Stories of Kindness from Around the World

In the Spirit of Love

Today I practiced kindness on my way to work by giving a person some coins who was asking for change on the street. I then asked myself what else can I do in this moment to make this person more comfortable while standing here in the cold...I wished I could have given her a home!

I then thought, who wouldn't like a nice cup a hot tea? So I went and got her a tall cup a tea and gave it to her. She was so delighted by this small act. I'm discovering that kindness is contagious...I now want to do it all of the time.

709 Reads

Showing Appreciation

 We paid someone triple what they asked for...he did some work for us on the outside of our house. We really appreciated that he takes so much pride in his work, as he toiled in the sun for 4 hours and then cleaned up beautifully before he left.

We enjoyed some friendly banter while he worked & he shared good energy. He didn’t count the money before he left...I bet he was surprised when he realized how much he earned!

 

735 Reads

Gifts From Afar

Anjili, a parent of a former student, texted me and said that she had some "Indian essentials," as she called them, for me. This evening she stopped by to gift me one of those trays with 7 holders for everyday Indian spices, as well as a handmade wooden board and roller to make roti!

She was so happy to offer me these gifts that she picked up in India awhile back. And I was excited to accept. In exchange, I offered her a jar of my homemade strawberry-rhubarb jam! When the Shelter in place is over, she promised to have me over in order to teach me how to make roti and how to make my own garam masala. The world is full of kindness...sometimes it just creeps up on you.

739 Reads

Forgiving When It Hurts

Today I did something I know we all struggle with. I forgave someone who hurt me.

Although I do not condone his actions and hurtful words towards me (my partner) I understand that deep down he never meant to hurt me. That deep down it is him inside that must be suffering.

To forgive isn’t to accept something or say it’s ok. To forgive is to release the poison that contaminates you when you don’t. It’s hard to forgive at times especially when anothers' actions are so hurtful but it can be done. I figure I’d rather forgive and move on than not forgive and hold on.
 

1429 Reads

Birthday Sharing

On my daughter’s birthday I packed several cake slices in bowls and drove around, distributing them to those experiencing homelessness. One person asked how old my daughter was, which led us to engage in a small conversation. It was more about an exchange and acknowledgment of the Light within each and every one of us.

834 Reads

Recycling Generosity

I don't usually have access to a car, but today I did and so I helped my neighbor take items to the recycling center,a It was then that the inspiration came to me for meeting the daily kindness challenge. There are usually at least 4 men or women wearing those neon yellow uniforms giving directions for sorting the recycling and yard debris. It may be one of those jobs that is about as far away from glamorous as you can get. Anyway my inspiration was to buy a festive basket as a present and return later. I decided on a basket of gourmet chocolates with a Christmas theme and wrote on the card "Merry Christmas! Thanks for all you do here at the recycling center My life sure feels a bit lighter every time I pass through!" It was closing time and no one was around in the little house they use as an office / ... Read Full Story >>

1010 Reads

Happiness Stones

I bought some engraved polished stones at the Fair Trade shop - they say "believe", "happiness,"and "love".

I've been leaving them in places when I'm out and about.
Today at my health club aka gym, I left one in some lockers (about 5).
I hope that they brighten someone's day.
 

637 Reads

💦 A Wild Anniversary 🌹

“All hands to the front! Bring your mops!” called a voice over the store’s loudspeaker. The rain had quickly become torrential. The hail ferociously intensified, but fortunately stayed pea-sized. I was marooned inside the grocery store with a growing crowd of shoppers, while MisterM had taken our vehicle for shelter under the credit union’s drive-thru. Anxiously watching out the front window, we exchanged storm stories, snapped photos of the hail/rain creek growing deeper and faster, called loved ones on our phones. 🌹 I had just given the last of our anniversary roses (43 this year) to an elderly woman, masked, and riding an electric shopping cart. . Her eyes lit up as she tenderly accepted the rose, “My Gerald and me, we’d been married 62 years, before he passed away.” That’s the beauty of giving out the roses. With each one, we are gifted with a wish for a happy anniversary and are often privy to how long ... Read Full Story >>

800 Reads

Stress relief at supermarket

Panic buying during COVID19 lead to much increased stress and abuse of grocery store staff.

I made thank you cards and deliberately targeted different staff members to give them these cards every time I went to the store. To see stress on the face visually disappear was the least and a common result I received.

Once the staff member was so overcome that she abandoned her post and chased me the length of the shopping center/mall when she read the card, just to say thank you.

 

690 Reads

A Random Day for Random Acts of Kindness

It started out as an ordinary day. I met a homeless person on my way to work and decided to give him my lunch. It felt like nothing much to me, a random act of kindness, but his smile of thanks said it all! I then took a box of chocolates to the chap who works at the bike shop below my office as he had lent me his bike one day. He wasn't expecting it and was overjoyed to receive a kindness unexpectedly. I realized that I was actually being kind to myself, to my own soul, because the more I gave, the better I felt and the more I wanted to do. It's true....the more you give, the more you get. Truly Blessed! ... Read Full Story >>

981 Reads
  • Posted by shilpipillai
  • Jul 1, 2020
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Another Visit From My Homeless Friend Carlos

My homeless friend Carlos came by my business again yesterday. He saw my son bring a large cart of stuff into our shop and asked if we needed help unloading it. I told him no, but that I did have a small job for him if he was interested.

