Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Playing Smile Tag

I happened upon HelpOthers.org a couple of weeks ago and immediately fell in love with the idea of Smile cards. 

Carmen's Laundry

I recently traveled to my hometown to visit friends. While I was there I visited to my elderly mother's friend, Carmen.  I found her in the back yard hanging clothes out. I noticed a washer and dryer in the garage and asked why she wasn't using the dryer instead because it looked like it might rain. She replied, "Oh, that old thing doesn't work anymore and the washer is on its last legs, too. They are both over 20 years old."   The next day, I invited her out to lunch at the mall. After lunch we strolled around for a while and ended up at Sear's. While she was busy buying clothes, I meandered over to the home appliance section. Before I had time to think about it I bought a washer and a dryer and requested that they be delivered to Carmen's home.    When she found out she was pleasantly surprised, profusely ... Read Full Story >>

The Little Lost Lady

I seem to attract elderly women, well actually my husband says I will help anyone who I think is in trouble even a person looking lost in the street with a map.   I was heading home after a long day at work.  I'd just started part time work after being away on maternity leave for a year, so I was tired and looking forward to getting home to my toddler and my husband.  Coming down the stairs into the station, I happened upon an elderly lady at the base of the stairs. She was trying to talk to people who were all heading home.  As she was speaking another language, and it was evening rush hour, no one stopped for her. I could see she was near to tears.   I approached and said "Can I help you". She turned to me, looking rather frantic, and started speaking.  Besides English, all I ... Read Full Story >>

Sew Wonderful!

A wonderful thing happened today! 

My Best Smile Card Day Ever

For quite a while now, I have been looking for someone very special to give my very last smile card to. Well, today, I had to go into town for an art exhibition that I had entered a piece in. Since it is winter here, I have not ventured out of the house very much at all. So today I thought i would treat myself to lunch-- something I haven't done in ages! I walked around for a long time downtown, looking at all the glowing options like a child in a toy shop. It was really hard to decide what to eat! Finally, I settled on some Thai food, from a buffet-type place. When I sat down, I noticed a man walk by and sit down a few tables away from me. He had a small dish of yogurt, which he ate quickly, scraping the sides of the dish to ... Read Full Story >>

Airport Security Go The Extra Mile

I keep a pocket knife in my handbag and it comes in handy for all sorts of things. I have always carried it with me since I discovered it on a boat we bought and lived on twenty years ago. It has been through many adventures with us. I recently took an internal flight and was pulled up at the departure gate when my bag went through the x-ray machine and my knife was discovered. I had forgotten it was in there and as I rarely fly it hadn't crossed my mind that it would be discovered and confiscated.    As we had gone through the gate and the plane was boarding there wasn't time for me to go back and post it to myself.   The security lady at the gate saw that I was distressed at losing one of my treasured possessions (they just throw away things that get confiscated) and she offered ... Read Full Story >>

"You would hug me?"

I had just finished my monthly Free Hugs session in Union Square, NYC, and was walking back to Harlem where I lived.    I save subway fare by walking as often as possible. Being a storyteller I don't have much money.    That's when I saw a woman sitting on the pavement. The shopping cart to her was side piled high with her possessions. Her shoes were worn to nearly nothing. I got out my Free Hugs sign and approached her.    I smiled gently and asked if she would like a hug. She looked at me with disbelief and asked, "You would hug me?"    I opened my arms and walked closer to her. "If you want a hug," I sad. "Absolutely." She reached out for the hug and then told me she had not been touched in almost 20 years.    I hugged her tighter. I apologized to her that I had no money to give her that ... Read Full Story >>

The License Plate Reminder

Recently, within the past couple of weeks, on my way to work in the morning I came up behind a "stalled" van in the left-turn lane. It was just short of the stoplight by several car lengths at least. By the looks of the van's condition the owner/driver likely was not in a high income bracket, so may have been a person of limited resources. I got out to offer my help and the woman driving the van explained she was out of gas so she would need either a hand pushing the van or pay for a tow. Since it was slightly uphill to the light at a fairly busy intersection I couldn't see pushing it by hand  as a very safe option so I elected to use the little Chevy S-10 work truck I was driving to push her through the intersection and around the corner a half-block to ... Read Full Story >>

Giving Away My Skateboard

When I was a teenager I used to skateboard all the time! It seems like that's a phase a lot of teenagers go through.  I would always buy the really nice skateboards the professionals used. I still had one that I bought not too long ago. But, since I don't skateboard anymore, I thought about going to a skateboard shop and giving it to some kid.I know I would have been so excited if someone had done that for me when I was younger.   So, I drove to the local skateboard shop and waited outside for about ten minutes. A boy and his dad were about to walk into the shop when I stepped up and asked him if he'd like my skateboard. He asked how much? I told him it was free - as long as he used it!   His eyes lit up and I could really see how excited he was. ... Read Full Story >>

Conversation without Language

My friend Jenny from Germany spent some time traveling in India.  She loved the country so much that she always got pulled to it.   While there, she stayed with Leela, her friend who was Indian.  Aside from the gazes that she got as a foreigner, Jenny always had language problems.  It was so difficult for her to communicate and converse in this new environment and culture that had so many subtle differences from her own country. One day, a strange thing happened.  Along with Leela, she went to visit an orphanage.  All the children there were tiny; each one fell somewhere between the ages of fifteen days to one-and-a-half years old.   After some initial hesitation, Jenny slowly went to the kids and sat beside them.  After some time, one of the kids smiled at her. Her mind relaxed a little, and she immediately was drawn towards that child.  She slowly held ... Read Full Story >>

Stand-In Walker

Today, I made a quick stop at the grocery to pick up a few items before going home for dinner.

