A sincere compliment or even just acknowledging another persons presence can make a huge difference to them—and you.

Compliments should be positive, sincere and focused on achievements.

“You look radiant today. You must really be taking good care of yourself.”

“Your pasta sauce was fantastic…parents and kids at the camp were raving about it and saying you must really be a good cook.” (This was a compliment I received last year from my son’s teacher after he and all the grade 5 classes returned from a two-day trip to Fort Steele. I felt fabulous after hearing that, especially since I hadn’t been able to attend!)

If a compliment can make someone feel on top of the world, imagine how s/he would feel to be the recipient of a good deed! (As the person doing the good deed, you will get a hug or a smile or a thank you…plus a great feeling inside.) And the acts will spread like wildfire.

Here are some random acts of kindness (some that children can also do):
Helping someone with homework,
Taking an elderly person’s dog for a walk,
Baking cookies for a sick friend,
Cutting grass,
Raking leaves,
Shoveling snow,
Carefully picking up broken glass and nails and garbage from the streets and side of the road.
Putting money in a parking meter that ran out,
Paying someone’s bus fare,
Standing up for someone older on the bus,
Making someone breakfast in bed,
Opening doors for people,
Helping someone with their bags off the bus,
Donating to a food bank,
Volunteering at a soup kitchen,
Talking to someone who looks lonely,
Washing someone’s car,
Carrying someone’s groceries,
Taking books to a shelter…and reading to the children there,

…

And you don’t need to talk of your good deeds.

Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My friend
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