Giving kindness feels good for both those receiving kindness and those giving. After a rough year and a lot of negativity thrown my way because I decided to run for political office I started being intentional about giving kindness. The acts were not new, as a Rotarian service above self is a regular activity, but being intentional about it daily is new. I want to live in a community filled with kindness, not hate and divisive actions and language. Please join me in spreading kindness in 2021.
As some of you have decided to join along – thank you our world needs more kindness – I thought a recap of some of the things I have done over the last week(s) could prompt your acts of kindness. Please share with me what you are doing so we can brighten our community and help each other.
Sent a care package to Our Community Place to help fulfill their online request for more winter hats, gloves, and scarves
Wrote online reviews on Google for area businesses that I love to support, do a google search for the business name and click “write a review”, this encourages others to visit that business and improves their SEO in web searches
Sent Thank You notes to every client I worked with in 2020 for trusting me during a very difficult time with their design needs
Sent Happy New Year wishes to community champions to thank them for their work this past year and encouraging them for the coming year, a note of recognition goes a long way in helping others continue to put their energy into supporting others
Performed two free virtual energy-audits for Harrisonburg residents struggling with decisions about making their homes more energy-efficient
I have decided that this coming year I am going to do 365 intentional acts of kindness. Please join me in making our world a little brighter for others. #rocktownresilient #365actsofkindness
This year has been filled with a lot of negativity and challenges. On a personal level, I know I am blessed to have enough, maybe even more than enough. I did not go hungry. I have a home. I have stayed healthy. While work slowed tremendously for a few months our small business is surviving. While 2020 was filled with negative things, there were lots of silver linings and blessings.
The opportunity to work from home, spending more time with my girls this year, is incredible. I am still able to serve my clients and be with my family more than I ever imagined possible. The interactions I have had with friends this year have been special, whether through zoom or distanced in-person. Not having the ability to see anyone anytime makes the few meetings much sweeter. There have been so many positives in this year.
Finding ways to support others this year also has brought me incredible joy. Rotary Club of Rockingham County has not had in-person meetings since March and many of our service projects were cancelled. However, that did not stop our #serviceaboveself. I was fortunate to be able to deliver meals once a week to First Step on behalf of our club for a couple of months. I participated in a food drive for Our Community Place, cleaned up a highway, picked up trash along blacks run near Purcell Park, helped hand out food to Harrisonburg school families, and planted tulips at First Step and NENA Community Center. I supported local business by eating at locally owned area restaurants once a week at least and showing love to the servers and delivery drivers.
I also wrote positive online reviews for local companies, donated to local fundraisers and food pantries, purchased music and swag from local bands, and sent notes of appreciation to essential workers. I have tried to remember every day to wish a Happy Birthday to friends on Facebook and have sent out more thank you notes and gift cards this year than any other year before. I helped install solar panels at Eastern Mennonite School in a solar barn raising project. I found places to help others by creating online resources for home schooling, researched and published tips to make buildings safer, and created stress relief coloring pages. I also created amonthly young professionals networking group and hosted monthly education sessions for other architects. In order to support the local arts community I designed an outdoor stage that was used by both EMS and Harrisonburg High School.
I had not thought about all the good that these actions were doing for me until I watched this Ted talk that Nadia posted to Facebook.
So now after seeing this video, I am going to be intentional this coming year about putting #serviceaboveself. I will pledge to do #365actsofkindness over the coming year. Please join me and help spread kindness through the world and bring yourself happiness through action.
