We lost a very special person in our town this year when our superintendent, Dr. Steve Mayer, was taken from us too soon. He was a man who was in some ways larger than life, yet in other ways so completely down to earth. And while many lives have been devastated by his death, maybe even more have been touched by the powerful ideas and movements that have come forth since the tragedy.
Within the days following his death, we learned of the many ways he touched people's lives beginning with his life at home. Every morning when he said goodbye to his family, he would tell them he loved them and ask them to, "Make someone's day today."
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| Whose day needs a little brightening? |
At Moonlit Minds, we've become so inspired by this message that we've been repeating it to our own children everyday too.
October 5th is National Do Something Nice Day. This got us thinking about how we could share the "Make Someone's Day" message with our readers too. So tonight's activity is a simple one.
How can you make someone's day?
Like all of our activities, start by lying quietly in bed with your child at bedtime. Take turns thinking of small ways in which we could brighten the days of the people around us tomorrow.
Every day we come into contact with a variety of people. As parents, it might be our customers, store cashiers, managers, bankers, even total strangers. Our children interact with their friends and teachers. And we all see our families (hopefully) every day.
Could we...
- give our little brother an extra turn on the swing?
- let someone go in front of us in a long line?
- greet the UPS driver with some cookies?
- offer to help a neighbor with some yard work?
- give up a parking space to someone who looks tired?
- let your coworker know you appreciate their effort?
There are lots of ideas for simple acts of kindness, but tonight try to really visualize these acts actually happening.
Where will you be?
What will you say?
Whose day will you make?
Did your child have ideas you hadn't thought of? What did this tell you about what might make his or her day someday?
Often, it's the simple ideas which might have the most impact and which are often overlooked.
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single minute before starting to improve the world.
~Anne Frank
Share and inspire
We want to hear from you. Leave a comment below with ideas for how you or your child made someone's day. Also, you can always find us on Twitter or Facebook!
More importantly, if you like this activity, please share this with others using the buttons below. Imagine the difference it would make if everyone began treating one another with kindness.
This is the legacy of Dr. Mayer.
Please enjoy this short clip of him speaking about this idea he was so passionate about:
Have a great night, make someone's day tomorrow, and...mind the nap!
