others to make this world a better place. Of course, we suggest practicing kindness daily, but this is the week you can take.”
National Day Calendar (BE KIND TO HUMANKIND WEEK – Last Week in August) shared suggestions for how you can be kind to people, broken down in a day-by-day list.
- Sacrifice Our Wants For Others’ Needs Sunday – Show others you care. Do you know someone unable to leave the house due to health issues? Offer to run errands or pick up groceries. Then stay for a visit. Friends with limited mobility enjoy offers of companionship for a walk in the fresh air. Even an opportunity to see family in a nursing home will help to meet others’ needs.
- Motorist Consideration Monday – Drive or travel courteously; Whether traveling by car or motorcycle, bicycle or public transportation, practice consideration and patience.
- Touch-A-Heart Tuesday – Spread kindness, one heart at a time. Encourage others in their dreams and goals. Offer to babysit for a couple you know so they can have a night for themselves.
- Willing-To-Lend-A-Hand Wednesday – Offer a helping hand. Offer to watch a neighbor’s house while they are on vacation or water their lawn and feed their pets. Offering to give a friend a ride to work is also a way to help.
- Thoughtful Thursday – Treat each other well. Offer your bus seat to someone who looks like they may need to sit down. If you’re out shopping, allow someone with fewer items to cut in front of you at the checkout.
- Forgive-Your-Foe Friday – Come together. Contact the person in your life with whom you’ve let a disagreement divide you. The power of a sincere apology is worth more to an individual than never resolving issues.
- Speak-Nice-Words Saturday – Say something nice. Hold your tongue when tempted to be harsh. Teach your children to speak kindly towards others, and they will grow into friendly, respectful adults.
Share your kindness on social media by using the hashtags #BeKindToHumankind or #BK2HK on social media.
“How do we change the world? One random act of kindness at a time.” – Morgan Freeman
About Author
