Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Machine for Dispensing Kindness

I gifted our extremely nice mailman with one of a KindSpring member's peace doves today. He smiled broadly, and after I told him to look for the blessing tucked inside on a little piece of paper, he said his daughter would really like this.

He then shared a Random Act of Kindness (RAOK) he had seen in Manhattan.

A woman placed kindness notes inside a little plastic capsule in a gumball vending machine. When someone turned the machine lever, a kindness note popped out. You could keep it or return it to the machine for someone else. 

245 Reads

Collecting Bras for Free the Girls

I organized with the ladies at work to bring in their unloved bras - not the ones that have been worn so much that they are now only good for supporting pumpkins in the garden, but those we have worn once and then relegated to the back of the drawer because they pinch or squash or were never going to support us but looked so pretty we just couldn't resist.

I took the 15 bras we gathered down to my local lingerie shop, where the owner sends them to Free The Girls, an organization that uses them to help women set themselves up with a market stall so that they don't have to work in the sex industry to be able to feed their families.

213 Reads

Learning Sign Language

I was helping one of my students study for her upcoming sign language class. The test was picking a partner and signing the words to any duet song she chose.

They chose "Stop Draggin' My Heart Round" by Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks. She wanted me to help her with her cues for the music. I don't know sign language. While watching her, I was able to fake it and be a part of this wonderful project.

I made a few copies of the basics of sign language and now have a great winter project. Learning to sign will be so beneficial to me in that I can help others and finally communicate with a few students.

220 Reads

From Dentist to Tea Time

My partner had a challenging appointment with a dentist to discuss future treatment. He was worried and anxious so I went with him. While he was visiting with the dentist,

I went for a walk and found a lovely cafe to sit outside to wait for him. When he came out he had a surprise waiting for him; the waiter had helped me prepare a lovely tea and his favorite sandwich to be ready on the table seconds before he arrived.

We sat and enjoyed the place full of plants and flowers, talked, and looked at photos. He seemed much happier and relaxed after that.

217 Reads

Helping A Long Distance Old Friend

An old friend of mine from Argentina is going through some difficult times, not enough work, little income, can't afford the full rent, etc. I am trying to organize a monthly delivery of food for her to help her. I can order a few things for 2 or 3 months and hopefully she won't have to spend  money on it and may help towards the rent, landlord already said she may have to move out  Trying to sort out the long distance payment and order, not as straight forward as in some countries. To give you an example, I had sent a simple gift before Christmas 2020: I wanted to support the Elephant Minds Foundation so I bought myself one of the beautiful elephant puzzles (all profits go to the educational projects). I sent it to my sister's little girl who is learning English. She only got the message to collect the parcel ... Read Full Story >>

360 Reads

A Heart for Reading

Currently, in my studio, we make little hearts from ceramic clay. These are then glued onto huge paper clips so they can be used as bookmarks.

We give them away with pamphlets about the classes we offer. Whether they come for the class is not that important to me. I just love to notice that people still read books in paper form.

243 Reads

Celebration And Surprise

My husband and I were at the keg having lunch to celebrate our 57 years of marriage when our server surprised us with the news that a young couple was paying our bill.

Thank you so much to the kind couple and what a surprise!

We hope to do the same someday!
Rose and John ST jean MB.

217 Reads

That’s Esther, Giving Me ...

This is Esther, who gave me a tour of the assisted living facility where she lives. She showed me the wreaths she helped make to decorate residents' doors for Mother’s Day. Father’s Day wreaths are in the works. 

She sewed masks for the workers and residents, led exercise classes from her hall doorway, checked in on those who needed a little extra TLC (tender loving care), and generally continues to be a bright ray of light.

208 Reads

Man Gives Daughters Gas

My two daughters ran out of gas in their vehicle. Within two minutes, a man stopped and offered them help.

He drove to the service station, used his own can to get them petrol, and would take nothing for his trouble, simply asking them to pay it forward. 

234 Reads

Allowing a Neighbor to Give

My neighbor texted me earlier today saying she was ordering from the local bagel store that makes yummy sandwiches on their good bagels. Did I want anything? It was perfect timing, as I was feeling a bit hungry.

I said yes, but only if she would d let me pay this time, as last time they refused to let me pay. She was silent. Then I heard the smile in her voice when she responded, “Nope, bagels are free today. It’s Mother’s Day!”

I joyfully accepted a sandwich as my Mother’s Day gift.

