Stories of Kindness from Around the World

A New KInd of Bargaining

I happened upon a flea market today and even had enough time to walk through it. Most things did not catch my interest until I saw this coat. I asked for the price, figuring it to be around 35€.

The lady said, "5€,"
to which I replied,  "really!‘ 
She asked if it was too much.
"No, too little," I replied.
I tried it on and even thought it was a tad large, I just loved it and gave her 10€ and said, "I would feel bad giving you less."

Kindspring and small acts of Kindness have changed me. My relationship to money has changed. It felt so good to be able to offer her what I did. Whenever I wear the coat I will remember this and who I've become.


 

312 Reads

Taking Time to Care

We're encouraged to be nice to other people. However, most people forget to be nice to their environment. Global warming is quite a big issue today in the 21st century.      Pollution causes greenhouse gases to stay in Earth's atmosphere, increasing the temperature of the globe, melting glaciers in the north and south, causing abnormal weather behavior.    Simple things you can do everyday can help preserve the Earth, prevent the extinction of animals such as the polar bear, and make earth a better place to live for you, your children, and future generations to come.   Tons and tons of carbon dioxide are emitted by cars everyday, contributing to the climate crisis. We need to take action NOW to help slow down or even eliminate this problem.    There are many ways to help reduce global warming. Some ways are to carpool, take public transportation, bike, or walk. This saves you gas and money. ... Read Full Story >>

800 Reads

If You Thought This World Was Small

[A while back, I wrote a story about my 9/11 experience -- One of a Thousand Stories to Tell.  The story took me two years to write, but I never realized that so many would be touched by it.  Thank you for all the heart warming comments.  Below is a follow-up story.] When I went back to New York in April of 2002, we went to the Port Authority Command Center to offer the money that our local firefighters had raised -- $31,600. They took us down to Ground Zero in 2 of their police vans to present the check. "Where are you from?" the driver of police van asked all of us.  I said, "Michigan."  He was very moved by what we were doing for them, and the families of the Port Authority Police would benefit a lot from the money. As we were presenting the check at Ground Zero, the Police ... Read Full Story >>

2969 Reads
  • Posted by David G. Nadeau
  • Sep 11, 2019
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Aftermath of September 11, 2001

In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, my friend Pamela and I founded United We Quilt to recruit volunteer quilters to make memory quilts for families who lost loved ones in the attacks that day.

Overtime 500 generous quilters were recruited from all over the U.S. and from several other countries. They were matched to families who requested a quilt to be made from clothing and/or photos of their loved one. More than 500 families were gifted with personalized memory quilts made with love. Here is a photo of such a memory quilt.

1026 Reads
  • Posted by janeclarkjackson
  • Sep 9, 2019
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Making A Teacher Smile

I downloaded your Smile cards. I then wrote small welcome back to school notes to my friends/colleagues at the school I work at. I included a smile card in the note. I just wanted to pass along a small kindness to them and thank them for the important work they do everyday in the classroom. I was so excited sealing these envelopes. It makes my heart happy to do small acts of kindness. Thank you for this wonderful, simple and easy idea.

758 Reads

Pay It Forward Line

Hot day! Went to the local quick-e-mart for ice cream and got into a genial, “no you go first” debate with another customer. While waiting, a local told me her story and I admitted to being a newcomer. When I reached the clerk, I paid for two people behind me and started a trend. Even the clerk paid for someone! This is a good place! with kindness!

1438 Reads

More Than A Handshake

It was hot and overcast and yet, such a beautiful full day. We picked up my grandmother from her nursing home in San Jose and drove her to Watsonville where the three of us went to get a Shiatsu treatment (a gift from John). We used to go regularly but the last time I had taken my grandmother, she seemed to forget where she was and how to breathe while on her stomach on the massage table – it scared me so I thought perhaps it was better to just massage her myself the best I could. Still, what I can do is pretty cosmetic and she’s been getting weaker and having aches from sitting in a wheel chair all day so, I called Ben who runs the Shiatsu clinic with his wife and daughter out of their home and told him my concerns - I wasn’t even sure if ... Read Full Story >>

592 Reads

A Woman Was Sitting ...

A woman was sitting on a curb with tears in her eyes. She appeared to be homeless, but the cell phone made me think otherwise. "Be strong girl. It's a beautiful day." She responded with a beautiful smile. Super easy to be naturally kind. For those that struggle, keep it simple.

374 Reads

Tito, 2nd Picture. This ...

Tito, 2nd picture.
this is his poor body picture. he is all ribs and hip bones. he was used as a race horse until he was considered unprofitable, then he was sold to a farm where he was used every day, never loved. never properly cared for. and when they used him up they sent him to the kill pen.

But we've got him now !!
now that he is with us he gets lots of love every day, a specialized diet, he gets groomed (cuz he has rain rot, so his hair is falling out), vet check ups and everything else that goes along with it.
it will be very interesting to see this boy blossom.

222 Reads

This Is Tito, The ...

This is Tito, the horse i am sponsoring. he looks very sad, i think he IS very sad. sometimes he just stands in his stall, unsure of what to do, who to trust. i am heading out in a minute for a little horse kindness.

112 Reads

Better Than Strawberries

The cleaning ladies that my market friend uses were at her house when I went to pick her up this morning. They asked her to purchase some strawberries for them. This time if year is so past strawberry season. She didn't ask them if they had a 'Plan B' should there not be strawberries. Instead, at the market, she purchased a small container of cherries, blueberries and a darling bouquet dubbed "Gumball Bouquet" (just picture the contents of a gumball machine). She was going to let them pick an item in place of the strawberries that they weren't going to get. Kindness was in the air this morning.

