Spreading Positivity: Joy Bombs

posted February 17, 2022

Just before the holidays, our Cardinal staff members participated in what we hope was our first annual Joy Bomb professional development event.

You may be asking yourself, what is a joy bomb? Joy bombs are an activity invented by Shawn Achor, whose methods we use in our Project Orange and Project Spark programs. Joy bombs are essentially surprising someone with gratitude.

For Cardinal's professional development purposes, our team members split up into eight groups and spread out through Wapello County to drop off joy bombs. Each group chose a few local businesses or organizations to spread some joy to.

"We want to make sure we practice the power of gratitude and share our gratitude with people that help Cardinal CSD," Cardinal Superintendent Joel Pedersen explained.

Bethany Short's (Cardinal SEAL interventionist and behavior strategist) group surprised people at South Ottumwa Savings Bank, Rupe Mechanical, Aldi, and Fraction.

"We took them cookies and danced through their lobbies," Ms. Short said. "When people realized who we were, we were met with smiles and laughs. We had a great time. "

Ms. Short's group made a show of it, playing music and laughing as they entered the businesses and delivered their goodies and messages of thankfulness. Nicole Ward (Cardinal special education teacher) and her group employed similar tactics when visiting the Wapello County Sheriff's Office, Godfrey’s, North Hy-Vee Starbucks, Indian Hills Bookstore, and Eastview Animal Hospital.

"Since we did this on a Monday, I feel like it helped kick off the week for those people on a positive note," Mrs. Ward said. "Everyone was genuinely surprised and grateful for us coming by. We tried to pick places that were less expected, but places that still have an impact on our lives."

The employees and business owners had varying reactions, some a little unsure, some with delight, and some with heartfelt emotion, but all seemed appreciative of the contagious happiness our team members shared.

"Creating joy for others can be such a simple act, but so impactful," Ms. Short said of the experience. 

Ms. Short's conclusion is exactly why the activity was planned and why Mr. Pedersen hopes it becomes an annual development exercise.

"Joy bombs help our team understand that we are all connected to our community partners," Mr. Pedersen said. "It also allows them to understand the importance of sharing happiness with others."

Joy bombs also provide a way to give back to the community and, hopefully, create a ripple effect of positivity in Eldon. 

"Some of the people we visit are not told they matter very often," Mr. Pedersen said. "We wanted to let them know that they matter and we appreciate them."