Americans are frustrated and angrier then ever today. You can feel the tension almost everywhere you go; stores, work place, doctor’s offices and even on the highways, it’s an endless epidemic. So how can we improve our life in such a challenging world? We can begin by simply smiling and doing one random act of kindness each day; a ‘good deed’ so-to-speak.

More often than not …our world news is negative … in fact, being an election year; it makes for more frustrating Americans. People have so much on their minds these days, such as; the economy (less quality and lower paying jobs), more health issues, who will our next president be and how will we survive. I’m sure many of you can relate to at least one topic mentioned here. What we all need to do is focus on improving our daily lives, which can easily be done through good deeds of sorts. A great example is Jeannetta Presley, she’s the woman from Munice, Indiana… who had decided to do something good for her neighbors, as so many are struggling with money issues and not always able to provide their families with basic necessities. She created a ‘Blessing Box’ which she placed close to the street in her front yard. This box was created using a small black cabinet and stocked with personal items such as toiletries on one shelf and non-perishables on the other. On the outside of this box she used masking tape to write the message “Take what you need, bring what you can.” She found the idea on face book, and decided to do something for others, a good deed…and indeed it was!

Practicing kindness can be as simple as opening a door for someone, letting a car into your lane, or maybe to smile at someone who’s having a bad day. The effort is minimal really. We should all be vigilant in watching for those with heavy hearts, like the story of the woman from Minnesota. It was last week, while this woman was driving across one of the bridges in St. Paul, Minnesota when she noticed a person standing on the edge (outside of the fence), getting ready to jump. Quickly she pulled over, running towards the individual who was about to commit suicide, so she pleaded with her, letting her know that she is loved and whatever it was couldn’t be that bad. But the woman continued to let go, so the witness flagged down other passing cars to help, as she was hanging on the tail of her shirt and a belt loop screaming. Before long this group of strangers, along with police, had rescued her. This was a great act of kindness; the woman who decided to pull over in order to see if she could help and a group of complete strangers…they were all in when it came to making a difference in someone else’s life that day. This was a group effort to hang on to this woman, and I can’t imagine how each one of them felt after saving her life. No one will ever forget that. This was a positive spin to a story which might have ended the opposite way, had no one noticed and stopped; it shows humility and compassion with one another. It does exist, but we must all join together in the act of kindness and stay aware at all times, you never know when you might be able to make a difference, whether it’s an individual’s life or your community…the ability to do good deeds can be a gratifying experience for everyone. You can join the National Good Deeds Day by getting involved in this Global movement, which is April 2, 2017. You can check it out at www.good-deeds-day.org …let’s do it and make it count!