67 small acts of kindness
JOBURG – Paying the toll for a car behind you, helping a child with their homework and leaving coins at the laundromat are some small acts of kindness you can do on Mandela Day.
When you think of the all that Nelson Mandela did for South Africa, you might wonder how anything you do can make a lasting impact for good. But as the great painter Vincent van Gogh said, Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.
Here is a list of 67 small acts of kindness you can do to make the world a better place:
1. Spend time playing with children at an orphanage
2. Offer to water a neighbour’s garden
3. Write an encouraging letter to someone who needs it
4. Help an elderly person cross the street
5. Help someone carry their groceries to the car
6. Guide someone while they parallel-park
7. Carry your colleague’s bag to the parking lot for them
8. Find out a homeless person’s story
9. Send dessert to another table at a restaurant
10. Let the cashier keep the change
11. Give your seat to someone else on the bus
12. Cook a meal for a neighbour
13. Pay the toll fee for the person behind you
14. Leave coins behind at the laundromat
15. Send a short text or WhatsApp to someone to see how their day is going
16. If you are good at photography, take a photo of a friend and email it to them
17. If someone usually walks, and you own a car, offer them a lift
18. Compliment someone if they look smart
19. Share your lunch with someone
20. If it rains, share your umbrella with someone
21. Support a local sports club at one of their matches
22. Keep extra tissues just in case someone needs one
23. If you are an employer, let your employees go home early one afternoon
24. If someone is cold, lend them your jacket
25. Offer to help a child with their homework
26. Compliment someone when they have done well
27. If you take out a library book that is damaged, try fixing it before returning it
28. Lend a good book to a friend
29. Teach a young person how to play a sport
30. Teach a friend how to greet in another language
31. Buy a friend some airtime
32. Spend time with the elderly at a retirement village
33. Write a letter of thanks to a friend or family member who has been there for you
34. Join the bone marrow registry
35. If someone asks for a favour, and you would normally say no, say yes
36. Donate old sports equipment and kits to a sports club
37. Donate old or unused kitchen appliances, crockery or cutlery to a young couple. Or buy something new for them
38. Find out how an old friend is doing now
39. If a friend lives a busy life, offer to give their children a lift one day
40. Stop to let a pedestrian cross the street, or let a car in front of you
41. Hold the door open for someone
42. If you see that someone’s car has broken down, stop to see if they need help
43. Talk to the person who sits alone at social gatherings
44. Leave your newspaper on the table when you leave a coffee shop, so someone else can read it
45. Volunteer to read to children at an after-school programme
46. Let the other car have the parking spot
47. Make the receptionist or security guard coffee, and give it to them with a smile
48. Try to make sure every person in a group conversation feels included
49. Pay for someone else’s groceries
50. Leave a kind comment on a friend’s blog
51. Offer to baby-sit for a friend for free
52. Be generous with your tip
53. Pick litter up off the street
54. Mow the lawn or wash dishes for an elderly neighbour
55. Donate old or unused clothes to someone in need
56. Buy extra animal food and drop it off at an animal shelter
57. Support local movies and music
58. Wash a neighbour’s car
59. House sit for a friend and look after their animals for free
60. When the cashier asks if you wish to donate R5 towards a good cause, say yes
61. If someone is carrying something heavy, and they appear to be struggling, lend a hand
62. Offer to return a shopping cart to the store for someone
63. If you can sing well or play a musical instrument, lend your talents to a retirement village
64. Lend your best music CDs to friends
65. Follow charity groups on social media, and share their posts
66. Help a mother push her pram
67. Forget a debt someone owes you.
