Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Learning and Helping Others

I am currently enrolled in an online course called “Interpersonal Neurobiology” with a professor who I love to connect with.  There are 91 participants for this course, spanning five different continents.  I am simply overwhelmed by the energy and amount of information related to the course.  In one session, it took me four hours to read the content and filter out what was needed! Given this challenge, I created an online Google worksheet, which allows people to share information and leave details about themselves.  People from various countries, such as the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, Scandinavia, etc., have work interests ranging from family and marriage counseling, parenting, and organizational management, to trauma, homeopathy, etc.  The worksheet I created and shared has grown to 26 people who are now sharing much energy and information about different areas of expertise from around the world.  Can you believe this?  :)  One common theme that ... Read Full Story >>

A Strong Urge to Say Thank You

All the money I had on me yesterday was some loose change, so I went without lunch (I had a freezer full of food back home but I was out and about) and  well, hey, I could stand to miss a meal or ten!  Luckily, it was the end of a little financial lean period. That evening a sizable payment for some work I had done arrived in my bank account. Great! Which bills to pay first? But before dealing with any of that I had the strong urge to say thank you for my blessings. (Oh, it wasn't as clean-cut as that. I had more than a little mental turmoil about giving away money I could be reducing our overdraft with.)  I decided to give a percentage of my payment to a young woman I know who works with abandoned children in Romania - so I electronically zapped the money over. This morning I had ... Read Full Story >>

Taking a Moment to say Thank You

I just came from watching a sixth grade drama performance at my son's school.  I was so inspired by the teacher that I just wrote her an anonymous "thank you" letter/card and put it in the mail.  This took me all of five minutes to complete, but I hope that it puts a big smile on her face and lets her know how much her work is appreciated. 

Kindness Makes for a Wonderful Day

I have just got back from my university library and I am feeling over the moon! I was so loaded down with a big stressful assignment and all the articles from academic journals, industry reports, research books and trade magazines I had to find. I didn't know where to start. But that all changed when I met the kindest librarian ever! She spent an hour going through everything with me... teaching me how to find the best articles, reports etc...and then she showed me different ways to get to the next steps. She gave me a number of amazing books, articles, journals that I would have never come across if it wasn't for her. I'm so excited to get right into the assignments now! She inspired me so much by her positive attitude, friendly way, her kind and caring nature! She was a person who makes you want to come back again. People like this who set a ... Read Full Story >>

The Improbable Dance

In a Chinese modern dance competition on TV one very unique couple won one of the top prizes. The lady, in her 30's, was a dancer who had trained since she was a little girl. Later in life, she lost her entire left arm in an accident and fell into a state of depression for a few years.   Someone then asked her to coach a  children's dancing  group. From that point on, she realized that she could not forget dancing. She still loved to dance and wanted to dance again. So, she started to do some of her old routines, but, having lost her arm, she had also lost her balance.   It took a while before she could even make simple turns and spins without falling. Then she heard of a man in his 20s who had lost a leg in an accident. He had also fallen into the usual denial, depression ... Read Full Story >>

A Kind Man We Couldn't Have Done Without

Several years ago, when I was a single mother with 2 teenage boys, I took a trip to Florida, with my youngest son and dog in tow, to visit with my daughter while her husband was in basic training.  

On my return home to Michigan, the engine on my car blew.  I was stuck in northern Florida with a car that wouldn't go anywhere, very little money, a 17-year old son and a dog.  A very kind man not only stopped and picked us up, but began to make calls to find a place that could repair my car and which was close to a motel we could afford to stay in.  

We bypassed two towns because he didn't consider them safe for us to stay in.  When we reached Valdosta, Georgia, he dropped us right at the door of the motel and made sure that we had a room, as well as making sure that our car had been towed to the local repair facility.  

I don't know what we would have done without the kindness of this man, who asked for nothing in return.  I wish I could find him and tell him how much this one act has affected my whole life.  I have tried ever since to do what I can to help others.A KI

A Muffin Packed With Potential

As I walked along the city streets, I passed a man who was rummaging through a small strip of land that contained a mix of leaves and debris.  Finding this slightly odd, I asked him, "What are you searching for?"  His response, very simply, was bills of money.  Upon further conversation, I found out that he had become homeless just a month-and-a-half ago after getting laid off from his job and dropping out of college.  Since then, he had been working odd jobs and alternating between the doctor's office and the food bank.  The man seemed fairly competent, albeit dirty, and I was somewhat puzzled why someone like him would be rummaging through debris searching for buried dollar bills. I offered him a fresh-baked whole wheat peanut muffin from a batch that I had baked that day.  His eyes lit up, and he eagerly jumped on my offer.  He immediately unwrapped the ... Read Full Story >>

