SEATTLE — At a time when bad news and angry social media posts seem to dominate national conversations, a Seattle artist launched a project to prove the power of kind gestures.
Every day for a year, Carrie Schmitt gave a rose to a complete stranger.
"It's inspired by my grandparents. My grandfather used to give my grandmother a rose once a month,” she said. "He would surprise her with one so she could have one all year long rather than a dozen on Valentine's Day."
She also gave each stranger handmade cards containing inspirational quotes.
The interactions brought people joy and helped Schmitt heal.
"I was going through some personal heartache and I could feel my heart hardening and I was like, ‘I don't want to be cynical. I want to stay soft,’” she said. “So that's why I started doing it. And it worked!”
Sometimes the exchanges were brief. Sometimes, they were meaningful. But every time, they had the power to create a connection.
"Right away, I noticed the lighting around their faces changes - they light up,” Schmitt said. "It's a moment of connection on a deeper, more soulful level."
She met hundreds of people over 365 days. When her year-long project ended, she realized she was far from done.
The Single Rose Project is now an on-going exercise in kindness.
"It's part of my daily life, and it's become a spiritual practice for me about connecting and finding our shared oneness,” she said. "I really do believe in the power of small acts, you never know where that will lead,” she said.
You can follow the project on Facebook and if you’d like to participate, Schmitt made rose cards for others to hand out.
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