As I made my way toward my car, I noticed an elderly couple nearby. The husband was folding his wife's walker and about to put it in the rear of their minivan. She was gripping the side of the van, and very carefully trying to make her unassisted way to the passenger side door.

I stopped and asked if I could help her.  

She looked up and smiled. With so much gratitude in her voice, she explained that she was still recovering from hip surgery and would gladly accept the help.

Just a moment of my time and such a simple gesture meant so much to her.  My whole night was made better by those few seconds in the parking lot!

Best Servers

Recently I was on a retreat in a foreign country with some friends, some strangers, and many strangers who became friends!    We were all given duties to perform, such as cleaning and cooking. I was in the team serving meals.   On the first day I tried hard to please everyone, but it was hard to know how. Some people liked it when you were fast and just gave them their food, some people preferred it slow and steady so that they could choose exactly how much they wanted, some wanted, for example, stew without the carrots in it, some didn't know what I was serving and didn't speak English. If they weren't served in the way they wanted some grew irritable. As you can imagine, after an hour of this it started to get old.   So the next day, we tried a different tactic.   I learnt how to say "Would you like ..." in ... Read Full Story >>

The 5 a.m. Flight

Ladies Day Lunch

My daughter and I befriended a senior lady I met through volunteering. We had lunch with her then went to look at her new apartment in an assisted living facility. 

Mangos Anyone?

One of my work colleagues loves to make home-made ice-cream. She even brought some to work to share with me. Yum! 

No Change, Please

During a shopping trip into town one day, my son and I noticed a lot of homeless people. These days, we've been seeing a lot more people on the streets, and we felt compelled to help. So we made a deal with each other. We went to the cash machine and withdrew some cash. Then we gave ourselves a certain amount we could give away to the homeless people whom we encountered. Once we have given away that set amount, we stop. We had a lovely day out, and on the way home, a young girl asked us for help. We had given all our cash away already, so we passed her. But as we walked on, I couldn't help but think she looked so in need of a decent meal. At the same time, my son blurted, "Mum, I know we have spent all our cash, but could we just go back and ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness - Just Do It!

I drove into the supermarket parking lot and there were 2 homeless young people at the entrance with the standard "homeless and hungry" sign.  I felt the usual hopeless feeling and irritation.  I decided that I would drive out the other exit so I wouldn't have to see them when I left.  While shopping in the store I choose some really great cherries and proceeded to purchase freely.  When I was leaving the store, heading to my car, I saw the young homeless woman going around the parking lot asking for help.  No one seemed to being offering help and for a moment I could feel her hopelessness.  I was still set on driving out the other entrance believing that I shouldn't helpout and continue the homeless cycle.  As I was leaving the parking lot I thought of a talk I had listened to the night before - about kindness and how even a small ... Read Full Story >>

Anonymous Trip to the Emergency Room

Today, I went on quite an adventure!

I called a nearby hospital and explained to the ER nurse that I would like to do an anonymous act of kindness for a stranger.

I asked if there was someone there who could use some extra cheering up. He said yes, that he had just the person in mind and that he would make sure she got my gift.

So, I went to the grocery store and picked out a cheerful little bouquet. Then I wrote a note, explaining my anonymous kind act and wishing her well. Finally, I tucked a smile card inside and went off to make my special delivery!

I don't know who ended up receiving the flowers, but just knowing that someone else's day is a little brighter from them brings so much joy to my heart.

Blind Trust

I was inspired to pay a blind woman's bus fare because I thought she was brave to have gotten on the bus and be totally dependent on others to reach her destination safely. 

Kind Words Calm Mother and Child

One day I was shopping with my child after work to pick up supplies needed for an employee celebration. I was exhausted and wanted to get in and out quickly.

My child was tired and cranky and wanted out of the shopping cart. She was grabbing for every item we passed. I was losing my patience and temper when an elderly woman came over to us. She took my child's hand, and said, "what a lovely child."

My little girl was quiet immediately. The woman looked at me. She had an angelic smile and then said, "They are so wonderful at this age." At once I felt peaceful and in control of the situation.

After she walked away, I found a snack that pleased us and we had a pleasant shopping trip. That one moment of someone reminding me what a treasure I had turned my whole attitude around and made my shopping trip so much easier.