A Humbling Experience in Receiving Random Kindness

Many of the stories that I read on HelpOthers are all about helping other people, doing acts of kindness for someone else.  Often times it's easy to forget that no matter who you are, you're not always the giver - sometimes it's we who receive that random act of kindness.  When it happens, it almost feels odd to some extent that you are on the other end - receiving vs. giving. In some way, it can be quite a humbling experience.   And so my story begins .... My daughter and I had gone into Subway one evening to get sandwiches for the two of us, plus one for my wife.  Prior to going to Subway, I had checked my bank account to make sure that I had money on my debit card.  I had moved what I thought to be several hundred dollars to my card.  Come to find out in ... Read Full Story >>

Waiting Room Patience

I'm fairly young and I'm disabled and therefore I have to go to different doctors quite often.  I have always noticed that people in waiting rooms seem bored, they sit quietly ignoring each other, and everyone seems concerned about their own problems. 

I always try to take a few of my recent magazines to add to the racks, because their magazines are usually old and torn up.  I often offer a few to anyone there and try to start a conversation with them.  Anything to get them talking and to get their minds off their problems. 

The nurses accuse me of "working the waiting rooms like a stand up comedian" because I have jokes that I tell - only clean ones, usually!- but I have found that most people really want to pass time by talking about something other than what they are there for.  I respect someone if they choose not to participate, but so far everyone has enjoyed some very lively conversations. Even if you aren't a "chatty cathy" like me, you could try to start a conversation and you'll find most of the time, others will carry it for you.

Showering People With Card Kindness

My aunt, a very young 70, has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.  The diagnosis in itself has been shattering, all she thinks about is how her family is going to react.  She says "I'm going to go crazy", and we're all trying to explain that's not the case.  It's reasonable to say she's been going through depression, and she tells me she cries herself to sleep at night. 

I went shopping and bought a ton of funny cards.  Every three days I mail a card to her - she's out of state - and eventually she called me. "I want to know", she said, "did you recently buy stock in a card company?"  I write little funny notes inside each card, sometimes on the envelope, too. 

Maybe if you have a relative, or a sick neighbor,  or a new mother around you, you could anonymously shower them with cards.  I get a kick each time I send one to her. I hope she's enjoying them, too, I don't want her to forget that I love her.

Goodness Begets More Goodness: How a Muffin Changed Our Day

Four of us walk into a coffee shop -- Jessica, Russell, Michelin and I.  We're all super committed to birthing a gift-economy world view.  Like all activities rooted in generosity, our conversation also takes on an escalating charge as we speak about the nature of things -- "Goodness just begets more goodness.  Lots of people don't trust that, because sometimes it takes time, but sooner or later, goodness does beget more goodness."   Right then, the waitress comes over and offers us a bran-muffin as a gift.  Completely stunned, we look at her silently begging for an explanation.  With a smile that says everything, she adds, "You know, we're closing and the muffin won't survive the night, so instead of wasting it, I thought I'd give it away." The waitress disappeared quickly, but we were bubbling with compassion that was very pregnant for expression.   We find the janitor, thank him for his ... Read Full Story >>

An Opportunity for Kindness at the Airport

I travel for business all the time and know that airports are places in urgent need of random kindness. Hurry and anxiety are rampant as people try to manage the stress of missed flights, late flights, tiny seats, bumpy rides, unexpected fees, and unwelcome surprises. Lately I've had opportunities to make a tiny dent in the airport frenzy at the cart line. I remember when we could rent a cart to haul your bags for $1.25, but over the last few months, airports have raised fees as high as $5 and often travelers stand at the cart line, stymied by a lack correct change or credit card to pay the fee. At first, impatience (the currency of airport life) was my reaction to people 'holding up the line.'   Then I realized this was an opportunity to help. Now when I see someone clearly frustrated by a need for help with their bags, unable to ... Read Full Story >>

The More I Help, The Lighter My Heart Feels

This morning I got up early and went for a walk at 5 a.m. to the teashop. I was wondering whether I could do an act of kindness and immediately an opportunity was presented. An old, poor gentleman arrived at the teashop on his bicycle and I seized the moment to offer him a cup of tea. He was happy and that act made me feel happy. As  I was walking back, I helped a family to reach the right bus stop so that they can reach the main bus stand at Koyambedu. They too were thankful. And then I was off to go help a family of four to pay the rent. The family consists of  a widow, her daughter (18 years old), son (19), and her husband's brother. Yesterday I heard my inner voice asking me to help them pay the rent. By the way this family lives in a slum.   In order to help ... Read Full Story >>

