“Planning” for 31 Days of Random Acts of Kindness: A Pre-New Year’s Resolution

Okay, so I’m asking a lot.  New Years’ resolutions are notorious for only lasting a few weeks, or even days.  Some main reasons: they are overly ambitious, unrealistic, and come at a time after we are all worn out from the holidays.  But doing nice things for people goes with the Thanksgiving and Christmas Seasons. 

Anne Herbert’s book was written 40 years ago now. It has stimulated a worldwide movement. In any season, every once in a while, we are allowed to “commit” a random act of kindness.

Just the other night, Dr. Paul Koch and I were headed up to a meeting in Wilmington.  We were a few minutes ahead of schedule when a student walked over and asked if I could jump-start his car (a very impressive Mustang, at that.) I was happy to oblige because it was the right thing to do. This is especially true when I think of all the times someone has bailed me out with a jump start (or, in my younger years, running out of gas.)  It was something I could easily do.  In this column I’m asking myself, and hopefully you, to be much more intentional about helping others at random times and in creative ways.

One year, Benjamin Franklin decided on 13 key virtues.  Rather than take on all 13 at once, he would work on one for approximately a month and then move on to the next.  Franklin was a master at planning and kept a journal of his actions.  Tomorrow is December 1.  So I’m committing myself to take a” Franklin-like” approach.  And then, I will report back to you my thoughts, actions, and reactions in January. This creates accountability.  You may want to join me in a project of your own.  Whether you do an act of kindness once a day or once a week, it is a marvelous way to prepare for the New Year with a powerful new habit even before 2023 begins.  So if you join me for 31 days or just a few days, our number one 2023 resolution can be “Continue our random act of kindness program.

We could debate about whether you can actually “plan” to do a “random” act of kindness.  Random is defined as “made, done, happening, or chosen without method or conscious decision.” So in one sense, planning random acts of kindness may be an oxymoron.  Rather, the plan is a commitment to do something meaningful.  The second website below gives us hundreds of possible ideas, or you can create your own.  Put 10-12 in your toolkit.  Your preparation will undoubtedly meet opportunity, especially in random occurrences.

The phrase “practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty” was written by Anne Herbert on a placemat in Sausalito, California, in 1982.  It inverted or converted the phrase “random acts of violence and senseless acts of cruelty” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random_act_of_kindness)

Herbert’s book “Random Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty” was first published much later in February 1993, where she shared true stories of acts of kindness. 

National Random Acts of Kindness Day is celebrated every February 17, first originating in Denver in 1995.  This celebration aims to make the world a little brighter and better through little and simple kind gestures, words, and actions.  The Foundation encourages kindness at work and in your life in general.  I suggest you check it out.  https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/  They even have a free 12-month calendar giving you a daily idea to practice these random acts.  Each month has a theme: January-humor, February-love & kindness, etc.

So I have decided to just jump in and ask you to join me.  To get this process going, I decided to experiment a bit with a few ideas in the last couple of weeks.  So far, it has been a fantastic little adventure.  Let me share three right here.  This is not to pat me on the back, but rather note how even a small unplanned act of kindness makes people feel affirmed and enriches your life too.

One way to do this is to genuinely thank people who have gone the extra mile.  I am privileged to have a powerful forum in this column, but that is unnecessary for you.  Over the last months, we had to rent several U-Haul trucks and trailers as we moved to Iowa to move all of our stuff.   (I’m too embarrassed to say how many.) I want to highly commend the manager, Dana, at U-Haul on Kennedy for her tireless work in making my experience so positive.  She delivered outstanding service and took the extra effort to call me twice when I absent-mindedly left my driver’s license at their office.

Secondly, the other day I was in Menard’s in Bradley and stopped to have a little chat with an employee named Rick.  We had a pleasant visit about his background and customer service.  I know he was busy, but he was willing to engage me in conversation.

Finally, I was in the South Walmart in Cedar Rapids this past Saturday.  I was checking out the price of a battery and noticed a customer ahead of me.  His name was Justin, and I perceived his native language was not English, but he was doing reasonably well.  I asked him where he was from during the wait (without trying to be nosy.)  He said he was originally from the Congo.  He went on to tell me that he had worked four hard years to gain his American Citizenship.  He works at the Amana Corporation (now owned by Whirlpool) located in the Amana Colonies.  Without being patronizing, I said we welcomed him to the United States and was so glad he was here.

I’m not much of a written journal type of person, but I have already started one for this project and am ready to go.  How about you?

  Actor Morgan Freedom reminds us, “How do we change the world?  One random act of kindness at a time”

Don Daake, B.S., MBA, Ph.D., holds degrees from Kansas State University, the University of Iowa, and Florida State University.  He is a Professor Emeritus at Olivet.  He and his wife, Barbara, now live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  He can be contacted through the Daily Journal at editors@daily-journal.com or directly at ddaake@olivet.edu

“Great Scott”: I had to plead guilty!

How and why you need to avoid this EXPENSIVE situation

To be Published in the Kankakee Daily Journal Wednesday November 3, 2022

Who can forget the engaging, quirky Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown in the classic “Back to the Future” movie series? When startled, surprised, or shocked, his response was, “Great Scott!” Back in May, I had a Great Scott moment.

