Do you remember the last time a stranger did something for you and how it made you feel? Today’s challenge was to perform radical acts of kindness for others. Our goal was to complete two acts of kindness on our own in the span of two hours, then to collaborate on two group projects for the rest of our adventure. All these acts took place in the beautiful small town of Paonia.
It should be noted that everyone succeeded in completing this challenge!
Jack tried to buy a cup of coffee for a stranger, but Blake ended up being next in line at the coffee shop and was the lucky recipient. Afterwards, Jack generously bestowed roses on two strangers.
Jill sought out to help clean the garbage from Pollis Park along with putting a positive note on someone’s car windshield. Also, Jill got something for a fellow Adventure Semester participant…that person will know tonight!
Max was able to help out at the local Paonia library. Besides helping the librarians, he went to a whole other level by putting nice notes into his favorite books for people to find. Also before the library, Max gave out free donuts to people on the street.
Seraya hid pretty poems throughout the town where people could find them. Then she also gave someone flowers on the street.
Throughout the day, I talked with people just to brighten up there day with lively conversations. At the grocery store I straightened shelves along with posting a note I drew: “Smile – Have a wonderful day in Paonia!” The best part was the smile on an old man’s face when I complimented his cool cowboy hat.
As a group, we made a Geocache, which is essentially a scavenger hunt. Now anyone in Paonia can access the Geocache website and participate in our adventure full of treats and surprises! (http://www.geocaching.com)
Afterwards, Max and Jack attempted to give out free hugs. It was a difficult challenge but they did receive one hug from Blake. Plus, we put the last group’s project (the micro library) underneath shelter so their project wouldn’t be ruined by the rain and wrote meaningful appreciations for everyone in the Adventure Semester community.
Although we all felt good about the acts of kindness we completed today, not everyone felt truly satisfied. We believe that it was hard to perform radicalacts of kindness and this adventure challenged us to understand what radical kindness truly means.
How would you differentiate between an act of kindness and a radical act of kindness?