12 Days of Kindness

For my third day of the Twelve Days of Valentines Kindness, in honor of my wife, I decided to share a story about how kindness boomerangs back to us, after a request by deepula. As perhaps another example of this, the kindness I'm doing for my wife may just be having an effect on her.  Her boomerang hit me hard and with lots of love!  She posted four post-its with song lyrics peppered with little hearts on the bathroom mirror yesterday.  One was a Hindi song called “Kabhi Kabhi” with lyrics that translate as follows: "Every so often my heart feels as though you were made for me.  You used to live somewhere in the heavens.  And you were called to earth for me..." The other song was “My Song” from Moulin Rouge: "It's a little bit funny...this feeling inside.  I'm not one of those...who can easily hide.  I don't have much money  :-(  ... Read Full Story >>

Sandwich Mondays Feed Hungry People And Our Spirits

I am new to this group but not to the idea of helping others.  Funny thing is, I never really give helping others much thought, it is just something I do.  I am sure that most of those who find their way here are similar in nature and action.   The opportunities are all around us if we are open to them and not so caught up in our own routines. That being said, my first post here is not about something that would raise eyebrows, elicit sighs or gain a round of applause.  It is just a simple thing but I hope that it brings comfort to many and lets the recipients know that there ARE people out here who care about them. Following my aunt's death 5 years ago, I made a decision to hold on to her condo in the California desert .  It is a familiar and serene ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness Is Three Inches Toward the Middle

I made my weekly stop to pick up mail from my post office box during icy weather.  Due to the nasty conditions, patrons were tramping their feet on the ground and navigating through the residual snow as they entered the building.

Suddenly, I heard a man exiting through the breezeway who let out a yelp.  His foot caught a haphazardly placed “Caution: Wet Floor” sign.  He nearly tumbled to the ground, but luckily he caught himself in time.

Afterward, I was alone in the breezeway.  Carefully, I placed the sign halfway between the two doors, moving it just three inches toward the middle of the cramped space.  Though the distance was small, the effect on the space dynamics would be significant to help people notice the sign before hitting it.

Content with my work, I stopped to think, “Kindness is three inches toward the middle.”  Even a small action, when coupled with a thoughtful intention, can make a difference.

An Unexpected Flower and a Lasting Smile

I had this strong desire to buy a flower.  So at lunchtime I went to the flower shop and bought a long single flower with my last £1.  I took it back to work and put it in my colleague's drawer as a suprise.  I knew at some point he would open his drawer and see it.

Later in the day, I got a phone call asking me if I had put the flower in his drawer.  I said "yes".  My colleague was very suprised and touched. He said, "it was a beautiful flower".

On Monday, when my colleague came to work he was still talking and telling me how nice the flower looked in his home.

I felt so happy that I had done that for him, to see him smile was well worth it.

Small Gestures in the Workplace

One day, while I was walking to work, I decided to bring some flowers that I had picked from my garden that morning. I came across a random stranger, and was inspired to give the bunch to him with a smile card.  Struck by the sense of joy I felt from giving flowers to another person, and maybe brightening his day, I wanted to do it again. When I got to my office, I had the idea of anonymously leaving flowers around the workplace. Sometimes, the impersonal atmosphere of the building where I work numbs my spirits a little. It's a nice building, with great light, but it just feels a little sterile sometimes. I figured lots of people might feel the same way, so why not put a little beauty there, and throw in an inspirational quote while I'm at it? After all, who doesn't like flowers? So, for the past month, I've been putting flowers ... Read Full Story >>

Helping the Elderly to Feel They Are Not Alone

I teach exercise classes to seniors  and I try to find ways to encourage them, not to just exercise, but to have fun in class and to make friends. Loneliness is one of the greatest complaints of the elderly.  I love encouraging our group to go out for breakfasts or lunches together.  On occasion I want to  pay for the meals of individuals that cannot pay for themselves.   I want to bring homemade coffee to our morning classes.

Standing around after a class and talking and smiling and CONNECTING with each other is so important.. I don't want anyone to be lonely!  This is my passion in life: to make others feel as if they are NOT ALONE.

When the Kindness of Strangers Can Alleviate Aches

Last winter, the East Coast was hit with large amounts of snow. In my area alone we saw upwards of 40 inches of snow in a particular week alone. The snow is pretty when it is falling and blanketing everything; not so pretty when you have to dig out.  One day, my car was completely buried, except for a very small portion of the top of the bumper. I had no shovel and no idea how I was going to dig it out. Along comes a gentleman who, almost in the same predicament, gave me the top to a rubbermaid tub and said "this should help with the dig out." Another gentleman, who's car was stuck, gave me a shovel to use.  Another kind young fellow, who had dug his car out earlier and was returning from some errands, saw me digging, parked his car and helped me dig my car out - ... Read Full Story >>