Stories of Kindness from Around the World

A Jaw Dropping Performance in New York City

This weekend, a group of us were in Union Square, New York, watching Tylon and Macho, two contortionists and street dancers, put on a jaw dropping performance that included jumping over 7 people.  At the end, the hundreds of people watching began putting money into their bucket. 

One tiny little girl walks up with her mom, she couldn't have been more than 2 years old.  Tylon, who grew up in the Harlem projects, reaches into his bucket, folds up a couple of dollar bills, and hands them to the little girl.  Everyone who witnessed it was stunned and humbled by this pure act of giving.  Our jaws dropped for a second time. 

Inspired, my bro, Shrey, later pulled out several more bills and we snuck them into Tylon's bucket without him seeing. His small, simple act of giving will not be forgotten. 

If you happen to be in New York, be sure to catch these do-gooders Thurs-Sun evenings in Union Square, across from the Whole Foods!

The Little Boy and the Big Dog

The other day I was sitting in my sister's room playing with my PSP. Before I started playing, I looked out the window and saw this little kid standing at the front gate of the building he lives in. I didn't think of anything at first. I kept playing and playing.

Then, my Mom came in and was looking out the window and she saw that same little kid. She noticed something and told me that every time the little kid tried to walk up to his flat something stopped him and he came back out again. She also noticed that the little boy was crying. She asked me to go and check on him and find out what was stopping him from going upstairs.

I went over to where the boy was standing and found out that there was a BIG DOG sitting at his front door. This little boy was afraid of the dog and couldn't do anything about it. I held the boy's hand and helped him to go up the stairs to his home. He was very happy and ran into his house. I'm very happy that I helped that kid and made him very happy!

Being Just The Way You Are

A water bearer in China had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One pot had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After 2 years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the ... Read Full Story >>

When Blessings Come Home To Roost

I was recently invited to dinner by a friend. During the meal, the manager  of the restaurant came over and said that our meal was free. He stood there smiling at me and there was an air of familiarity about him but I couldn't quite place him. Finally I asked him if he knew me. He laughed and said I had probably forgotten him, but that I had changed his life.  My friend was quite curious and asked him how I had done this. He said that twelve years ago he was in recovery and I was teaching a stress management class that was mandatory for him to take in order to live in recovery housing.  I asked the group what their number one stress was and most, including him, had said it was their bosses. He said I listened carefully to everyone and then took a chair and placed it in the center of ... Read Full Story >>

Anonymous Gifts at Work

I started a project at work where I've been leaving anonymous gifts for people. I've been so excited about it, and so far, I've left gifts for four people. They aren't any big things, but I think it's such a cool thing to do. I've always loved doing things like this.

The toughest thing has been leaving the items and not getting caught. I've left a smile card behind asking the person to pay it forward. I've only gotten to see one person's reaction to their gift. I had to flat out lie when she asked if it was me! :)

I eventually plan to "tag" everybody. I hope people will start talking about it, so they can see they haven't been the only one who has received a gift. I'm hoping it will spread and catch on.

One Sign Of Hope

This week we took a handcrafted sign that we made down to our local Salvation Army and presented it to the captain. The sign read ‘HOPE’. He had an idea of where to put it as soon as he read it. The look on his face showed appreciation, with a touch of bewilderment. This organization sees, first-hand, the struggles of so many people. The reason we made and gifted them the sign is to help lives, who are in need of believing in a better tomorrow. A simple word can say so much. Life dishes out hard hits and unjust situations for all of us, at one time or another. We hope for an answer, a change of circumstance, or even a miracle. Some are hanging on to hope with all the strength they have. What would life be like living with no hope? What would the world be like? To ... Read Full Story >>

Ticket Checker On The Way To Bangalore

I was travelling  in the train from Raichur to Bangalore, on the Mumbai-Coimbatore Express in India.  The train was full and chugging its way along . In the seats nearby was the Ticket Checker,  an elderly man sitting with his papers.  In the afternoon, another man came hesitantly towards the TC and was enquired if he was the TC who was traveling until Bangalore.  The TC nodded, and said, "Yes, what do you want?"  He said, "Sir I boarded the train last night in a hurry and it seems that in the hurry I have lost my purse.  I do not have any money with me, and I have not had any food for the last 12 hrs.  I need to eat something -- can I get Rs100/- from you?  I have called my friend who will meet me at the Bangalore station with the money and I will pay you ... Read Full Story >>

