So earlier this week, as I’m walking to the grocery store, a homeless man shyly asked me if I could spare a dollar. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any cash on me, but I couldn’t stop thinking about him as I shopped. It was HOT this week — like, triple digits. So I bought a bottle of water and a sandwich to give to the man on my walk back home. As I approached the church where he had been sitting, I was SO nervous. Not because he’s homeless, but because he’s a stranger. I don’t always know how to talk to people. I didn’t know what to say when I offered him these things. But when I got there, he was gone. I felt awful to feel relieved. Hopefully he found somewhere to cool off a little.
The point of this story is that, as an introvert, random acts of kindness are frequently difficult for me. But as an empathetic human, I often find myself wanting to do things for others. So here’s a list of things I’ve been thinking about implementing in my own life more frequently that let me give in small ways on a daily basis, while maintaining a certain amount of anonymity.
- Send flowers or a care package [anonymously, if you want] to someone you know who is going through a hard time or could just use a pick-me-up. I’m obsessed with these beautiful options: Farmgirl Flowers, Greetabl, BoxFox, Speak Wines
- Put up encouraging flyers at places you frequent
- Push the crosswalk button when you see cars waiting at a light that you know takes forever to change
- Be generous on the internet. Don’t hoard your likes. Share when your friends are doing cool things. Answer someone’s question.
- Make some seed bombs and scatter them around your neighborhood
- Pay for the person behind you in the drive-thru
- Give away your books — drop them off in a little free library, or give them to people you know would enjoy them
- Pick up litter when you see it
- Smile at dogs — this will often lead to smiling at the dog’s owner and brightening both of your days
- Make donations to a local shelter
- Leave a nice note for your neighbor on their door. Maybe leave some baked goods too, if that’s up your alley ;)
This is just scratching the surface, but I hope it inspires you! If you have any other ideas for us introverts, I’d love to hear them!