Shoppers at Mall of America were gifted with free flowers today; one to keep and one to share

Time for a little positivity. We need that certainly throughout our day and especially in our newscasts these days. 1130 and here on All Day at 11. Did you know? Studies have linked giving and receiving flowers to lower levels of stress and anxiety. It is true. What a shocker. Oh, that good energy is evident at Mall of America right now where flowers are being handed out to shoppers for the 11th annual Petal It Forward Day as in P-E-T-A-L. And who better than Lauren and Draco? to show us all about it and how it's going out there. Hi, Lauren. Good morning, Tom. Yeah, Petal It Forward, a nationally organized, recognized event here for over 10 years. If you search hashtag Petal It Forward on social media, you can see all sorts of videos of people across the country giving and handing out flowers. And that's what we're doing here today at MOA. Bachman's is here giving out, i mean really any kind of flower you could ever want mums lilies i don't know what these things are called but they're really pretty and the goal here is very simple you get in line you get two different stems one is for you one is to give to somebody else maybe a loved one maybe a friend maybe a random person you see in MOA who might look like they need a little uh brightening up their day and it is a little dreary outside so i'm loving it i'm loving the smell of these lilies and i want to introduce you to Christina from Bachman's man what a great work day. Oh my gosh, this is like the best day of the year. I'm having so much fun. Tell me a little bit about why you guys are doing this here today. It just means so much to people to get random acts of kindness done. Not many people were expecting to come to the mall and step away with two free flowers. So to see everybody smile, it's just so worth it. What are some of the things you're hearing from people? Are you asking them who they're going to give away the stem to? I'm so curious about that. Yeah, I've heard my mom, my boss, it's apparently National Bosses Day, so that worked out well. My grandma, just everyone. And some people don't even know, but then they'll walk around and try and find someone. Yeah, it seems like a very beautiful surprise. And what do you think? Is it better to receive a flower or to give a flower? I could see it going both ways. I think both is good. I would love to give one to someone who's just totally not expecting it. It's so sweet. Oh, I love it. This is going on till one o'clock today, Christina, thank you so much. I'm gonna try to chat with someone who just got a flower. Let's step in line over here and see who wants to chat with us. Hi friends, putting you on the spot. Talia? Talia. Talia. Yes. Were you expecting to get a flower at MOA today? I was not. I clocked in and it's lovely. I'm loving it, yes. So who are you gonna give your second stem to? My coworkers, of course. Oh. Yeah. Oh my gosh. It feels like it's a really nice way to feel joy not only giving a flower or getting a flower but giving it back I agree yes, absolutely now we should all spread a little bit more kindness absolutely Talia thank you all right you're next in line ma'am what is your name Mary Mary who are you going to be giving your flower to today one for myself and one for my girlfriend your girlfriend oh I love it she's not feeling very well and what better way to brighten someone's day did you have any idea they were doing these giveaways at MOA today? No. What a great surprise, right? Oh, I love it. Thank you so much. All right, you're next on the list. What is your name? Mary. You're also a Mary. I love it. You picked out some beautiful stems today. Those lilies smell fantastic, don't they? Yes, they do. Who is your second stem going to go to? My sister. Any reason why? She's special. She's special and she deserves it I love it what do you think it means to a good reminder random acts of kindness we all need that reminder right oh for sure yeah yeah all right Mary thank you so much I'm in the middle of line getting in the way of everybody right now pedal it forward here at MOA going on until one o'clock so if you're here come to the rotunda you'll get two stems Tom one for you one for someone who needs it I can just see people's faces brightening up this is a really fun way to spend a Wednesday. That's fantastic. You're smiling the whole time you're watching the story, which is just great. Now, you've got to pick out some flowers there for yourself. What are you picking out? What are your favorite flowers? I don't, you know, I love some fall stems, Tom. I wish we had smell-a-vision right now. These lilies smell fantastic. I have a sister named Lily. I love her so much. So lilies might be my stem today. Do not make the anchor cry on the air. Beautiful stuff as always. Thank you, Lauren.