Random Acts of Kindness Day is almost here! On Sunday, February 17, 2019, people across the nation will take special care to show kindness to those around them. The day has been described as “a favorite day for many, as people everywhere are enjoying doing these acts of kindness. Not only is it positive for the receiver but for the giver, too!” The day is celebrated every year, and the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation has a host of resources for those who want to participate in the event. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is “an internationally recognized non-profit organization founded upon the powerful belief in kindness and dedicated to providing resources and tools that encourage acts of kindness.” Their website contains more information as well as a variety of stories from those who participated in Random Acts of Kindness Day.

Random Acts of Kindness Day is sometimes stretched out all week into Random Acts of Kindness Week. The same principles apply to the week as the day. Go out and do something kind. Those who are especially dedicated are called “raktivists” after the common acronym used for Random Acts of Kindness Day (RAK). Raktivists are “the limbs of [the] organizational body, [the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation]. [Raktivists] are the daily doers, movers and shakers; reaching out to others and not just talking the talk, but using those limbs to walk the walk.” The number of raktivists has grown greatly in recent years as National Random Acts of Kindness Day has gotten increasing press coverage and information about it has spread by word of mouth.

Kindness is one of the most valuable gifts a person can give to one another, and National Random Acts of Kindness Day recognizes this fact. As Mark Twain once said, “Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” It is a universal language that unites humanity. It is never wasted. It is never useless, and as National Random Acts of Kindness Day shows, there is no such thing as a kindness that is too small to be meaningful. Sometimes the smallest actions are the ones that have the greatest effects and permanently change a life for the better.