Valentine’s Day isn’t the only day in February dedicated to showing love. February 17th was Random Acts of Kindness Day, so if you felt the world getting a little brighter, that might be why.
For 24 hours, strangers were buying strangers cups of coffee or bestowing them with compliments.
But if you missed Random Acts of Kindness Day, don’t sweat it. You can commit a random act of kindness any day of the year. Random acts of kindness can be big or small. It can consist of anything from baking cookies for someone else to giving a gift to cleaning up a beach. The point is simply to do something altruistic and bring joy into someone else’s life.
Random Acts of Kindness Day started in New Zealand, where it is celebrated on September 1st. Here in the States, the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation celebrates Random Acts of Kindness Week the second full week of February. Because sometimes just one day isn’t enough.
Here’s how people on Twitter celebrated:
Mum and I did lots of litter picking around our village today. We removed crisp packets, sweet wrappers, plastic bottles, glass bottles, plastic bags and all sorts of other rubbish from the lane and some waterways (Mum used an old mop for the latter!) #RandomActsOfKindnessDay— Belle ????? (@Synth_Pop_Belle) February 17, 2019
Dad did his good deed at the supermarket. There was an old lady who didn’t have enough money for her shopping, so he jumped straight in a took all the shopping back and put it back on the shelves for her. Save her going round again. #RandomActsOfKindnessDay— TheRealDanieltheSpaniel (@RAFpolicedog) February 17, 2019
Helped the neighbour carry in their shopping from the car as she had loads of bags and looked ready for a sit down! #RandomActsofKindnessDay— Denise W (@VelvetGlove2000) February 19, 2019
Reddit user Girlfriendhatesmefor’s three-year-old pitbull, Otis, had recently become overprotective of his wife. So he asked the online community if they knew what might be wrong with the dog.
“A week or two ago, my wife got some sort of stomach bug,” the Reddit user wrote under the subreddit /r/dogs. “She was really nauseous and ill for about a week. Otis is very in tune with her emotions (we once got in a fight and she was upset, I swear he was staring daggers at me lol) and during this time didn’t even want to leave her to go on walks. We thought it was adorable!”
His wife soon felt better, butthe dog’s behavior didn’t change.
Girlfriendhatesmefor began to fear that Otis’ behavior may be an early sign of an aggression issue or an indication that the dog was hurt or sick.
So he threw a question out to fellow Reddit users: “Has anyone else’s dog suddenly developed attachment/aggression issues? Any and all advice appreciated, even if it’s that we’re being paranoid!”
The most popular response to his thread was by ZZBC.
Any chance your wife is pregnant?
ZZBC | Reddit
The potential news hit Girlfriendhatesmefor like a ton of bricks. A few days later, Girlfriendhatesmefor posted an update and ZZBC was right!
“The wifey is pregnant!” the father-to-be wrote. “Otis is still being overprotective but it all makes sense now! Thanks for all the advice and kind words! Sorry for the delayed reply, I didn’t check back until just now!”
Redditors responded with similar experiences.
Anecdotal I know but I swear my dog knew I was pregnant before I was. He was super clingy (more than normal) and was always resting his head on my belly.
realityisworse | Reddit
So why do dogs get overprotective when someone is pregnant?
Jeff Werber, PhD, president and chief veterinarian of the Century Veterinary Group in Los Angeles, told Health.com that “dogs can also smell the hormonal changes going on in a woman’s body at that time.” He added the dog may “not understand that this new scent of your skin and breath is caused by a developing baby, but they will know that something is different with you—which might cause them to be more curious or attentive.”
The big lesson here is to listen to your pets and to ask questions when their behavior abruptly changes. They may be trying to tell you something, and the news may be life-changing.
Throughout history, women have stood up and fought to break down barriers imposed on them from stereotypes and societal expectations. The trailblazers in these photos made history and redefined what a woman could be. In doing so, they paved the way for future generations to stand up and continue to fight for equality.
While conspiracy theories are not limited to any topic, there is one type of event that seems particularly likely to spark them: mass shootings, typically defined as attacks in which a shooter kills at least four other people.
When one person kills many others in a single incident, particularly when it seems random, people naturally seek out answers for why the tragedy happened. After all, if a mass shooting is random, anyone can be a target.
