Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Unexpected Warmth At An Airport Counter

One important meeting lingers in my memory for  a long time through which I learned an unforgettable lesson.

Way back in 1991, I was traveling for the first time from India to another country. I was at Mumbai airport , not familiar with all the formalities of flying and reasonably anxious, and was standing in the queue to collect my boarding pass.

A Lost Kindness Opportunity

So today was a monday Morning and like millions of others,  I left home to get to work. The slight difference today from most Mondays was that I was running half hour late and I was feeling stressed about it. 

Just near a major bridge, a car in front of me broke down and I panicked and shifted gear and went ahead, as I was driving past the car, I noticed it was a lady in the driver's seat and the look in her face was quite helpless. I saw her and yet I did NOT stop.

The 'being late' thing was on mind and the fear that my boss will have a comment or two was in my mind and that made me decide to not help the lady. Now I have reached office and feel so miserable.

I am a person who always helps others and this time I did not.

Should I have stopped to help the lady? While I knew the right thing to do was to help that lady at that time, why did the being late to work created such a havoc for me. 

What should one do when faced with a similar situation next time?

For Children, Kindness Is Impulsive

Yesterday while I was busy doing my housework, my daughter ran up to me and said, "Mommy there's someone at the gate."  I told her to ask who it was. It was an old man beggar. I heard my daughter yelling, "Mommy he wants money."  For a second I ignored her, but then it hit me what she just said. I found my daughter taking out money from her Dad's wallet. Instead of stopping her, I stood there amazed at her action and the realization: kids give without hesitation and their kindness is impulsive.  Then I murmured a little prayer to myself, "God, let my kids never outgrow such a value and let that value grow on us adults." Sure, we all want to do kindness acts as much as we can, but let's also be honest -- how many times have we acted on it in reality? How many times have we ... Read Full Story >>

A Restaurant Check Connection

We were eating at a restaurant some time back having a wonderful meal together.  Close to the end of our meal, we received the check, which, as good fortune would have it, was not ours.  However, having just been reminded of the many ways our lives are connected through a recent reading, I chose to pay this check as well as ours. 

We left following this encounter and weren't around to see the other people respond or react. Which is just as I prefer it - anonymous. However, the next time we were at the same restaurant, we found ourselves showered with unexpected kindness and gratitude from the staff there. 

Random act...karma...whatever, the whole adventure of it was beautiful and special  just knowing we'd brightened someone else's life...

Clean Clothes and an Unexpected Gift

I was at the laundrymat and overheard a young family who were washing their clothes.  The woman wanted $20 to get her hair done at the beauty palor for a big event in their lives.  The man said "no"  and off they went next door for a cup of coffee while their dryer was running.

I overheard this conversation and wanted to help.  As I was leaving, their dryer went off and I placed a $20 bill on top of their laundry inside the dryer so the woman could get her hair done.

Helping others makes your soul smile !!!

Kindness - 'Just Because'

Everytime I go to a fast food 'drive-thru' - I pay for the car behind me.  The person at the till usually asks me 'why?' and I respond, 'just because!'.  

I have always wondered if they understood or appreciated it or thought I was just strange?  I continue to do it, because I hope it will make the car behind me happy.

A Generous Gesture That Made A Dream Come True

I had a dream for over a year, to attend the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December. I had even reserved a hostel room a year in advance  because I so wanted to be there. I had worked very hard to arrange things, but was having trouble raising money for the trip. I asked one of my MBA professors who is connected in investing circles to ask, if I were to write an appeal letter, would he please send it to his contacts? He apologized, because he said there is not much money available right now because of the economy. Then he paused, and asked me where I was flying from. When I told him, he asked me if he could help me out with flight miles to Copenhagen for the trip. I was awestruck by the offer. I hurried to tell him that I had not mentioned this to ask ... Read Full Story >>

A Small Act - But A Big Impact

I am the mother of three little ones all under the age of five. One of my children has Celiac Disease, I have Multiple Sclerosis, and other members of our family have various food intolerances. None of these titles or limitations has ever stopped us from finding a balance and being creative in our thoughts towards happiness. We help out bodies to be their strongest, and happiest, through the foods we eat. This means getting creative in the kitchen to make all bellies happy but I have to be especially creative because our food budget is very stretched. My hubby took a brave journey and switched careers about five years back and went to medical school. He graduated this past spring and when he finished the finances, or lack there of, really began to be felt. We have kept on smiling because we know in the end it will all be worth it ... Read Full Story >>

