Stories of Kindness from Around the World

The Little Things That Make A Difference

Today my husband and I spent some time at our local park. We were going to have a little picnic and also walk our dogs.  We go to this park often and we know that there are some homeless people who sometimes hang out on the benches that border the pond.  We brought along some apples, oranges and a few bottles of water to share with the m.

We had our picnic and  enjoyed our sandwiches, then headed for the pond to walk the dogs. Sure enough, we came across a few people with shopping carts holding all they owned. They seemed to be happy to sit and watch the ducks swim and didn't even notice us as we approached.  I smiled and handed them the brown bag with the treats inside. They thanked us and said God Bless you for being so kind.

Little things can sometimes make the difference.

Kindness Co-Conspirators

My roommate and I are co-conspirators in kindness.

We hold the door open for people in our apartment all the time.  We saw a girl wheeling her trolley with tons of things and helped her move everything.  In addition, we helped a lady move some items from the elevator to her house, took the groceries to an old woman’s apartment, and washed our friend’s car anonymously (he had helped us several times :) ).

Today, we saw an old woman fall down at the bus stop. We stopped to inquire whether she was alright, got her some water, and made her laugh by telling her about times we fell.  :)

It is so much fun having a roommate who is a co-conspirator in Random Acts of Kindness!

'Paying Forward' a Haircut

I teach 11th grade at an alternative school.  I started the school year by watching the movie "Pay it Forward" with the class.  We have started talking about doing random acts of kindness, or paying it forward, and I made a bulletin board so we could post all of the kind acts that we have either been doing or receiving.

Last night I took my boys out for hair cuts and as I was waiting a woman came up to me and gave me a coupon for a "buy one, get one" free haircut.  I was thrilled, not only because she saved me $16.95, but because it  was a real life example I could share with students.  I, in turn,  gave the hairdresser a bigger tip as a way to pay forward the generosity I had received.   

Boxes Filled With Compassion

Today we spent the morning going through our personal belongings. We were looking for items to give away for free, at a local park. Not just any items but things people really needed. We came up with blankets, soaps, food, and clothing. Our aim was not to find things we no longer wanted, but things we use everyday that would be useful to others. For some of the items we used and needed we split the amounts in half.  We kept one half and added the other half to the pile of things to give away. We made up boxes with the things we believed would be useful and added some small toys.  We added a list of local addresses and phone numbers of local helping agencies. Inside the boxes a simple letter was placed. It read….. “Please take these items and know that your life is important. Times are difficult but these days will pass. ... Read Full Story >>

The Gift of Home Cooked Meals for an Old Lady

I sometimes see an elderly woman along the road across from my house. Finally, I have been able to reach out to her with daily meals. At first, I would giver her some money everyday to get some food from a nearby shop but I realised that did not suit her.  I thought that maybe this old lady needed home-cooked food, so now I provide her lunch everyday instead.  Today, I got meet this woman. I sat with her on the road to just check how she was.  The moment she saw me approaching, she wished me well with folded hands and I said "namaste" to her. I introduced myself and she said she knew I was the one giving her food.  We talked for 30 minutes. She told that she came to Delhi in 1974 to work as a domestic helper to an Anglo-Indian family from Bangalore. After some years, the family moved abroad and she continued working in different houses. Seven years ago she met with an accident and used up all ... Read Full Story >>

An Opportunity to be a Good Samaritan

I was on my way home one evening when I saw someone walking on the side of the street.  I recognized him as one of the people that works at one of my favourite resturants.  I pulled over and offered him a ride home.  He said that would be great and got in.  

His truck had broken down earlier in the day and he could not find anyone to help him get it started so he started walking home.  He had been walking for hours by the time I got to him and was exhausted. I took him about 10 miles the other way to his house. 

He thanked me many times and said he would get me some free food next time I was at the restaurant but I refused and said that wasn't necessary. 

Being a Blessing to Someone Else Everyday

Today, it was over 100 degrees out.  Horrible humidity too.  While driving to get my tire fixed on my van I noticed some homeless people wandering around in this heat.  My heart sank. As soon as I was done at the garage I went to the store and picked up some gatorade, ice and bags of trail mix.  I headed home to pick up my 3 kids (1, 2 and 16 years old), loaded the van with the cooler and went off to pass them out.  We found 3 homeless guys walking in the heat with the weight of their backpacks and gave them ice cold gatorade and bags of trail mix.  The best part was seeing the look on my 16 year old's face as he handed them the drinks and hearing my 2 year old say 'God bless you!' from the back seat.   Awesome.  This is how my kids and I ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness Karma on a Nightshift at the Hospital

