By: Josie Nelson

I’ve always loved the quote, “Throw kindness around like confetti.” It just brings a smile to my face thinking about how simple kindness and inspiring others can be. World Kindness Day (WKD) occurs each year on November 13th, with its primary goal to “help everyone understand that compassion for others is what binds us all together” (Inspire Kindness).

World Kindness Day is observed in countries around the world, including the United States, Canada, Japan, and Australia. It was first introduced in 1998 and has consistently launched in many places as part of the World Kindness Movement group. Though the day is an unofficial observance, the World Kindness Movement is hopeful of attaining official recognition status by the United Nations. If successful, WKD would join the ranks of other recognized days of observance, such as Human Rights Day and International Day of Peace.

At ARO, some of our top values include compassion, enlightenment, and courage, which are foundations for bringing kindness to all. Celebrating World Kindness Day can be as simple as pledging to do one intentional act of kindness on November 13th to benefit someone else. Here are just a few ideas to spread joy and kindness to those around you:
• Call a relative you haven’t spoken to in a while
• Tidy up around your house
• Pick up trash you see on the ground outside
• Hold the door open for someone
• Chat with a stranger and ask them about their day
• Pay for a stranger’s coffee or meal
• Join Dance For Kindness Virtual Event for Free at https://www.danceforkindness.com/

Check out these incredible resources for more ideas, background on WKD, and how to get even more involved in participating on this special day.

Inspire Kindness: https://inspirekindness.com/world-kindness-day
Random Acts of Kindness: https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/world-kindness-day

Don’t forget to share your act(s) of kindness with ARO on social media, and follow along with these hashtags from the resources above.
#WorldKindnessDay #MakeKindnesstheNorm #MakeKindnessVisible #BreatheLife #ARO