A Moment of Purpose

Lately, I've been trying to listen more to the messages I send myself.  Having some extra time the other day, I thought: "I've got an hour to kill." I winced; feeling the word "kill." So I changed my thought to: "I've got an hour to live."  Wow!  My mindset completely changed.  And then, out of nowhere, I found my self leaving a "smile card" on the table behind me. As I sat, my insides started to giggle, I couldn't help but laugh like a little kid.  It was euphoric just knowing that I could benefit some else, even a little bit.  I literally felt, in real time, my value as a human being. At that moment, I felt that I had found my real purpose.

I never did see who picked it up, but it didn't matter. I had gained so much. My soul had spoken.  I learned that when I am unaware, I am nowhere. But when I am "purposely aware," I am now here.

Learning The Happiness In Giving

I was in a local grocery store this afternoon, standing in line at the checkout behind a young woman.  There were two little boys with her who were very patient and well behaved. I saw a lot of store-brand items in her order.  She held a number of coupons, was watching the subtotal carefully.  She had placed the things she didn't "need" at the back of her order.  I knew what she was doing, as I've done it myself.  When the total reached a certain amount, she asked that the clerk to ring up the coupons before she continued.   When that was done, she added the two left-back boxes of cereal, but told the clerk she definitely could not afford the last item - a jug of pure maple syrup.  She paid using an EBT card for the qualified part of her order, and thanked the clerk for helping her.    I was really impressed by the effort ... Read Full Story >>

A Little Girl's Lesson in Love and Compassion

I was traveling in China a couple of years ago. We were touring some very rural areas - the particular location was the Ancient City about 40 miles outside of Wenzhou. I was the only brown skinned person in sight. People where quite fascinated with me, and would stare, and sometimes photograph me. I was getting a little annoyed, but I thought why not send my fellow travellers love in my thoughts. As we walked through this village we came upon a family making rice wine. They appeared to have very little but had such radiant smiles. As we got closer, I saw a small little figure dart into their little home and dart back out. Their little toddler, all of 3 years old, approached me. She was an adorable little thing. She wore quite tattered clothes and had dirt smudges on her face. As I bent down, she reached out and gave me ... Read Full Story >>

A Chocolate Treat for Grocery Store Patience

We've all seen it - one of those monster tantrums a young child throws in the middle of the grocery store - in this case it was happening in the checkout aisle next to me.  A harried mom was trying to buy her groceries whilst one of daughters was grabbing at her legs/ankles and howling.  She resembled a sprawling blob rather than a beautiful little girl she was.  In fact, it was the little girl's birthday (and apparently it was all too much for her at the end of this long day!).  The store clerks offered balloons and stickers, but it was all on deaf ears --- this little girl was having none of it. I felt bad for the mom, I offered a sympathetic smile and tried to engage with the child to no avail. After they left the store the checkout clerk commented "poor woman!" and I agreed that it was indeed tough. I ... Read Full Story >>

A Small Gesture That Made My Day Brighter

I needed to stop by our local grocery store on my way home. As I approached the store, I could see  a little old lady was trying to get a young man's attention - but without success. I asked the lady if she needed something and she said yes.  She had parked near the shopping cart return area and was going to use a cart to lean on.  She needed it to help her balance.  There was only once cart there and it was from a different store so she didn't want to use it.   I walked to another cart area and retrieved a cart for this grocery store.  The lady was relieved and happy to have the right cart.  She told me she uses the cart to get to the store.  Once inside, she uses a motorized cart.  She thanked me and was on her way. A little while later, I saw the little old ... Read Full Story >>

A Child's Compassion For Animals

Our family has had many different pets over the years: Dogs, cats, frogs, lizards, turtles, and even a snake once. CC (our 7-year old grandchild) has always had a compassionate heart for all of them. When we learned about a shelter in the area that was ran by just volunteers she couldn’t wait to get involved. This was an excellent opportunity for her to learn and care for many different animals. What made this shelter different than most is their policy to never have any of the animals put to sleep. The animals they tended to would live at the center until they were adopted. If it took a week or a year for them to find a home, it didn’t matter. When CC learned that many of the animals were there because they had no home, it really bothered her. She couldn’t understand how that could be. When she ... Read Full Story >>

The Spirit of Random Kindness in Teenagers

I love doing Random Acts of Kindness.  I guess my enthusiasm sometimes rubs off on my kids and their friends. Yesterday we picked up my daughter's boyfriend. As soon as he got into our car he started to tell me about his ranom act of kindness.

