Random Acts Of Kindness Week

Back in August when I was approaching my 30th birthday, I was experiencing some serious survivor guilt. When I lived past my 10th birthday, the next huge milestone that loomed impossible was turning 30. As that day grew closer, I embraced everything that I have done so far with my life, but I couldn't help but think about friends with Cystinosis who were never blessed with celebrating that birthday of their own. One of my weaknesses in this life (and one of my big lessons, Roar is convinced!) is that I strive too hard for answers and tend to seek them too fiercely. I feel like when I have answers, I can process things more smoothly. So as a result, I often wonder why some people with Cystinosis live decades longer than others, the scientific and the spiritual both hold equal importance. To make a long story somewhat short, to combat this questioning and aching to do something that truly mattered, I spent my 30th birthday doing random acts of kindness for others. It had such a profound impact on my world, I will now be celebrating my birthday every year by doing this!

This week, from February 10th through the 16th is Random Acts of Kindness Week. I love that there is an entire week dedicated to thinking outside of yourself and jumping on opportunities to give and spread love, no matter how big or small of a gesture or effort required. I'm grateful to Lil Blue Boo for alerting me of this week! She wrote a great post with some wonderful ideas and included my list of 50 Ideas For Random Acts Of Kindness that I shared last year when I was gearing up for my own 30 acts of kindness day on my birthday.

What will you be doing this week? Did you start celebrating #RAOK week today by smiling at five strangers? I adore all the ideas Random Acts of Kindness Foundation has to share on their website. A few of my absolute favorites include, volunteering at a local animal shelter, handing out care packages to the homeless, donating your hair, hosting a cookie exchange, and leaving flowers on the grave of a stranger.

I know donating a kidney to a stranger is an example of an extreme random act of kindness, but I think it is such a beautiful thing. The importance of organ donation becomes more and more apparent to me, every single day. I don't like to go there often, but if I ever need another kidney, I have no idea where it would come from. Most of my family was tested when I was going through my first one 19 years ago, and my mom ended up being the best match. My dad was ruled out because of some issues, and my sister is no longer with us. That is all of my immediate family (who are often the best matches for people.) There are so many people waiting for life saving organs, and an average of 13 people die every single day while waiting for a kidney. If the world had more people in it like this kind soul, that statistic wouldn't be as high.

So, tell me...what are you doing to celebrate this fabulous week of Random Acts of Kindness? Did you jump right in and start today? What did you do?