Celebrating LULU – Loosen Up, Lighten Up – Day

Today is LULU – Loosen Up, Lighten Up – Day, and yesterday was World Kindness Day. LULU advocates for less stress and more laughter in life. The two celebrations go well together because kindness naturally lowers our stress and brings smiles to both givers and receivers.

We all have an opportunity to be kind in at least small ways in our every encounter every day. A smile, a compliment, a kind word, an opened door – all can sometimes uplift another person in ways that are more profound than we can imagine. Even common courtesy – please, thank you, and “It was my pleasure” – makes the world a nicer place to live in. And when smiles lead to shared laughter, that’s magic.

But I am especially fond of creative kindness. This Reader’s Digest article listed a bunch of examples. Here’s one of my favorites:

A woman related that when her grandson Max was turning 21, he told his mother (Andrea) to donate to charity whatever money she had planned to give him. Andrea took out 21 $10 bills from the bank, bought 21 apples, enlisted Max’s brother Charlie as her video cameraman, and the two of them set out. “When they spotted a homeless man, Andrea told him, ‘Today is my son Max’s 21st birthday, and he asked me to give a gift to someone to help him celebrate.’ She handed the man a $10 bill and an apple. The man smiled into the camera and announced, ‘Happy birthday, Max!’” Next came men and women waiting in line at a soup kitchen “In a unified chorus, they wished Max, ‘Happy birthday.’” At a pizza parlor, Andrea left $50 and told the owners to feed the hungry. ‘Happy birthday, Max!’ they shouted. With one last $10 bill and apple, they stopped at Andrea’s sister’s office. Unable to contain her laughter or her tears, she bellowed into the camera, ‘Happy birthday, Max’!”

Two other points are important to make.

1. Remember to be kind and gentle to yourself. It has been nearly four years since the brain surgery that saved my life, and that also left me with numerous visible and invisible deficits. What I learned early on in my recovery is that everybody is dealing with something. Author Brad Meltzer has said, “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind.” Yes, to yourself and others.
2. Never reject an act of kindness. Kindness is a gift, and it’s rude to reject a gift given with no expectation from the receiver. Plus, sometimes it is more important to the giver to give than it is for the receiver to receive. There can be a profound motivation among those who pay it forward.

Talk about it:

• Talk about a time when someone’s unexpected kindness uplifted you.
• Talk about a time when your kind gesture surprised you by how much it meant to the receiver.

This post is an edited excerpt from yesterday’s e-newsletter, Wait Lifters – uplifting content for every kind of downtime.? If you enjoyed it, please share it.

Kathy Laurenhue, M.A, C.H.P., is the creator and CEO of Wiser Now, Inc., dedicated to fostering wellbeing in people of all ages. Known for her practical and lighthearted approach, she is the author of multiple books and newsletters, dozens of training courses and webinars, and hundreds of trivia quizzes, word, games, and discussion exercises. Check out the many offerings of her Wiser Now, Inc. website, her CreatingDelight.com ?website (focused on creating fun and goodwill) and her Caregiving website?(focused on both givers and receivers). She welcomes your feedback at [email protected].?