"Wait til you hear this!" he said all pumped.  "I was walking home from school, and I noticed this little old lady on her porch struggling to untangle her USA Flag from it's post."  It had been a windy day and the flag was all twisted around and around the flag post.... "I called from the road, can I help you?" She was a little surprised.  He's a tall boy and had no problem reaching the flag and returning it to it proper state, waving proudly in the wind.  He was laughing as he said this... "The old lady said she never had such a good looking young man pay attention to her or help her out without her asking!"  He was very proud of himself! And I was extremely happy to see the spirit of random kindness spreading in our teenagers.

Helping A Friend At 6.30 In The Morning

A friend called and said that his truck had stalled and asked if I could come and jump-start his battery. I stopped what I was doing and I arrived where he was stranded in about five minutes.  We started his truck and I followed him to the nearest mechanic. He offered me money or something to eat for compensation but I declined and said, "No thanks, that's what friends are for." He called me later on and stated that the mechanic could not fix his truck at the time and asked him to bring the truck back the next day. My friend said he would need a ride to work and asked if  I would be able to take him at 6:30 am. I told him that I get off work at 5 am and I am usually so tired that I go right to sleep. He stated that he had taken ... Read Full Story >>

A Reminder of the Kindness in the World

I stopped at a huge yard sale and was looking for that hidden treasure.  A blouse caught my eye, and as I approached the "cashier" I heard her say, "Well, can't you get some more money from someone?"  I looked over and saw that her comment was directed at a child holding a nice looking pair of shoes in one hand, his other outstretched palm displaying a few coins.  I was instantly annoyed that the lady was witholding a pair of unwanted shoes for a few more cents.  I remembered my smile cards, and asked  "how much are they?" .  "Two dollars" she replied.  "Oh, here ya go," I said, handing the boy two dollars and a smile card.   As I walked away I heard her say to the boy,   "Can I see your card?"  I decided to buy the blouse and when I went to pay the lady was clearly chagrinned.  "Where did you ... Read Full Story >>

Sharing My Childhood Happiness With My Neighbor's Child

When I was 18, our neighbor married an Asian woman who moved in with her daughter who was ten years old. My mother went to bid them welcome and came back both surprised and sad. "They have almost nothing", she said, "and the girl has almost no toys. Do you think you could give her one of your dolls?".  When I was a little girl, I loved playing with my Barbie dolls. I  was more than happy to comply as I had a lot of them.  I found the box with my dolls and their clothes and shoes in the attic. As I looked through it all to find a doll and some clothes, it suddenly occurred to me, why stop at one? Why not give that little girl the whole collection? I knew I would never want to play with them again. So I dressed each doll in a beautiful dress and brushed ... Read Full Story >>

Compassion Cover in the Rain

 It was really raining hard here in London, as  I was walking my children to nursery.  We passed an old lady who was sat on her shopping trolley in the rain.  I asked if she was ok, she replied she was just a little tired and would be fine in a few moments. With that, I asked if she could hold my 'brolly' for me, which she did and I just walked away...

I just hope she isn't still there waiting for me to come back for it...

Buying an Elderly Couple Dessert

The other night when I was out to dinner with my husband there was a sweet, older couple sitting nearby. They were laughing and enjoying each other's company. When the woman needed to leave the table, her husband helped her get up slowly, patiently. The same again when she returned. I could see the man's love for his wife in his eyes.   When it was time for dessert, the server bent over the table to get close enough for them to hear and then took their order. As she walked by our table I told her that we'd like to buy the couple's dessert. When it was served to them, they found out about the gift. They tried to crane their heads to see where we were so I walked over to their table. I simply explained that they reminded me of my parents and that I hoped they enjoyed ... Read Full Story >>