i have been thinking about this lately. creating joy, spreading joy, being joyful and passing it onto others. some think i am looney, but i dont really care. dont you think joy is something to share?

1. i like to send cards for no reason.
2. when we are eating out, the kids and i will pick people that we want to buy a meal for.
3. i buy roses when they are on sale at the grocery store, and give single roses to people i think need a boost. one day, i went through a drive through and the woman said she was having a bad day. i happened to have a few roses in the car, so i pulled our car over and snuck up and placed a rose on her drive through window. as i was driving away, i heard her talking about it... made me feel wonderful that i could be a part in sharing some joy with her.
4. i like to make people food. :)

got ideas for sharing joy? share them.

I have a group of friends that does RAKS... random acts of kindness... once a month for anybody... it's really fun to do (and get!)

1. random bouqet of flowers (costco has 'em cheap)
2. mini scrapbook album (takes less than 1/2 hour to make)
3. plate of cookies
4. song dedicated on radio station they listen to
5. mow the lawn when they're not home
6. free movie tickets or babysitting coupons

just a few ideas... neat thread Amity!

Sometimes just an email, PM, IM or post can make ones day...

A simple, your kids are gorgeous or was thinking of you today when I saw such & such.....

I also like to share my beautiful daughter ;) She can bring a smile to anyones face!!!

SometimesI take coupons to the store for things I don't buy, then when I see people in that aisle looking for that item, I give them the coupons. They act so surprised.

It has been a challenge for me to be joyful here lately.
:(

Having a hard time finding joy for myself these days, much less bring joy to others.

Blueberries make me happy and it brings me joy to pick them.

Sleep. Uninterrupted sleep.

ANYWAYS, perhaps, that is why I am friendless, because I don't bring joy to anyone.

Sorry to be a downer. I look forward to seeing some of the ideas here. I hope they all don't have to be monetary though.

bumpin

Sometimes I pay the bill for the people behind me at the DQ drive through window. I'm long gone before they even know it. ;)

Katie

* I take time to be especially nice to cashiers at stores. Most of the time people take their bad days out on the cashiers. It can make them really happy to have someone look them in the eye and ask them how their day is.

* smile and knod on the street when walking past people. People hardly do this anymore!

* help people in live. Last week there was a Mama who had a baby in her arms and seven other kids around her. I said "It looks like you have your arms full (big smile). Can I help you unload your basket?" The Mama was stunned, and knodded her head.

* Make a sad child happy! Except in the summer I carry a little bag of face paints in my purse. You know how unhappy kids are a sitting around in some office waiting for some boring adult event? Well, they sure do brighten up when they get to be a cat or a tiger!

Wow! I love this thread... it's motivating... I want to read more ideas!
Let's see... this weekend we've been doing nice things because my cousin (who lives next door)'s MIL died... so dh mowed their lawn and I made them food and cinnamon buns... but I want to try and do nice things randomly more often- it's so easy to forget... I LOVE your idea of the roses, Amity! That's great! We're big food makers... we do that for friends all the time... mostly in the fall/winter when we do cookies... hmmm... what else do you guys do?

Originally posted by Mrsmissy
Having a hard time finding joy for myself these days, much less bring joy to others.

Blueberries make me happy and it brings me joy to pick them.

Sleep. Uninterrupted sleep.

ANYWAYS, perhaps, that is why I am friendless, because I don't bring joy to anyone.

Sorry to be a downer. I look forward to seeing some of the ideas here. I hope they all don't have to be monetary though.

:rub:

Katie

I make a point to talk to managers in restaurants and such about the good employees more often than the bad (*every time* we have a kind wait person we asked to talk to the manager).

If I see kids reading a book at a store I will often times give them money to buy one (if they don't that's fine..) Oh and I do this with my kids so I don't look like such a weirdo! LOL!

I like to write letters to my loved ones as if it were my last to them. I tell them how much they mean and how much they are loved. This is just as much for me since I will not have any regrets in that area.


