Today is National Cheer Up A Lonely Person Day or as my fellow interns and I like to say “National Make A Stranger Smile Day” (because does someone really have to be lonely for you to positively impact their day?). Earlier today myself and the other interns, Paige and Emily, went around the University of Pittsburgh with the intention to spread some cheer to strangers and we did just that!
We started the day handing out paper flowers to people saying “Happy Tuesday!,” leaving pennies around heads up, putting sticky notes with positive messages up in bathrooms, leaving positive cards addressed to “you” on benches and tables and handing granola bars with drop card information out to a few homeless men. And the best part was we made people smile!
How can you cheer up someone today?
It is simple really.
1. Text or call a friend or family member just to say, “Hello, Happy Tuesday! How are you today?”
2. Leave an inspirational quote or message on a sticky note in a public place. Paige, Emily and I enjoyed putting ours in bathrooms to brighten peoples’ day!
Some ideas for messages are: Love Yourself
I’m rooting for you!
I support you 100%
You are special.
Believe in yourself! I do.
Or a Leslie Knope inspired quote like: “You poetic and noble land mermaid”
3. Take someone to 7/11 for a free slurpee!
4. Then, take them to Chick-Fil-A dressed up as a cow for Cow Appreciation Day and get free food!
5. Put drop cards with information for help lines for the homeless on granola bars and hand them out.
6. Leave lucky pennies on the ground or just around. Make sure they are heads up!
7. Write thoughtful notes in blank cards and give them to people you know to tell them you are thinking of them or make ones for strangers and write on the envelop “For: You! Yes, You!”
8. Visit a nursing home and make someone’s day!
9. Write a positive note with chalk on the sidewalk. (We encountered this on our journey! It was awesome!)
10. Hand out real flowers or make tissue paper flowers and hand those out, while saying “Happy Tuesday!” Learn how to make paper flowers through this link: http://www.instructables.com/id/Tissue-Paper-Flowers/
Take the time to make someone else feel good today. Let them know they are special and loved and not alone. It will make a huge impact.