142 Reads

Green Bean Kindness

It's Saturday morning. I went to the farmers' market as usual. Our garden green beans are pathetic, so I was on a quest to find some there. Found what I wanted, but the containers were HUGE. I asked one of the vendors if I could have a handful and handed him my small container. He overfilled it much to my protests. When I asked him what I owed him, he said that he had dropped more on the pavement this morning than was in my container. There was no charge. What a unexpected gift!

142 Reads

How I Feel

Dear Soulkins, I was drawn to KS back in 2012 because I liked finding a platform for sharing kindness stories.....Am I the only one noticing, and concerned, that our KS Community Feed has been moving in a direction not in line with its intended use? Some posts lately, while dealing with topics very worthy of discussion, are not within the website guidelines, which include (from KS FAQS): ❤️“The objective of this site is to spread kindness. Please keep all content you post focused on the topic of kindness and your experiences on doing acts of kindness or receiving kindness from others.”❤️ It’s not a dating website. Nor a mental health website where these sensitive matters are best held by professional and trained supporters, in my opinion. Perhaps other forum websites, or, private KS messaging would be more appropriate for things folks want to discuss that fall outside the intended purpose of this space? This is how ... Read Full Story >>

117 Reads

Love Beyond Labels

Last night, when I went to see my grandmother, she was sitting alone at the nurses station with her word search book (when my grandmother, who has dementia, came to live here over 5 years ago, I tried many things to keep her occupied – painting, magazines, crossword, music, coloring, mazes…but it was only her word search book that kept her interest…the one thing her mind could follow – she began to think of it as her job; it kept her from wandering – over these 5 years, I have gotten her the same BIG EASY WORDSEARCH book at least 17 times… each one has 100 puzzles and she does them all. Recently coloring simple pictures like fishes has gotten her attention too)….. SO my grandmother was sitting at the desk with her book but no pencil just staring at the letters as if she was trying to find the word. ... Read Full Story >>

222 Reads

Balance

❤️ Kindness for Self....Learning to Say No Even When It’s Not Easy... I find it hard to say no to our neighbors when they ask us to do something for them, when they are going to be away from home for an extended time , even if what they are asking us to assume responsibility for causes me anxiety & stress. I find it hard to say no, because we know one another for a very long time and they are wonderful people. Today I decided I just had to stop struggling mentally over the latest favor one of our neighbors asked of us &, although it was really difficult for me, say sorry but I can’t assume this responsibility, as it’s just too much for me. Whew! It was liberating! They were very understanding about it & gracious. Then I found this blog, “Learning to Say No Even When Its Not Easy (link ... Read Full Story >>

128 Reads

Thursday's Movements

Brought a box of chocolates for the reception staff at the doctor's office yesterday. It's a big practice, they are always busy, but all of them have wonderful smiles, laughs and kind words. On the way home, I stopped at a supermarket to get a few needed things and what do I see? A box of gorgeous gladiolas. Couldn't find a price on the bunches when the clerk said that a new batch was coming in and these were selling for almost free :)) Purchased one bunch for me and another for a good friend. Glads are her favorite floweres.

46 Reads

Sharing Kindness ..

Today's morning, a friend called me on my phone for help in finding blood. His friend's wife is admitted in hospital and doctor has prescribed her for urgent need of 2 unit blood. I did some calls to my other friends and managed donor cards for 2 unit blood. The patient's family was very to got blood. and they said thanks..

Sharing kindness is sharing happiness !!

Thanks..

59 Reads

Here Or There, Kindness Opportunities Everywhere

I had my first morning free in 2 weeks, 12 hour days so very tired! I had to go shopping to get the food, have 3 hungry students at home :-) but I decided to take a break and stop at the local Café. I enjoyed my latte and sweet treat more than ever! The waitresses were so lovely, all young ladies. My coffee was quite cold so I had to ask to heat it. They wanted to make a new one, I explained it was not necessary but they insisted so I let them be kind :-)
On my way back, I took the bus, tired and with many heavy bags. When I sat I realised I had not greeted the bus driver. I always make the extra effort as hardly anyone talks to them. So there I was thinking...'oh no, how silly of me...I was not kind...' and at that moment, the bus had stopped, and two elderly ladies got on. My thoughts changed very quickly to 'ohhh, here it is, there are always opportunities for kindness...'. One of them gratefully accepted my seat :-)

53 Reads

💐 Encouraging Creativity

Not being close to a town encourages me to be more creative with my gift giving!

I recycled some glass bottles (goo-gone the labels off), and then decorated them with stickers (compliments of Rajni), used cloth scraps as ribbons and then...the BEST part...meandered thru our meadow and picked bouquets of wildflowers.

One for sis and BIL (their 52 anniversary is today!) and the other for a niece who gifted me with the most lovely dove ornament from her recent vacay. 🕊

416 Reads

Drive Through Love

I went to my coffee place and took the order from two females in the car behind me. Then I paid for the drinks! The staff thought it was very fun since I don’t work there, but surprisingly they paid it forward for the car behind them.

I am so happy to see ripples happening! A very tall barista crawled out of the drive through window and gave me hugs! Smiling heart ❤️

773 Reads




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