random act of kindness experiment

(this has proper capitalization because it was a paper for a class as well)

thoughts: Acts of kindness are not random for me, they are normal. It is easy for me to approach a stranger and strike up a conversation, to tell someone to have a nice day, or to offer to help someone carry a large load to their house. So, instead of choosing an act of kindness that was already a part of my daily routine, I was advised to choose something outside of my lifestyle. I chose to make some chocolate chip cookies and take them door to door to my neighbors until all of the cookies were gone. While this exercise was easy for me, it still was a rewarding experience.

I prepared a plate of chocolate chip cookies and walked three doors down the hallway of my apartment complex (I know the neighbors in the vicinity of my home). I knocked on doors, but didn’t receive many answers because it was mid-afternoon, and most of the residents were in class. When someone finally answered the door, I was greeted by a young man who I have seen in some of my classes. I offered him and his roommate a cookie, and they both happily accepted. I waved goodbye to them and continued to visit more apartments. I walked across the street to the other part of the complex and was greeted by another young man, who seemed pleasantly surprised that I offered him a cookie, which he happily took and ate, saying “Have a wonderful day! It was so nice to meet you!”

As my cookie supply dwindled and I knocked on more doors, the residents seemed to get more and more joyous. One girl was really surprised to see me offer her cookies, but she even invited me inside as she took about three cookies for her and her roommates. Every single house I visited (where people were home) happily accepted a cookie and thanked me, telling me to have a nice day. It was really great to see the smiles of the residents as I walked away from their doors.

I already know what it feels like to be kind to a complete stranger, but it seems the feeling is so much greater when you present the recipient with a tangible gift, no strings attached. I feel that for my particular experiment, the results were positive because most of the residents were students, and I was presenting them with free food, delicious cookies. Socially, I think this states that young adults are comfortable with people their own age, and I feel that young adults are willing to accept food that is given to them for free. Had this experiment taken place at an apartment complex where the majority of residents were not students, I’m not sure the results would be the same. I’m still sure that most people will take a free cookie, but I’m not sure if everyone would take a cookie from a stranger.

This experiment was rewarding and was also very fun. I am honestly considering doing more things like this, because I could see how it brightened people’s days and that made my day just a little happier too.

why i chose this photo: this is a picture of a teeny tiny flower that i found while walking in a park here in corvallis. the flower was really small and simple, but it made me smile as i noticed it among leaves and grass when i walked.

question: how has someone noticed you and expressed kindness towards you?

inspiration: "even the smallest things in life can be great when recognized."

looking up

thoughts: in a society powered by technology, many of us are continually glued to it. to phones, computers, apple products, what have you, new media devices are often the main focus of our daily lives. we have to be connected somehow. but why? i conducted a little experiment last week to see how non-digital communication works, and how much of our lives are spent missing the daily happenings.

why? i am a new media major, i love to be connected too. but it is a balance.yes, our society has changed to that technology is almost mandatory and necessary, but unplugging and communicating in our god-given form should also be important.

last thursday (i haven't posted until now because i wanted to process what happened), i spent an entire day with very minimal cell phone/internet use, and walked between classes with my head up. i didn't text anyone between classes and i walked normally without my phone in hand. instead of walking with my head down, paying little attention to people, i made it my goal to communicate with people, weather it be a simple hello, or a big smile. i wanted to see what would happen.

so i did that. i walked and smiled genuinely at people. not that forced "hey" when you walk by someone, but a real smile, trying to brighten my day. at first, not many people caught my eye, but as the day progressed and i continued, i got more and more people smiling back or saying hello to me. it became joyful, and i really connected with people as i lit up their days. it wasn't super surprising, but those smiles brightened my day as well.

i was in a great mood by the middle of the day and ended up sitting down next to a person i have never seen in my sociology class before. the kid that sat next to me briefly acknowledged me and we greeted eachother. when i asked how his day was, he started to tell me that his day was not going very well. i kept inquiring, and he told me how he was sad and lonely and wondered how to be outgoing and happy and connected like i was. i was able to cheer him up a bit and he really appreciated it. it was really great to really help someone out and influence them.

i left class feeling great about how i had tried to unplug and connect with people normally, and was really excited to share how my day had gone. when i had entered class, it was dark and rainy. when i left class, i looked up and noticed a beautiful rainbow in a glowing sky. it just goes to show that you can miss a lot by being bent over your cell phone or looking at your computer screen. you can get so much more out of life just by looking up and viewing the world around you.

why i chose this photo: after a whole day of looking up and straight ahead, i ended my school day by seeing this. it was a magnificent result of my test to look up.

question: what could you gain from your day by not texting people as you walk? by not talking on your cell phone?

inspiration: "there is beauty in everything. you just have to look around to notice it."