A Year of Doing Good

by Judith O'Reilly 

Judith is well known for her blog ‘Wife in the North’ documenting her move from London with her family, to a small village in Northumberland and all that it entailed. This was produced as a book of the same name and is a fabulously funny read of the ups and downs of country life!

In 2011, fed up of making and breaking her usual New Year resolutions, Judith embarked on a social experiment to do something good, every day, for a whole year. She figured that it couldn’t be that hard to do and she was interested to know whether it would bring her happiness and contentment, and make her a better person. Whilst living her normal chaotic family life and juggling her various commitments, Judith embarks on her unusual challenge. 'A Year of Doing Good' describes her experiences, the trials and tribulations of trying to be a good person and the mistakes she makes along the way - her first mistake being to assume it would be an easy task to complete!

Each chapter is dedicated to a different resolution – some big, some small – and the reader is whisked through a whirlwind of events and feelings which are funny, uplifting and inspiring whilst also being searingly honest at times when the deeds are not necessarily done with joy but with resentment instead! A very human response I feel.

The good deeds vary from small actions such as helping a blind lady off a train (perhaps Judith should have asked her first!), making cups of tea for the builders across the road and baking cakes as gifts, to bigger tasks like looking after a sick child so that their mother could rest, persuading a millionaire to make a donation to charity and helping students with their CVs. The list is very varied. During her good deed year, Judith also created the Jam Jar Army raising money for local charities. Their motto being ‘Eat the jam and fill the jar with change.’

As we read about her exploits and her attempts to do good, we discover that being helpful can be hard work, exhausting and often thankless, that it is sometimes hard to find people in need of good deeds and that sometimes people are just not willing to accept something good.

It is a fun read with an inspiring message that no good deed is too small and that trying to do kind things for others can make you happy – most of the time! Judith acknowledged that the year had given her purpose and had ultimately made her feel better about herself, but was harder than she had initially anticipated. The day after her challenge finished, she vowed not to do a good deed for the whole of that day – but puts it in rather more colourful language than I would dare use!