He very much was and he did what I had asked him. I paid him a little bit more than we had discussed because he was very thorough and did a great job. He wanted to decline, saying that it was more than we agreed to, so he didn't want to take it. I told him he earned it and did more than I had asked, which I appreciated very much. He smiled and reluctantly accepted.


We talk a bit whenever he stops by. Each time I get to know a little more about my new friend and he about me. He is a nice man, just down on his luck.

I can't even imagine the struggles he faces and I can only hope that the few moments of kindness we share whenever he stops by help make his day a little brighter. I know it does for me!

696 Reads

Farewell Party With Random Acts Of Kindness!

Last Wednesday (17th of June) was the last day of my latest job, based in Belfort (in East of France). Since then, I came back to Paris, where I'll start a new job soon, in another company. Due to the sanitary conditions, the building where I worked was still locked and I obtained a special authorization to spend few hours to pack my stuff. It was strange to enter in the building for the first time since the beginning of the lockdown, three months ago. The desks and other stuff were left in place as if people would come back the day after. Still, nobody had entered the building in 3 months! The ambience was cold, like an abandoned place after a zombie invasion. Nevertheless, it gave me plenty of time alone to do some last random acts of kindness before leaving the company. I was excited like a kid on a playground. In ... Read Full Story >>

1317 Reads

Gifts to my mother in law

I love surprising people with love!

It was my mother in laws birthday yesterday. And as she was working all day and as we weren't able to visit her in the evening. I decided to surprise her with balloons and all her gifts waiting on her doorstep.

My mother in law LOVES gifts so rather than just buy the one I tend to buy lots of little ones. That way she feels super spoiled.
 

614 Reads

Magic moments in big little things

Happiness is ... the big little things - like a simple walk on a beach with your favorite person who then unexpectedly spots a heart-shaped piece of amber lying in the sand (moments after *ahem* a teensy-weensy tiff)...

Those are the real magic moments that stay in your heart to be forever treasured.
 

545 Reads

Heart Transplant Recipient Spreads Kindness During Covid.

My 6 year old daughter is a heart transplant recipient. In April 2020, she caught the kindness bug! She started doing acts of kindness for others.
She purchased and gave away supplies and lunch for kids and staff at the Ashtabula YMCA, and purchased flowers, goodie bags, and lunch for the staff of a nursing home, all during the Covid 19 crisis. I am so proud of her!

She can be found on Facebook Rayven's Acts of Kindness.
 

645 Reads
  • Posted by rayvensactsofkin
  • Jun 25, 2020
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Timely Help

Massive gratitude to my neighbor, who lent a hand with his stronger -than- ours tractor when we needed to move a caravan up a forest track at short notice. He is a wonderful man.

The task was over within half an hour of my partner asking for help. First, he cleared a path and came back the next morning to do the tow.
My latest office space may not be luxury, but there's not everyone can boast of having a bed and view!
 

827 Reads

She Calls Me Father

I did not remember her, but recently a young woman’s email note surprised me and brought tears of joy. Her email began, “We met in a subway train in Queens, New York...” Fate had seated us next to each other. She wrote that she had been sad and depressed. She did not want to talk or face a genuine smile from someone like me. Life meant nothing to her at that moment. Her sad feelings did not stop me. I continued to talk to her about hope, faith and love. I gave her quote cards that she put in her bag. At home she was shocked to find the words on the quote cards resonated with her present situation. She became very happy and forgot the dark side of her life. Her grateful heart wanted to see me again to thank me about the kindness she received. She felt that God had sent me to help her feel better. This ... Read Full Story >>

2835 Reads

Switch Letters In Silent To Spell Listen

"You just need to be a flea against injustice. Enough committed fleas biting strategically can make even the biggest dog uncomfortable and transform even the biggest nation." Marian Wright Edelman I am a committed flea. When I feel that my small actions could never be enough, I remember that we are all connected, that ripple effects extend well beyond the actual action, and that not taking action, is in itself, an action with consequences. Even amidst  quarantine,       my small actions can be taken. I can send emails, make phone calls, write letters, talk to friends, donate to causes addressing injustice, read and learn more about the history of injustice in my own country and around the world, practice mindfulness and loving kindness, smile at neighbors, and be aware of how I am in this world. I can be grateful for all of my privileges and understand that they allow me to ... Read Full Story >>

871 Reads

The Gift of Healing Music

My teacher of sound healing is sick with stage 4 cancer and has gone to Mexico for healing. People put up a Go Fund Me for her. I have been unemployed but I managed to come up with a little to send. Fortunately there are others who are giving a lot more. She gave me so much...I wish I could do more.

This is a photo of the planetary tuning fork system she taught me, called Acutoncis. I went through the program 16 years ago. She also taught me how to incorporate singing bowls and bells and gongs. She is a gifted teacher.

I would go so far as to say that learning this form of specific sound healing set me on my eventual journey to learn to play the harp, specifically for healing.
 

662 Reads

Lunch With A New Friend

I was walking into one of my favorite lunch spots today when a homeless man asked me if I would get him a sandwich. I told him sure and asked what he would like. I went inside and ordered both of our lunches. He came in and sat at a table while we waited. The woman behind the counter looked at him funny, perhaps thinking he shouldn't be in there. I walked back over and sat and talked with him so she knew he was a paying customer. He is a Native American man from Flagstaff, about 2 hours away by car. He is down in Phoenix because he had to go to the hospital. We had a nice conversation about some of the challenges he has faced as well as all of the craziness going on in the world these days. He was happy it was cool inside of the restaurant. When ... Read Full Story >>

1096 Reads




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