How do we respond to these most unprecedented of times? How do we not overreact or underreact? What can we do to manage ourselves and to help others?
This list is something that my 6-year-old son (who is turning 7 in five days!) and I brainstormed. We hope you like it.
The main idea is not to replicate these ideas, but to let kindness seep deep into our hearts, so when the opportunities arise, we will go with the leading of God’s Spirit to be generously kind when we can, as much as we can.
1. Include others
2. Be a friend to someone in need
3. Ask if they want to play a game
4. Actually play the game
5. Pay more than the other person expects
6. Give without the person knowing who gave to them
7. Overlook an offence and smile from your heart instead
8. Always listen to the other person
9. Let someone who’s tired, sleep
10. Carry some tasty food to someone who has no money
11. Vacuum their carpet, do their dishes, scrub their bathroom floor — if it’s safe to do so
12. Read them a book of their choice
13. Do some research for them
14. Video call them
15. Have dinner with them and talk about some things — if it’s safe to do so
16. Give them some of your (washed) clothes
17. Leave a gift at their door with an anonymous note (ensuring it’s clean!)
18. Wait for them out the front of somewhere (if you’re safely allowed out) so you can walk in together
19. Offer to buy them an ice cream (if it’s a child, if they’re allowed to have it — check the parents first)
20. Speak calmly and smile and be as non-scary as you can be
21. Give them some pencils and paper to write or draw with
22. Have a play date together (be creative online if need be)
23. Sew their buttons onto their clothes for them
24. Tell someone the time in your conversation in case they wanted to know
25. Give them a piece of technology if they need it (cleaned, of course!)
26. Play them a song on the piano (if you know how to do it and they would appreciate it)
27. Give them some virtual flowers
28. Tell them how nice they are
29. Buy them something to eat
30. Get them a job if you can
31. Buy them some toilet paper or give them one of yours
32. Share some humour with them to brighten their day
33. Provide them with a torch or a bed or an umbrella
34. Work together to get the job done
35. Clean their windows — (no issues with social distancing then!)
36. Sit with them in the same room if you can
37. Have a coffee with them — even if a screen separates you
38. Help them plan to buy a car
39. Drop them off and pick them up when they need to get around
40. Buy them a pair of shoes
41. Just say hello
42. Wave to people with a smile and look into their eyes instead of hugging
43. Share you ears instead of your opinion
44. You could pray for someone
45. Paint one of their walls — a colour of their choice
46. Do something for them they cannot do for themselves
47. Notice something small that they’ve done and acknowledge it
48. Buy them a sewing machine
49. If you have two watches that can tell the time, give one to your friend
50. Give them a video tour of your house
Photo by Jonas Vincent on Unsplash
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