Invisible Hugs

(Invisible hugs can be similar to "random acts of kindness” or “pay it forward.”)

Have you ever received an invisible hug? You know what I mean. Someone does something nice for you that just makes you feel loved and warm all over, like an invisible hug. It can be something as simple as a stranger smiling at you, someone giving you a sincere compliment, or someone holding the elevator for you when you’re running late.

Think about what unexpected little thing would make you happy and do that for someone else. Here are just a few examples. Let me know what others you can come up with.

• Drop a quarter on the sidewalk in an area where kids play, so one of them will have the joy of finding it.
• Pick a flower from your garden and leave it outside someone’s home or office door when they’ll see it.
• Take cookies to an elderly neighbor and sit down to talk with them for a while.
• Let your students leave their last class a little early one Friday. (This is for my fellow teachers out there.)
• When you’re drying your hands in a public restroom, pull some extra paper towels down in the towel dispenser for the next person.
• “See” people in the service industry. Notice them. Look them in the eye. Let them know that you see them as a person and not just as a food dispenser or other kind of machine.
• Let someone merge or pull out in front of you on a high traffic day.
• Send someone an old-school snail mail card just because.
• Send a “thank you” card to your police and/or fire departments.
• Let someone with fewer items get in front of you in a check-out line.
• Anonymously send flowers or chocolates to someone.
• Cut your neighbor’s grass while you’re cutting yours.
• Pick up the check when you’re out with friends or family.
• Wash someone’s car for them.
• Pay attention and participate in class. :) (This will make your teacher’s day.)
• And finally, my favorite one is when the person in the drive-through line in front of you pays for your meal along with theirs. When you get up to the window, and the cashier tells you that your food has been paid for, it can give you just the pick-me-up that you need to change your outlook on the whole day.

The best thing about hugs is that they can benefit the giver as much as the receiver, even invisible ones.

Give someone an invisible hug today!