World Smile Day!

This year, World Smile Day falls on Friday October 4th. Here is more about the origin and mission behind World Smile Day:

“Harvey Ball, a commercial artist from Worcester, created the smiley face in 1963. Ball’s image went on to become the most recognizable symbol of good will and good cheer on the planet.

As the years passed, Harvey Ball became concerned about the over-commercialization of his symbol, and how its original meaning and intent had become lost in the constant repetition of the marketplace. Out of that concern came his idea for World Smile Day®. He thought that we, all of us, should devote one day each year to smiles and kind acts throughout the world. The smiley face knows no politics, no geography and no religion. Harvey’s idea was that for at least one day each year, neither should we. He declared that the first Friday in October each year would henceforth be World Smile Day®. Ever since that first World Smile Day®, held in 1999, it has continued every year in Smiley’s hometown of Worcester, MA and around the world.

After Harvey died in 2001, the Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation was created to honor his name and memory. The Foundation continues as the official sponsor of World Smile Day® each year.

The website was created to provide information about World Smile Day®, Harvey Ball and Smiley. Browse the archives to learn more about past World Smile Day® events, Smiley and his creator – Harvey Ball. And be sure to join the celebration this year on Friday, October 4th 2024, and ‘Do an act of kindness. Help one person smile’!”

An act of kindness doesn’t need to be a grandiose gesture; it can be something very simple, something that shows you’ve acknowledged someone else in a small way that can mean something much bigger than what we may ever know.

Here are 50 acts of kindness ideas from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation:

Pay it Backward: buy coffee for the person behind you in line.
Compliment the first three people you talk to today.
Send a positive text message to five different people right now.
Post inspirational sticky notes around your neighborhood, office, school, etc.
Tell someone they dropped a dollar (even though they didn’t). Then give them a dollar.
Donate old towels or blankets to an animal shelter.
Say hi to the person next to you on the elevator.
Surprise a neighbor with freshly baked cookies or treats!
Let someone go in front of you in line who only has a few items.
Leave a gas gift card at a gas pump.
Throw a party to celebrate someone just for being who they are, which is awesome.
Have a LinkedIn account? Write a recommendation for a coworker or connection.
Leave quarters at the laundromat.
Encounter someone in customer service who is especially kind? Take an extra five minutes to tell their manager.
Leave unused coupons next to corresponding products in the grocery store.
Leave a note on someone’s car telling them how awesome they parked.
Try to make sure every person in a group conversation feels included.
Write a kind message on your mirror with a dry erase marker for yourself, your significant other or a family member.
Place a positive body image notes in jean pockets at a department store.
Smile at five strangers.
Set an alarm on your phone to go off at three different times during the day. In those moments, do something kind for someone else.
Send a gratitude email to a coworker who deserves more recognition.
Practice self-kindness and spend 30 minutes doing something you love today.
Give away stuff for free on Craig’s List.
Write a gratitude list in the morning and again in the evening.
Know parents who could use a night out? Offer to babysit for free.
Hold up positive signs for traffic or in a park for people exercising outside!
Return shopping carts for people at the grocery store.
Buy a plant. Put it in a terracotta pot. Write positive words that describe a friend on the pot. Give it to that friend!
Write a positive comment on your favorite blog, website, or a friend’s social media account.
Have a clean up party at a beach or park.
While you’re out, compliment a parent on how well-behaved their child is.
Leave a kind server the biggest tip you can afford.
When you’re throwing something away on the street, pick up any litter around you and put that in the trash too.
Pay the toll for the person behind you.
Put 50 paper hearts in a box. On each cutout write something that is special about your partner or a friend. Give them the box and tell them to pull out a heart anytime they need a pick-me-up.
Everyone is important. Learn the names of your office security guard, the person at the front desk and other people you see every day. Greet them by name. Also say “hello” to strangers and smile. These acts of kindness are so easy, and they almost always make people smile.
Write your partner a list of things you love about them.
Purchase extra dog or cat food and bring it to an animal shelter.
Find opportunities to give compliments. It costs nothing, takes no time, and could make someone’s entire day. Don’t just think it… SAY IT!
Take flowers or treats to the nurses’ station at your nearest hospital.
Keep an extra umbrella at work, so you can lend it out when it rains.
Send a ‘Thank you’ card or note to the officers at your local police or fire station.
Take muffins or cookies to your local librarians.
Run an errand for a family member who is busy.
Leave a box of goodies in your mailbox for your mail carrier.
Tape coins around a playground for kids to find.
Put your phone away while in the company of others.
Email or write to a former teacher who made a difference in your life.
When you hear that discouraging voice in your head, tell yourself something positive — you deserve kindness too!