Ten Ideas to Make Someone’s Day
1. Phone an old friend. — I called my elementary school principal who I hadn’t spoken with in over 30 years. It made both of our days.
2. Give a gift for no particular ocassion. — My brother-in-law sent me a Space Pen after I had mentioned months before that I thought the one he had was cool.
3. Send a card. — For a birthday or anniversary or just to say that you’re thinking about that person. E-cards and quick and easy. A written note is better.
4. Collect “What I Love About You” letters. — If you want to make someone’s month, collect “What I Love About You” letters from friends and family and give them to the recipient one day at a time. I did this for my wife’s 50th birthday, a letter each day for a month, and put them all in a binder. It was the best present she’d ever received.
5. Help your neighbor. — Shovel the snow from their sidewalk. Invite them over for a meal. Bring over some cookies.
6. Give a gift to a stranger. — Being a songwriter, I love giving CDs to people I don’t really know — the bank teller, the parent at school, the person sitting next to me on the plane.
7. Make someone right. — Whoever you’re talking to, just make them right. Tell them they have every reason to think or feel the way they do.
8. Give a sincere compliment. — Tell your waitress how nice it was to have her serve you. Tell your son or daughter what a good job they did. Tell your friend something you really like about them. Catch your spouse doing something well that you usually take for granted.
9. Give a special gift. — Make something with your own hands. Customize a music CD for a friend. Give flowers from your own garden. A buddy once sent me customized golf balls with my nickname printed on them.
10. Just listen. — Take the time to listen to someone — your child, your significant other, your neighbor. Just give them your attention. Just listen and affirm what they’re saying.
Posted 31 January 2006