Something interesting that I’ve been noticing is all the nice things I choose NOT to do (like the times in the subway when I don’t want to give up my seat, or when I see someone struggling with a heavy bag, but I don’t offer to help, etc. Sometimes the omissions are worse than others, but it’s almost like I should have a tally where my nice thing has to somehow outweigh all my un-nice things… I suppose none of us really live up to our potential to be good people or to help everytime we could help, but now that I am focusing on doing a nice thing a day, I notice it more because I will sometimes choose not to take an opportunity that could satisfy my quota for the day because I don’t want to be THAT nice. And, some days my nice thing is nicer than on other days. Sometimes I do more than one thing that could meet the quota and other days I don’t really do something super nice, and I have a hard time even writing it down (like, REALLY? That’s the best you can come up with???) I also think it’s sad that I have to make this a special project. Ideally, we would all be living lives where we are doing at least one nice thing per day…
Mar 1
I think there is a special place in hell for people who pee all over toilet seats and leave it there. I wiped up a seat that I had the misfortune to sit upon to spare someone else the same fate (it was of course disgusting, so I count it as a nice act for all women using public restrooms!)
Mar 2
I volunteered to tutor high school kids on the SAT. I also retrieved some guy’s Metro card that he dropped and ran after him to return it to him.
Mar 3
I mailed a little present to a friend.
Mar 4
I went to a charity event. Not sure if it counts as a nice thing to buy a ticket to a charity event, but since the money goes to charity, I am counting it (this is one of the things that I am counting b/c I can’t think of anything else I did, but I wish I had been nicer. I did go to a diner with a friend and encouraged him to give an extra big tip to the waiter, but I myself did not pay for said tip, so I don’t know if my encouragement to that end counts as a nice act…
Mar 5
I made a donation in memory of a friend who died to a program that helps at-risk kids.
