{It’s been six years since I first shared the Birthday Project with you. This has become an awesome tradition for my family and I look forward to it every year now.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve once again done many of the things listed below in celebration of this year’s birthday.}
Six years ago, I wrote:
I’m taking a break from the kitchen today; so that I can share my birthday project with you. In lieu of gifts for my 35th birthday, my birthday wish was to complete one Random Act of Kindness for every year of my life.
The Birthday Project idea was not my own, it was inspired by this post and this movement that is growing exponentially.
I did not photograph our acts of kindness, because I did not want my birthday project to become all about blogging it. I had a great time blessing my family, friends and complete strangers throughout my birthday celebration.
I made a list and planned some activities ahead of time, but I also enjoyed being spontaneous as we ran into people that we could bless with these things. My kids and I started about a week before my 35th birthday and last Saturday, my husband joined us to finish the list.
I’m sharing my list today, at the request of several friends. My hope is that this inspires others to share a bit of kindness with someone else today.
The Birthday Project
- Gave flowers away to the residents at a hospice and nursing care facility
- Invited our next door neighbor to dinner
- Brought in the neighbors’ trashcans
- Gave a flower to the door greeter at Costco
- Printed my birthday email from Redbox and taped the free movie code along with some tootsie pops to the front of the machine
- Snuggled on the couch and watched a kid’s movie with my boys all morning instead of working around the house
- Set up the kid’s wading pool and let them play for an hour before we left the house to run errands
- Took a flower to the girl working at the hair salon next to the grocery store
- Took a flower to our cashier at the produce store
- Walked around the produce store giving away candy and telling the shoppers to have a great day
- Gave granola bars and water to a homeless man
- Anonymously paid for a stranger’s meal at a restaurant
- Gave treat bags to the employees working in customer service at the grocery store
- Gave miniature chocolate bars to shoppers at the grocery store
- Gave a bag full of candy to our cashier at the grocery store, so that she could share with the other cashiers
- Bought a gift card and then gave it to the person behind me in line at the grocery store
- Sent cookies to a friend’s office for her to share with co-workers
- Delivered treat bags and thank you notes to the librarians
- Handed out lollipops to the rest of the people at the library
- My kids and I hung out for a while in the doorway at the grocery store, telling everyone to have a great day
- Made a big birthday breakfast for my kids and my husband – traditionally this is one of my husband’s gifts to me on my birthday
- Delivered a carton of ice cream, cookies and homemade chocolate and caramel sauces to the fire station
- Bought and then delivered toiletries to donate to the Phoenix Rescue Mission
- Delivered cartons of ice cream and homemade chocolate or caramel sauce to the neighbors in our cul-de-sac
- Took a bouquet of flowers to a neighbor living alone
- Delivered flowers to some friends
- Ran into a Jiffy Lube to deliver a bag of tootsie pops to the employees
- Delivered a meal to my sister and her family when they were sick
- Left candy and a thank you note for the mail carrier
- Taped quarters to toy machines at the grocery store
- Gave food to a homeless woman
- Traded my fancy birthday dinner date night for taking my kids to see a movie on Saturday afternoon
- Ran into a restaurant to give a free birthday dessert coupon to a table of strangers
- Ran into another restaurant to give a free birthday appetizer coupon to a group of strangers
- Gave jars of homemade salad dressings to the women in my small group
FAVORITE MOMENTS
My 8-year-old: “This is so much fun! I’m so happy. I can’t stop laughing and I feel like I’m going to burst.” Three days into this project –“ I still can’t believe how much fun this is. I never knew it was more fun to give things away than it is to get things!”
My 6-year-old: “This is awesome! I want to give away a bunch of my toys now and make more people happy.” “I wish we had more bags of stuff to give away to strangers!”
My 2-year-old: Telling every person he handed a treat bag to, “Have a good day!!” Sitting through his very first movie in a theater and looking over at us every 20 minutes or so and saying “Thank you much, thank you very much!”
Watching as my boys came to the realization for the first time in their life that it really is more fun to give than to receive was the most priceless birthday gift I could have asked for.
Thank you for letting me share my joy with you. Hearing back from friends and family members with stories of how they blessed other friends and strangers on my birthday was quite possibly the most fun of all.
Kim in MN says
I have enjoyed so many of your wonderful recipes and the stories that accompany them, but this is the most wonderful recipe ever! Happy Birthday, and thank you for sharing this sweet and moving story
Dhoom says
Wow Mary, I'm in awe of you. I could just picture you doing these things as I was reading down the list. You're setting such an example for those adorable munchkins of yours. Happy Happy Birthday!
– See more at: https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/2012/09/the-birthday-project.html#sthash.o80d5icY.dpuf
J says
You are terrific!
Sandi says
I love all these ideas. Some I have done but you have given me some wonderful others to do. Thank you. Hugs,
Donna Oliphint says
The response from your kids–WOW! Just WOW!!!
Mary Younkin says
They love the birthday project each year almost as much as I do, Donna. It’s so much fun!