Let me explain. I started driving with my parents with a learner’s permit in 1965. After getting my full driver’s license, I averaged about 25,000 miles per year. According to my reckoning, I have driven approximately 1.3 million miles. I wish I could say I never had an accident, but my best count is around four or five. It is hard to accept that as we age, our reactions, sight, hearing, and general awareness decreases. However, I still consider myself a good driver.

During those 57 years, I received only two tickets and one warning. Of course, the number of tickets most of us have gotten is probably near a factor of 10 to 20, the number we have actually deserved. When recently standing in front of the Judge in traffic court, he said that a low number of citations was commendable. However, he still asked me if I wanted to plead guilty. (I will not disclose the County because I think the Court Officer and the Judge treated me fairly and respectfully. But it is along the I-80 corridor-so beware as you drive west.)

So what law did I break that cost me hundreds and a required court appearance? Scott’s Law. Over the last few months, in the process of moving, I-80 has become my personal highway. I have traveled back and forth probably 15 or more times in five months.

On the evening of May 27, we were heading home in the late evening. That was the beginning of Memorial Day, so I was cruising with the traffic, which was moving 75-80 mph. The traffic, especially of large semi-trailers, was wall to wall in both eastbound lanes. All I could see ahead of me was a sea of red tail lights. At that point, we received a phone call from Barbara’s brother. It was on the car’s system, and I glanced down for probably 1-2 seconds. We took the call and were merrily on our way.

About 2-3 miles down the road, I saw those dreaded Illinois Highway Patrol lights. According to the officer, I “blew” by him when he had his lights flashing for another stop. Granted, I was doing 77, but that was not the biggest issue. I had violated Scott’s Law- which requires any car in the right lane to either move over to the left lane or slow down significantly. 

I was shocked because even though my wife thought she had seen a stopped emergency vehicle, I did not see a state trooper’s car to the very best of my recollection. Being in the driver’s seat with wall-to-wall red tail lights with a blocked view of the shoulder, I explained to the officer I did not see him.

He was sympathetic up to a point and said he would not issue a speeding ticket but had to issue me a citation for a violation of Scott’s Law. I’m thinking ok, this might cost me $100-150, and I would pay it online. Nope! It doesn’t work that way. I was given a mandatory court date on July 5. 

The Court Officer was courteous, as was the Judge. When I explained the situation, I said, “I did not see the vehicle.”  I wanted to see some evidence! They said I could just go ahead and plead guilty then or get a continuation of about 4 weeks. The Court Officer told me it was going to be expensive. A $250 fine, a special $250 fee that goes into a Scott’s law education fund, and court costs. A total of $728 (and this is what really concerned me) and a possible 3-month suspension of my driver’s license) this is not something I needed in the middle of a move! They did not have the recording at the courthouse and had to send away for verification. Even though it meant a fairly long drive again, I chose the continuation.

So what is Scott’s Law, and how can you avoid having a “Great Scott” day?

“Also known as the “Move Over” Law, Scott’s Law was named in remembrance of Lieutenant Scott Gillen of the Chicago Fire Department who was struck and killed by an intoxicated driver while assisting at a crash on the Dan Ryan Expressway. Scott’s Law mandates that when approaching any police or other emergency vehicle stopped along the roadway, you must: Change lanes if possible; Always reduce speed, but reduce greatly if unable to change lanes; Proceed with increased caution” https://police.illinoisstate.edu/safety/scott/

The penalties are severe. A person found to be in violation of Scott’s Law faces a fine of not more than $10,000. A license suspension of 90 days to 1 year if the violation results in damage to the property of another person; 180 days to 2 years if the violation causes an injury to another person; 2 years if the violation results in the death of another person.

Even the minimum fine of over $700 is relatively hefty for most people. Still, suspending your license or an employee’s driver’s license for even 90 days could be a bigger disaster.

Fortunately, my violation of Scott’s Law was without aggravation, so no suspension was involved. At the continuation hearing in August, the Court Officer told me the video was not totally clear. Still, they had a sworn statement from the patrol officer. I again explained the situation to the Judge, and he told me about 90-95% of those charged had a similar situation to mine. They simply did not see the stopped vehicle. So when asked how do you plead, I had to say ‘Guilty.” I’m thankful there was no injury or damage, even though $728 is rather steep.

Scott’s law is there for a good reason. It is probably enforced most stringently in Illinois. It has good intentions, but I want to raise a real issue. Most modern patrol cars (especially the SUV variety) have light banks that are rather difficult to see from behind. In the last several months, I have repeatedly noticed that even in the right lane, from the driver’s side, your view of the shoulder of the road is almost always blocked in heavy traffic, particularly with large trucks.

Suppose the Judge’s observation is correct that 90-95% of the cases coming before him are like mine. In that case, I have to question how much the state really cares about the lives of its personnel. I suggest State officials carefully examine the visibility issue. The fact that besides the fine and court costs, I “contributed” $250 to Scott’s law education is fine with me. But the ultimate goal is to protect people and property, not to generate fine revenue (at least, we hope so.) So “Great Scott,” I was guilty. Learn from my experience, be extra vigilant with heavy traffic and protect our public workers!

Don Daake, B.S., MBA, Ph.D., holds degrees from Kansas State University, the University of Iowa, and Florida State University. He is a Professor Emeritus at Olivet. He and his wife, Barbara, now live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He can be contacted through the Daily Journal at editors@daily-journal.com or directly at ddaake@olivet.edu