I was that seating partner today. Out of habit I angled myself toward the aisle so that the cornered woman beside me could get off. Completely immersed in my thoughts, I suddenly hear, “Thank you.”

Thank you? I looked up and saw the curly-haired woman walking away. And I’m usually the woman in the corner who says “Thank you.” The gesture made me smile.

It’s what’s on the inside that counts…Beauty is only skin deep…Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder…You’re beautiful inside and out. You know it. But have you heard it recently?

You are beautiful. And sometimes you need to hear it. Maybe someone you know needs to hear it. So tell someone: you’re beautiful!

Inspired by the Facebook event Tell Her She’s Beautiful, because sometimes we need to hear it for ourselves.

If you’re looking for an act of kindness right now, or you know someone affected by the disaster in Haiti, or you just care, you can help.

You can read my blog post on Changetomorrowsworld.com to learn how you can make a difference.

Here’s how to keep a clean kitchen at work.

• Clean up after yourself. Don’t leave your dirty dishes in the sink—or worse, at your desk overnight. It’s unfair to everyone else who uses the kitchen, and you wouldn’t like to be stuck with someone else’s unidentifiable lunch remains, would you?
• Now is better than later. Wash your dishes now; don’t leave them for later. Laziness is like the bacterial fungi that may appear on your food, if left alone long enough—it grows over time.
• Rinse dishes before placing them in the dishwasher. It sounds counter-intuitive, but think about it. If a plate is heavy with chunks of food and it sits in the dishwasher, then when that machine turns on, the meat is going to spin and splosh and spray and…you get the picture.
• Clean the refrigerator once a month. Draft up a schedule for fridge clean-up, assigning months to pairs of staff members. There are health consequences, so clean fridge and freezer tips may be useful.
• Want to avoid kitchen politics altogether? Bring in your own dishes, wash them, and then bring them back home. That’s how I do it!

Here’s some inspiration for you—check out the Communal Fridge Blog for images of neglected refrigerators. I hope it doesn’t look familiar! Note: The blog isn’t quite up and running yet, but keep an eye on it!

Today, someone held a door open for me and when I thanked him, he said, “No prob” in a wonderfully casual way.

Be a nice helper. People will love receiving help from you and they’ll be eager to do something nice for you too.

If you do a good deed and no one knows about it, does it matter?

My answer: It matters to the person you helped, even if they don’t know it.

Did you commit a kind act or sacrifice for someone? Report it anonymously on the I Wish You Knew Too page.

How many times have you seen someone drop a glove or scarf on the subway? Did you let them know? That personal belonging could mean more than just a way of keeping warm; it might warm someone’s heart.

Three years ago I lost my glove—or so I thought. Not only was I left with one glove (rather useless, don’t you think?), but the missing glove was carrying a brooch that was meaningful to me, given to me by someone very special. Just as I was about to scold my other glove for not having gotten lost instead (it had no brooch on it), I spotted a flash of purple where I had been sitting—I was saved!