Love is in the air! It’s nearing Valentine’s Day and every store you go into has those huge teddy bears on sale—you know the ones holding a heart that says “I love you.” While V-day may be focused on couples, it is still possible to spread the love in a not so…romantic way. Doing random acts of kindness can make you, and the person you direct it towards feel pretty darn good! Here are some easy and kind things to do for those around you:
Hold the door: This is perhaps the easiest and most overlooked gesture of kindness. Holding the door for someone makes them know that you not only have manners, but that you actually care enough to use a few seconds of your time to help them out.
Bless You: Whenever someone sneezes, it’s usually routine to say “Bless you” or “Gesundheit” in response. However, for some, it’s not, and the sneeze is left floating around in the air…awkwardly. Acknowledging that someone has sneezed with a simple “bless you” can lead to them smiling in gratitude. This always makes my day when someone says this after I sneeze, so I try to make sure and do it all the time for others. Why not do it for someone else?
Lend a helping hand: Do you ever see someone on campus carrying a load of boxes from the post office? Or maybe a dozen textbooks? Ask them if they need any help! Even if they end up declining, at least you were nice enough to acknowledge the fact that they were struggling!
Smile: Simple and sweet. Daily on campus we walk past dozens of people. If you ever make eye contact with someone, throw them a genuine smile; they’ll more than likely smile back and it could be something they’ll remember for the rest of the day. I personally remember faces that smile more than the ones that do not.
Small talk: If you’ve ever ridden the shuttle into town or even the train, chances are that you’ve sat next to someone you don’t know. If it’s a long ride, don’t make things awkward by not speaking—talk! If you can’t think of anything to talk about, maybe start off by complimenting the person on their attire, and things should move on from there.
Leave a note: If you want spread the love in an anonymous way, then leave a note for a stranger to find! If you don’t have sticky notes handy, use a piece of notebook paper and write away. Leave the note somewhere a lot of people usually go (e.g . the café, bathroom, classrooms). Make sure the note is something thoughtful, and perhaps something you’d want to find. I once found a note that read “smile beautiful”…and boy did I smile all day.
Spread the love, Collegiettes!