May 29 - Kind Dispatch

Day 149 of a year of Kindness

I bought these flowers for a cause. The ad said that if I purchased this bouquet then 10+ meals would go to a local hunger organization. Once I got the flowers, I felt like I should give them to someone.

Later, I had to get a background check at the police station so I could volunteer. This nice officer named Jen, told me I needed different forms so I had to come back. She was so nice to me that I decided to give her the flowers. It felt like it was going to be weird - asking a woman behind a bullet proof glass if she wanted a bouquet of flowers for no reason - but I did it anyway. She was delighted. She pressed the buzzer, opened the door, took the bouquet and thanked me. 

“Now we will have something beautiful to look at in dispatch,” she said.

I can’t think of a single time this kindness effort has gone bad or gotten too weird. I think most people are receptive to a simple act of unconditional kindness. And now, the dispatch officers at the Narragansett Police Department can look at some flowers while they manage some high-stress calls.

Science of kindness: Research reveals that giving flowers to others, including law enforcement, sparks joy, releases happy hormones, makes them feel appreciated and causes positive moods. #kindnessiscontagious #kindnessisfree #kindness #bekind #flowersfordispatch