I was working a nightshift at the hospital one day, and usually there are only four staff working during the night .  Fortunately, I was working with my mates that night -- all except one colleague who I didn't get along with mainly because he's always been EXTRA nice to me, which creeped me out.   A few days prior he had done something I didn't like and I had slapped him, which I later thought was a bit over the top, for me. Anyways, I had decided that no matter what, I would do my best to be nice to him from now on. So this night, we all decided to have Subway sandwiches for dinner and I took down everyone's order to go and get it.  But, before I left I couldn't find that one colleague of mine, who I didn't get along with, to take his order. When I got to Subway, I figured this was my chance to ... Read Full Story >>

An Untold Story of Gratitude for an Everyday Hero

I live in India and this incident is just a small example of my day-to-day interactions with ordinary people, which leave behind unforgettable gratitude about the greatness of such people thoughout our lives.

It was the day that I was getting out of the hospital after winning a battle with a failed surgery. To make matters worse, when I left the hospital they told me that I was not supposed to climb any stairs to reach my house and I lived on the Ist floor (now I had to be carried like a corpse!).

We took a rickshaw from the hospital to our home and when we arrived, my brother and the rickshaw driver, who drove us home, carried me to the Ist floor and into our home.  My mother paid the rickshaw driver some extra money in addition to the actual charge for his kind gesture.

He left, but then came back and returned the extra money to my mother.  He said, "I don't need this extra money, she is like my sister."   My heart cried with tears of gratitude and till this date I still vividly remember that rickshaw driver.

Seeing a Need and Helping, No Questions Asked

One day, I was coming out of the Dollar Store and noticed a beaten up little car, crammed full of stuff...clothes, boxes, and who-knows-what.  I then realized that the owners were in the front seat, one eating from a can of chili, the other from a styrofoam cup.  I assumed they had split the can of chili and it was probably cold.

I started to drive away when their situation hit me.  What if you had to live out of your car?  What if you only had enough money to buy a dollar store can of chili and split it with your son who has special needs?  What if you didn't have enough gas to get to your next destination?

I turned around and hopped out of my car with a $10 bill in my hand.  I tapped on their window and the lady rolled it down very cautiously.  I handed her the $10 and said this is for you.  She asked why and I just said "God Bless You!"  I drove off, not knowing their story but seeing a need.  Maybe that was the way they chose to live, or maybe they had a million bucks in their trunk, who knows?  I didn't want to leave it to chance. 

Taken By Surprise By A Course In Miracles

Arriving in a new city last Thursday, I had the strangest first week of graduate school. I fell and broke my leg within 48 hours of arriving there! I was really amazed by the kindness shown by my new roommmate, someone who I had only just met. "We are family now", she said when she found me lying in my room with a swollen leg, unable to move, in a strange city with no family except across three oceans. She took me to the student health center by cab to get my leg examined. The cab driver was so nice and said to me how lucky I was to have a friend like that.  After that, my roommate didn't stop helping me - she made me amazing meals and brought them to and made me comfortable despite my insistence that I could do things on my own. When I protested, "I really like helping people", she said , "I believe ... Read Full Story >>

The Gift of Love, Strength and Endurance from an Amazing Sister

From the Soul Curry Column in the Times of India (April 9, 2010) My mom was nearing 40, my dad a few years older and there were their three lovely children just getting out of their teens — it was picture-perfect, that is, until I decided to come along. She was just 20 when I arrived, but from the moment she put her finger into my little palm, I cottoned on to it and knew I had found a friend. She smothered me with love, sang sweet lullabies, soothed a fevered brow, gently scolded and cajoled me out of the cradle and into the walkie-talkie world. My first words were little songs and bits of nursery rhymes. School was a bit hard, because my parents were always mistaken to be my ‘grandparents’, much to my dismay. But she was there and told me that I was not to worry about what the ... Read Full Story >>

Two Quick Judo-Joy-Chops

I was on my way to the post office. I hadn’t found a parking place on my first pass up the street and was now making a left turn into a small parking lot in order to loop back towards the post office, in effect accomplishing a U-turn legally. It’s a tight space and there’s a mail box set up right inside the lot so people can pull in, roll down their window and reach out to stick a letter into the box without getting out of their cars. As I completed my turn into the lot, I saw a four-door Buick pulled up alongside the mailbox in front of me. I would be delayed while the driver ahead reached out to put mail into the mail slot. I happened to be in a high-energy mode and at first was impatient as I watched the hand tentatively trying to get a small ... Read Full Story >>