This is fun.. I love these ideas!

you mamas are awesome! cool ideas... yay! more for me to do.

here are a few more that i thought of.
--i tell my friends 'i love you'. when you love someone, you shouldnt be ashamed or embarrassed to say it.
--i give presents to the kid's teachers and principals for every holiday-- usually some homemade candy or chocolate covered pretzels.
--i love to take pictures. this year i took 'action' pictures of each child on brent's baseball team to frame and give to their parents at the end of the year. for the 12 year olds, i took pictures throughout the season and plan on making a little photo album.
--something done for us- but we have since moved pretty far away. tim's father would leave donuts on our back porch every saturday. it made us feel special.
--i try to make memories on a daily basis with my children. could be something silly... and it is never anything expensive. whether it is doing a project, having a camp out in the livingroom, being goofy and dancing around or making a stream or lake area our 'special place'... they will remember.
--we pay for the person behind us at toll booths.

i love this thread. i try to do thoughtful things daily, but it is so easy to get caught up in sorrow instead of joy... it's almost like a relationship i think-- each day you have to make a point to cherish it and nurture it.

One of the best ways for me to spread joy is I love to SMILE. I don't have one og those gorgeos model smiles, but let me tell you that doesn't matter one little bit!!! Smiling is very very contagious.

I will drive down the road and wave to oncoming vehicles and smile and lots of time the will do the same back. Especially if I am at a stop sign and someone is turning towards me they are driving slower and they see you better and always return the gesture.

One thing that I have done in the past is to go next door to my SIL and brothers house and clean while they are not home. They both work 40+ hours and have four children so you can imagine the CHAOS and clutter in that home.
They went to Cali. for a week last year (not all was pleasure) and my mom and I totally redid their entire house. Talk about coming home from a stressful trip and seeing everything in its place, not how you left it.

That kind of gesture works for some, but a lot of people probably wouldn't like you going through their house with out them their. It works for me because they are ever so gracious.

This is a neat thread!

Just last night the kiddos and myself had so much fun doing this. We spread and shared in some joy/fun!

Our garden has been producing tons of cucumbers, zucchini, green and yellow beans, lately and we have had to spare so we picked and picked then drove about for 1 and 1/2 hours delivering fresh picked veggies to neighbors, friends, and some new made friends! We would just pull up, hop out, and ask if they needed anything from the baskets and give them a bag. It was so nice to see the surprise on faces and the thanks.

We also love to cook/bake so that is another thing we do kind of randomly. When I am baking I tend to bake for a small army lol and have to freeze and to share so we drop off goodies then too!

Originally posted by JAmico314
That kind of gesture works for some, but a lot of people probably wouldn't like you going through their house with out them their. It works for me because they are ever so gracious.

Uh oh I'm one it doesn't work for... my MIL/SIL did this for me and I got SO mad (mostly because I don't like them touching my stuff!!)

um, whenever we see a homeless person asking for food or money, we ALWAYS buy them a hamburger or some type of food and then bring it to them (we never give money)... even if it's out of our way.

I used to leave candybars randomly on coworkers desk thanking them for a job well done... I don't think anybody every knew it was from me.

every year for christmas we pick out a needy family and then help them celebrate by doing the twelve days of christmas and leaving something each night (and the creeps always try to catch us lol but so far to no avail)

when dd was in the NICU we'd sometimes come home to preemie outfits on our doorstep or notes of encouragement and it meant the world to me

dh always gets on the roof of our heavy neighbor and hooks up her swamp cooler, or unhooks it at the end of the season

always tipping 20% for waitress and waiters

we've started throwing a "date night" party for the other couples in our neighborhood, and all they have to do is come... we provide treats, food, games and even babysitters when needed... ok, we've only done it twice but it has turned out so WELL and hasn't been too expensive for us.

I'll think of more... I really like this thread!!

I buy umbrellas and ponchos from the dollar store and keep them in my car. When we see someone out in the rain we give them one.

I had another idea. I bought some neck coolers from Nanirose, but she said what she put in them in the sewing forum I believe. If I can figure out how to make them, my mom and I are going to make a bunch and when we see people working outside (like city road crews, etc.) we are going to stop and give them one.

well--I just got a pm from a mama who after reading about all my problems with nursing Isabella in the beginning saw I had posted that we made it to 4 weeks and wanted to just congratulate me. That really made my day.

Ways I like to spread joy/pick me ups etc....

1) a random card in the mail with no signature...just a "thinking of you"

2) take a meal to someone who is having a hard time

3) a phone call just to say "hi" and "what can I do to help??"

4) an email/e-card/pm

5) those people that are on the corner begging for money for food--well I don't give them money, but I have gone in and bought a sandwhich and other food items and passed it to them on my way out of the parking lot.

:heart: