When Carrie McQuaid found out she would be on a business trip over her birthday, she decided to make the day a little more special and spread some kindness while she was at it.
“I feel like there have been a ton of bad airplane horror stories in the news these days,” she wrote. She wanted to create a good one.
About a month before her birthday she reached out to Southwest Airlines and asked if it would be okay to bring some small goodies bags for her fellow passengers. They gave her a resounding yes and told her to check the gift bags in with the flight attendants when she boarded.
When she got on her flight and told the flight attendants her plan, they couldn’t believe it.
“The flight attendant that I told said, ‘WHAT?!’ when I told him that I had wrapped up 185 bags of goodies + brought letters for the pilots & crew,” she wrote.
About halfway through the flight all of the flight attendants came over to wish Carrie a happy birthday and give her a sweet card. Then they made an announcement about her goodie bags over the intercom and the whole plane sang “Happy Birthday” to Carrie before she passed out the bags.
Inside each of the bags Carrie had placed a note about why she was passing out gifts to strangers for her birthday.
“Hi stranger! I hope you have an amazing flight today!” she wrote. “I truly believe that kindness is what makes the world go ’round. Tomorrow happens to be my birthday. Yay! So I decided to put some love into the world and made you a goodie bag to make this flight even more enjoyable.
“My birthday wish is that everyone on this flight would pay it forward to someone else,” she continued. “I’d like to believe that there are still really good people in the world. In fact, I bet you’re one of them. Let’s all make this world a better, kind place together. Safe travels on whatever adventure this flight is taking you to! xoxo Carrie Grace #justplanekindness”
What a special way to celebrate her birthday!
Carrie finished her post with an important reminder that is good for all of us to heed:
“Here is the truth: if you are looking for bad news you’ll find it because it’s all around us,” she wrote. “If you want to find good news, then be it. Be the good news that the world needs.”
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