Up Close And Personal

My husband got free tickets to almost every Denver Nuggets basketball game and the seats were always very close to the floor.  My husband never likes to stay for the whole game, so, we usually leave half-way through.  I thought that it would be cool to pick a random set of two people from the highest row in the arena and give them our tickets, so that they could move closer for the rest of the game.  I asked my husband to go to the third section and pick someone and give our tickets to them.  Meanwhile, I watched everything from our seats.  Some people thought he was trying to sell them something, but he was always able to find someone who was genuinely happy to receive the upgraded seats for free.  It became a tradition for us when we went to the games to pick people at random to give our tickets to.  Also, when we had extra tickets to a game we would often pick random people in line to buy tickets and give them our extras for free.

Dinner for Two at a Mexican Restaurant

A few nights ago some friends and I went to dinner at a little hole-in-the-wall Mexican resturaunt that we all like. A few minutes after we arrived, an older couple about 76 came in and wanted to sit at a table that was not clean. I found it kinda' odd since there were 5 tables clean and ready to go. Just as this thought ran through my mind, the lady said that it is their table that they always sit at. We all heard it and smiled.  I lookled over at them and I smiled and they did not smile back. When we payed for our meal, we decided to pay for their meal too. I wass soooo excited to do this. We told the waitress not to tell them anything and to just let them know it is taken care of. She agreed and off we went.  I was laying in bed that night wondering if they liked it or if they were surprised. Then I realized it didn't matter -- what mattered was that they got something they wouldn't have expected and it hopefully warmed their hearts.  It sure warmed mine.

The Best Way I Ever Spent $100

A few months ago I decided to take my daughter on a little fun weekend trip to Melbourne (Australia). We enjoyed a beautiful day at St Kilda beach and, after hours of walking around, decided to sit down on a bench near Lunar Park to have a little rest. We noticed a duffle bag behind a bush but there was no one around so we assumed it must have been stolen and dumped behind the bush. There were clothes, books, university documents and lots of other bits and pieces in the bag. We found a wallet with some cards and ID but no cash. The bag belonged to an 18-year-old girl. She had put a tag on her bag with her address and phone number on it, so I called to let the owner know I'd found her bag and arrange some way to return it to her. The girl's mother ... Read Full Story >>

Passing on Good Fortune

Suppose you only have two items to pay for, but the person in front of you has a shopping cart full of groceries and you are hoping they will let you go before them, since only one cashier's lane is open?  I usually luck out when it happens to me, and yes, people have usually paid it forward, and I have received the good fortune of being told to go ahead of a full cart as well. But this day was different!  This time, I was getting ready to pay for 2 items, and the woman BEHIND me had a full shopping cart of food, but I happenned to  notice a woman behind HER only had one item. Once again, only one cashier line was available, and it was obvious the woman with the one item was anxious and disappointed that she was behind someone with a full cart of food!   The woman ... Read Full Story >>

A Small Act But A Big Reward

I was in a big hurry today, I had to be somewhere before noon and the traffic was terrible.  As I was making my way through the traffic I saw an old man ahead standing by the side of the road.  He was standing on one leg and trying to gesture to the passing cars, with the hope that one of them would stop.  No one stopped.  He looked very sweet and my heart felt so sorry that he had to stand like that in the terrible heat.  As soon as I approached him, I put my hazzard lights on and pulled over.  He was surprised to see a woman, and was reluctant to even peep into the front window when I lowered it. I called out to him: "Baba where do you want to go? Why don't you get inside.  It's so hot for you." He still seemed a little shocked ... Read Full Story >>

A Day Of Miracles, Cupcakes And Smiles

One evening in July, a few friends and I decided we would get together to brainstorm an idea for a local Smile Card event in London -- something we could do as a group to share smiles anonymously and cultivate kindness in our hearts.  We came up with a few suggestions and then picked an idea that got everyone excited and moved ahead with planning it – we were going to bake and decorate 200 cupcakes, buy a bunch of sweets, make some fun smile posters and give it all away at Hyde Park!  Our little team of 6 people spent a month planning every fine detail from inviting friends to get involved, baking cupcakes ahead of time, buying supplies, getting t-shirts that say SMILE and a banner with a giant Smile Card on it and visiting the park ahead of time to find the perfect spot for the event.   A special thanks ... Read Full Story >>

The Seed That Never Grew

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together. He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you." The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today - one very special seed.  I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you.  I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO." One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, ... Read Full Story >>

50 Cents And We Were Both Happy

Just a little thing...but it felt good.