266 Reads

Kindness Ninjas In Action

Happy weekend, RAOKtivists! It's Kindness Ninja Saturday!! My sweet class of 23 second graders absolutely love sneaking out of our classroom and performing acts of kindness. We call ourselves the Kindness Classroom and we are Kindness Ninjas!

The Kindness Ninjas' favorite RAOK was hiding bottles of bubbles around the playgrounds.

The past two Fridays, the Kindness Ninjas have made positive post-it notes for their friends as well as for some anonymous recipients. A big ninja snuck around after school and put some of these on teachers' classroom doors!

So....take it from the Kindness Ninjas...
Be kind. Be nice. Be sweet. And, never forget that together we can be the change we wish to see in the world!
 

749 Reads

Smiling Man Offers Chocolate

We went for a beautiful walk in the woods. On our way to a lovely bench where I used to meditate, we passed by an elderly man who was walking slowly with a huge smile on his face.

I smiled back and said hello. He stopped, said hi, and asked if I wanted a chocolate bar. He pulled one out of his pocket. How sweet and kind is that?

256 Reads

When Would Be Convenient?

I had to pick up something from a doctor today, so on the phone, I asked the nurse when the most convenient time would be for them.  There was a moment of silence, then she said everything except between 12 and 2 would be OK.

When I got there at 11:30 am and told my name to the receptionist, she beamed at me.

"People rarely ask which time is convenient for us. They usually only expect us to meet at a time convenient to them. Thank you!" 

314 Reads

Better Late than Never

At the library, there was an older woman in front of me checking out several books. The librarian asked her if she wanted to pay the $4.25 fine on her account. She hesitated, and then said, "I can pay one dollar today."

I quickly looked in my purse and saw I had a $5 bill. I told the librarian that I would cover her fees. After he handed me my change, I pushed her dollar back to her and told her the fine had already been taken care of.

She was amazed and said that she has done similar things for others, but no one had ever done anything like that for her before. She walked away feeling good. I felt good. And the librarian was grinning from ear to ear!

287 Reads

Father-Daughter Gardeners Bond

My dad and I started a garden shortly after he was diagnosed with stage 2 colon cancer back in December 2016. He's beat the cancer, and I'm glad the garden is something we continue to enjoy together.

Last year we were able to grow a lot of vegetables. We had many to give away, as well, to family, neighbors, and coworkers.

I cleaned the garden today, getting ready for this season's new growth. I am patiently waiting to transplant my seedlings.

Gardens have a way of bringing people together.

249 Reads

We Appreciate Teachers

For Teacher Appreciation Week, a student drew a picture for me. A church fed the teachers fajitas, chips, drinks, and ice cream and gave us each a goodie bag. One of my students' parents washed all the teachers' cars in the parking lot for Teacher Appreciation Week.

Thank you!



 

670 Reads

Appreciation for Medical Care

I am meeting with an oncologist (cancer doctor) this Friday. A very good medical crew discovered the cancer and followed through, placing me with the right channels to get me to the right places at the necessary times. They even called me three or four times to be sure I was OK. To show my appreciation, I bought a selection of my favorite doughnuts and took them to doctor's office at 9AM when they opened.



 

200 Reads

Plant Swap.

I know somebody who wants to start a "plant swap." The idea sprang up during the pandemic to be kind to the environment by not throwing away excess yet healthy plants. We have 11 young plants  offered to new homes, all in plantpots with nice soil and homemade labels depicting the plant names and planting conditions. I gave my neighbour four others and she promptly offered me some young saplings.  Kindness all round.

209 Reads

Supermarket Kindness

I went shopping this morning. The store was confusing. The great thing was everyone was helpful with each other and smiled.

The nicest thing happened in the queue for the till. I discovered I had forgotten to get cauliflower. The lady in front of me said, "Leave your trolley while you get it, and I'll keep an eye on it."  That was very kind of her.



 

212 Reads

Basking and Barking in the Sunshine

Recently I sat in the sunshine, reading The New York Times Book Review. I am grateful to have a yard.

While sitting in the sunshine, I was lucky enough to be greeted by our neighbors who live on either side of us. I enjoyed laughter-filled chats. I am grateful for beautiful neighbors.

Puppy dogs on either side of us were out in the sunshine, too. I had so much fun giving them dog biscuits and talking to them, even though I don’t speak "dogese" and had no idea what the "barker brothers" we share a common fence with were yapping about.

I was able to help the barker brothers’ mommy with some trash bags she asked if I might have. I am grateful I was asked.

Although it is very windy and cool here in New York City today, there is brilliant sunshine, and the trees and many flowers are in full bloom. I am grateful for the beauty.



 

109 Reads




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