It’s Getting Chilly!

Well this weather is certainly interesting, huh? Here in Pennsylvania it was super warm yesterday between 9:45 and 11am, and then by 3pm it was freezing cold again. Now the cold temperatures seem to be sticking, and I am quite thankful for the consistency in my life (and my allergies are as well). The weather has been weird this entire fall/winter season with no real explanation other than global warming or aliens (another topic for another day…this blog is about kindness not politics). Anyway, I have been huddled under several fuzzy blankets since I got home because my mom insists on keeping the temperature at 68 degrees, which is surprisingly cold even for me, and I am a winter lover. So, when I found today’s video, the temperature was definitely on my mind.

Duracell is a battery company that I actually respect because of their charity work with children. They donate up to one million batteries for Toys for Tots drives. Now, the video below is a commercial for Canada, but the message it sends is pretty great, which is why I think it is worth showing. Please remember the importance of a human connection, and consider spreading your own warmth this holiday season. Enjoy!

Random Acts of Kindness

Happy Friday!! If you are out shopping today, I hope you are being kind to the retail workers! Many of them have been up since the wee hours of the morning, and they really do not get paid enough to deal with rude customers for 8+ hours. With that being said, I think it’s time I introduce my story of random acts of kindness to you all!

I love the TV show Supernatural with Misha Collins (he plays Castiel). Misha started an organization called Random Acts, and it focuses on inspiring random acts of kindness around the world. On Valentine’s Day, I was sad knowing that some people would not be told how special they were to someone else, so I bought 60 Valentines and handed them out to random students on campus. I focused on people that were alone and seemed a little down. Almost every single person had a huge smile on their face when they realized what it was, and it inspired me to take this to the next level. So, I started a Facebook page called SU Random Acts of Kindness, and I post positive quotes, pictures, videos and random act ideas all the time. I love what I do, and I hope I am inspiring other people to be kind as well. Sometimes, I feel like what I do doesn’t matter, but it’s videos like the one below that really make me happy that I’ve decided to live a random acts life.

This video was originally posted on ViddSee, a website dedicated to Asian short films. It is about one man’s random act of kindness and how that act rippled throughout the rest of his life. It is a beautiful tear-jerker, and I hope you enjoy it! Go create your own ripple today!

Things I’m Thankful For Part 2

Happy Tuesday friends! I am currently working on an integrated unit for my Science Methods class, and I do not feel very kind or compassionate right now. I am quite convinced that this unit is going to be the death of me. If I’m honest with myself, I know that it will get done and I will do just fine. My unit is on geology, and I am happy with most of the lessons I’ve created/adapted. Do you ever have a lesson or two that you’re not sure if it will work or not? I have one or two of those lessons in this unit. I think they have a lot of potential, but I don’t know if my professor will see it that way. Well, it’s due next Monday, so it’ll get done soon enough.

So how does this relate to being thankful? Well, I am going to graduate in mere months, and I even though I am struggling with this unit, I am GRADUATING SOON!!! I survived my education, and I am on my way to big and awesome experiences. So, I am thankful for all of my education. I am thankful for the awesome teachers I’ve had, and I’m even thankful for the bad teachers because I know what kind of teacher I don’t want to be. So, this video is all about being thankful for education. I also found this on Upworthy, and I really think foreign commercials are just full of awesomeness.