I was in line at the grocery store and putting my items up on the belt to be checked out. The lady in front of me was waiting to pay the cashier. She noticed that I had bought some yoghurt she had heard about, but kept forgetting to try.  She asked me if it was good.  I said, "YES it's really delicious."

I offered her to take one. She said, "I've just finished shopping and paying right now." I told her to let the cashier scan it to my order and to just take it.  She said, "Are you sure?" "ABSOLUTELY SURE," I said with a SMILE.  You would have thought I was giving her a lot of money the way she was so grateful.  So 50cents is what it cost me, but we both were happy -- me to GIVE and she was happy that I gave her a chance to try it for free :)

A Chance To Be Unselfish On A Hot Summer Day

Last week, on the way back home from my daughter’s school, I was feeling a little down. No particular reason but I was in a dialogue in my mind about this society, the daily crime news, selfish behaviours of our close relations. I was just wondering why relationships have no purity and unconditional love. These thoughts were disturbing my mind.  I was waiting at a traffic signal on a hot afternoon. Suddenly I saw a middle aged woman looking for a bus or vehicle to reach her destination. I just smiled at her and asked her if I could be any help. She came to me and asked if I could drop her at the next corner. I happily opened the door of my car. She was full of sweat and looked very tired too. When she came inside she was more relaxed. She just closed her eyes for two minutes. I ... Read Full Story >>

Would You Like A Piece Of My Heart?

There are so many people that for one reason or the other, are sad, alone, and spend many a night in their homes, behind locked doors, and in need of comfort. As you walk down the streets of any city, you might meet a homeless person with his only bed being a cardboard box, spread out on the hard concrete or under an overpass. He might have lost his family, or his home, or his job, and yet we walk by ignoring him, instead of attempting to comfort him or help in a small way. There are just as many sad people in homes and outside of homes, as there are happy people, and yet, we tend to ignore the sad, and team up with the happy. It’s our nature I suppose. There are some who are truly ailing here on the helpothers online community too. Please remember them in your hearts and know ... Read Full Story >>

You've Been Upgraded

My life currently requires a fair bit of travel but I was definitely surprised by my latest flight as when I walked in I realized that my ticket was in 1st class!  This is seldom the case and so I thought it must have been a courtesy upgrade due to frequent travel.

I was traveling with my colleague and remembering a story I had read a few months ago, I quickly decided that I was going to offer the seat to someone else.  I mentioned this to my colleague and his response was to do the same!  So together, he and I made our way through the plane, Smile Cards in hand, looking for an unsuspecting person to tag.  Towards the back, we found a couple unsuspecting young folks and offered an upgrade.  They jumped at the chance :) 

Once we sat down in our new seat, the woman on the other side of the aisle looked at me and asked 'why would you give up comfy seats to strangers so you can sit back here?'  I responded, 'So I could see a couple people smile, and they're not strangers, they're family!'  She liked that answer :)

Don't Say You Are Not Important

Don't say you are not important,

It simply isn't true,

The fact that you were born is proof,

The universe has a plan for you,

The path may seem unclear right now,

But one day you will see,

That all that came before you and me,

Was truly meant to be,

The book of life is one that you are writing,

That's all you need to know ,

Each day you are alive,

Is meant to be a best seller,

So be proud of who you are,

Your character is important,

In this book you are the star.

A Ride To The Station, When We Were Running Late

A few days ago, I was going to the railway station to drop off my husband for work. We were late that day and he was about to miss his train. Unfortunately, the traffic was terrible as well. While we were driving, we saw a man walking alongside the road in a hurry. We stopped the car and asked him if he was going somewhere and whether we could drop him off on our way. He said he was going to the station and he was about to miss his train. He didn’t have a car. Apparently, the man had recently moved from India, had a small girl and he couldn’t afford the expense of a car. A friend who had been regularly giving him a ride was out of town for a week. He was walking almost half an hour every day because there was no bus stop nearby. He ... Read Full Story >>