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Ways to Pay It Forward Today

Posted on March 14, 2013
By Carrie Parsons

So, what little, simple acts of kindness can we do to pay it forward today?

  1. put a quarter in a meter that’s about to expire
  2. leave a copy of a really great book you’ve read in a cafe for someone else to enjoy
  3. be nice to the customer service people who are trying to help you with your technological difficulties
  4. tip your restaurant server generously
  5. thank the cooks, waitstaff and bussers personally
  6. say something nice or funny or goofy to the toll booth attendant (like, “Don’t drive too fast, now” or “Glad to have encountered you today”, or something less hokey)
  7. forgive a driver directing road rage at you
  8. buy or pack a meal for a homeless person (or give him/her your to-go box from a restaurant)
  9. give a warm coat to a homeless person
  10. offer to do pro bono work on a project where your skills are needed
  11. mentor someone
  12. make a donation
  13. say a prayer or whisper a kind wish for someone
  14. compliment a stranger
  15. send a box of donuts or bagels or muffins to a construction site
  16. next time you leave a foreign country, give all or some of what’s left of your currency to someone who resides in that country
  17. next time you’re at the airport, offer to pull the bags belonging to a woman or a mother with child out of the conveyor belt
  18. praise generously
  19. give local tips (re: restaurants, sights, etc.) to a tourist
  20. put a tip in a street musician’s jar
  21. let someone cut in front of you at the grocery store
  22. tell a funny joke to a stranger
  23. give someone a chance to prove him or herself
  24. encourage someone to pursue their dream
  25. allow someone to let his or her light shine
  26. show support to an artist or writer or musician
  27. hold the door open for someone
  28. tip a cab driver generously
  29. teach a child something you wish you knew at that age
  30. smile at someone who’s sad
  31. smile at strangers
  32. offer sincere, kind words to someone who’s hurting
  33. visit a hospice and spend some time with a terminally ill patient
  34. volunteer at a battered women’s shelter
  35. spend some time with a senior citizen living alone
  36. give up your seat on a crowded bus or train
  37. inspire someone to be the best that they can be
  38. give someone the benefit of the doubt
  39. offer to babysit for a single mother
  40. offer the FedEx, UPS or DHL delivery person something to drink especially on a warm day
  41. help a pregnant lady
  42. sit and talk with a homeless person and learn their story
  43. loan something to someone and forget about it
  44. contribute to a friend’s child’s education fund
  45. give blood
  46. show respect to a soldier
  47. donate to or volunteer for the Make-A-Wish Foundation
  48. replace an angry or bitter thought toward someone with a loving thought (or at least try)

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