Say it with me: So I saw this thing on Facebook that got me thinking. I dunno if Facebook ever meant to be diary-fodder and was content to be a provider of pootie pics, but nonetheless, there we have it. As a result I'm asking you to state publicly and for the record... "Have you ever committed a RAoK?" Follow me below the dingledoodle squigglie dKosagnocchi dividerthingie fold after a word from our sponsor...
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That would be Random Act of Kindness. Something that conveys no benefit upon the doer except the warm fuzzy feeling that altruism engenders. No tax receipts, no public glory, no lets-get-this-into-the-campaign-material. What Judaism would, if my Unitarian Universalist self understands what I've read, consider a mitzvah.
What I saw on Facebook was a reference to Italians going into a coffeehouse and ordering both their own beverage as well as a "caffe sospeso" (suspended coffee). Later the suspended coffee is given, when asked for, to someone unable to afford one on their own.
My thoughts on the Suspended Coffee movement are mixed (nice way to do unto others versus accounting headache/potential for abuse), it nonetheless got me thinking about RAoKs. Do they have to be done to "help someone less fortunate"? Does it have to be anonymous with respect to the recipient of your kindness? Are there limits? What other RAoKs have I heard about?
While I haven't ordered a suspended coffee for anyone, I HAVE on several occasions added to my grocery checkout an item the person ahead of me removed when the total came up higher than expected. I've put a few quarters into an expired meter when I noticed the parking police making rounds.
I've also been the recipient of kindnesses. Back when drivers paid tolls by giving money to action tollbooth workers, I once reached the booth to discover my travel had been covered by the driver ahead of me. My kids have been given tickets for rides or games at amusement parks by people leaving before they'd had a chance to use them.
Last Friday one of my dogs slipped out the front door and went racing down the street. By "down the street" I do quite literally mean down the middle of the road at 9am on a busy main road. As the kids and I were racing after the dog, two cars stopped and two men got out. One of the men stood right in the path of 45lbs of speeding hound, arms spread, and caught her while the second watched for traffic. He walked to the sidewalk, gave the dog to K1 (who is much faster than her mother!) and without a word got back into their cars and drove away. I have no idea who either of them were, but I do know my dog likely would have been hit by a car if she'd gone two blocks further into a busy intersection. Neither driver had to stop... they simply did.
What sorts of Random Acts have you been a part of, on one side or the other? Can you think of examples that might inspire each of us to put a smile on another's face tomorrow?
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From BlackSheep1:
Reading this diary by MoDem I laughed out loud at this comment by ontheleftcoast.
From Noddy:
Calvino Partigiani shares how Republicans feel about citizens in jlms qkw's diary Can You Safely Contact Your Senator?
From Yours Truly, brillig:
Short-form description of Freedom vs Danger by TheOrchid. In kos' If government is full of tyranny, why arm it to the teeth?.
Zwoof on why magazie changes ARE an issue, from thankgodforairamerica's In the time it took Adam Lanza to reload, 11 children escaped.
Top Mojo for yesterday, April 1st, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you
mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary
FAQing Top Mojo.
1) The reason food stamp usage is up by MinistryOfTruth — 175
2) I won't give you sympathy since you can't by gustynpip — 136
3) I don't think you killed Scaredy. by ericlewis0 — 135
4) We don't always make the best decisions by DAISHI — 128
5) Barack Obama sez: " We must look forward" nt by 420 forever — 123
6) Because straight people never marry by commonmass — 119
7) Except for whistleblowers by RFK Lives — 109
8) Poverty is up too by gjohnsit — 106
9) If the serendipitous convenience of these by One Pissed Off Liberal — 104
10) ... and job security is a thing of the past. by Free Jazz at High Noon — 100
11) Put these qualities together by ActivistGuy — 93
12) But also consider this: by JayRaye — 93
13) At least he had you. by Unsung81 — 86
14) ! by Polly Syllabic — 82
15) p.m. carpenter penned by pamelabrown — 81
16) Shame by northsylvania — 79
17) Record U.S. poverty by gjohnsit — 78
18) I know how hard this kind of thing is by wide eyed lib — 76
19) What's really interesting to me... by detroitmechworks — 71
20) At some point, the truth will be known, and I mean by elwior — 70
21) As this administration has deliberately by Lisa Lockwood — 69
22) I appreciate people's comments. by J Orygun — 68
23) When the glue that holds the GOP together by ontheleftcoast — 67
24) Just seeing "tearful Scott Walker" by theKgirls — 66
25) My 100% indoor cat just started wasting away. by voracious — 64
26) Yeah, whistleblowers definitely need to look by Kombema — 62
27) Yup by lunachickie — 59
28) They Champion States' "Rights" [a Concept That by Gooserock — 58
29) I have cared for feral cats and it's my view that by Loquatrix — 58
30) Austerity is the solution searching for by blue aardvark — 58
31) But Assange has said by david mizner — 58
Top Pictures for yesterday, April 1st. Click any image to be taken to the full comment. Thank you
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