Morning Kindness Delivery Route

At a recent breakfast to say good-bye to a couple moving from their retirement community in Stone Mountain, GA, my Mom was surprised at the number of people in attendance. What was more surprising was the revelation that Patricia's kindness had endeared herself to so many of the people on her block. My mother and I would often speak of Pat with great admiration for her steadfast service.  For example, she would move my 89-year-old mother's newspaper from the end of the driveway to right outside her door. While my mother is quite able, this little kindness was deeply appreciated, especially when the weather was dicey. What she didn't know until this breakfast gathering was Pat did this same little deed for everyone on the block who had newspapers sitting in their driveway. She was an early riser and she'd time her morning walk to follow the newspaper delivery person and make her rounds, which include a trek down and up ... Read Full Story >>

I Bow to the Paint on my Walls

Wow! I got seriously tagged with an act of anonymous kindness last week. Actually, its more like seriously pummeled with kindness. I spent 26 days at a meditation retreat, mainly to begin the process of self purification through self discovery...I guess you could call it a renovation of the interior walls of my mind. As I walked back into my studio home on Sunday, WOW, a few folks had decided that they would self-purify my home and renovate its interior walls as well. The place has been tiled, every corner has been painted, fridge has been stocked, light switches have been replaced, new furniture has been added, and an infinite amount of love has been poured into every inch of that space. On the table in the middle of my room was a flower pot with one smile card attached to the stem. The coolest thing I found was one ... Read Full Story >>

Smile Cards, Choccies and Exams

At our school, we have exams at the moment, and we only have to come to class for the exams.  The other day after our morning exams, a friend and I walked down to the shops. After we had lunch, I suggested to my friend that we buy something little to give to random people with my smile cards.  She was a bit nervous, but agreed to it anyway.

We went to the supermarket and brought some little chocolates.  So,  armed with our "smile cards" and "choccies," we went and handed them out  to random people.  We even  put some on people's car windscreens.   It was awesome to see the smiling faces of those who recieved them! 

Many  adults assume that all teenagers are annoying and up to no good, but I would like to change their minds. 

Have an awesome day and make someone else's day awesome!

Smile! Love J4J

An Extra Bit of Kindness in the Post

"A parcel arrived for you today," my father told me, as we were driving home from work.  "It's quite big."  "Oh really?"  I wondered out loud.  "A big parcel?  I don't know what it could be."  "Have you ordered anything?  Maybe from Amazon or eBay or something...?" my father continued.  "Nope, I haven't ordered anything, Dad.  I'm only expecting one thing, but that should arrive in an envelope." On Sunday, I will participate in a kindness activity with some friends, and I had asked Bluebell if she could send me some of her homemade smile cards to give out on the day.  Since smile cards would have fit into an envelope, I couldn't imagine what else could be in the package.  I became increasingly curious as we continued to drive home.  As soon as we arrived, I rushed to open the package.  It had a neat, hand-written label on it and ... Read Full Story >>

Staying in College, Learning From Kindness

I was at risk of flunking out of the state college. I had to pass this one course or else I would be kicked out. This was the time I realized that all my bumming around was taking a toll on my studies. I realized at this time, albeit a bit late, that studies must come first. My grade for this particular course was a "conditional failure" meaning I had to take an exam which would determine if I passed or failed. The course was being taught by a kind, elderly professor. I gathered my courage and went to his house to ask him if I can take the exam the next week. I told him that I had learned my lesson and would take my studies seriously from then on. What he did surprised me. He took out an exam and asked me to take it right there and then. ... Read Full Story >>

Pay-it-Forward Coffee Karma

Every day I go into the same coffee shop on the way to work. It's part of a large chain here in the UK. I am new to the anonymous act of kindness concept.  I came across it recently, and a few weeks ago I worked up the courage to ask the Barista if I could pay for a coffee for someone later that day. He looked at me kind of strangely and said "okay" and then put the  money in the till. I walked out feeling doubtful that this would ever happen (and privately thinking he might just add the money to his tips).  This chain stamps a card every time you buy a coffee and when you get 9 stamps, the 10th coffee is free.  I had just completed my card today and was due a free coffee next time, so I cheered up as I headed out of the ... Read Full Story >>

My Mother: My Kindness Champion

Mothers are definitely the kindest people and my mother is definitely my Kindness Champion.  On any given day, one or more of the following might easily happen to me: ·     As I scramble around in my handbag in the morning, looking for my train ticket, I might find a small bottle of freshly squeezed orange juice (packed up very neatly to prevent leakages) in my handbag.  Or I may find some healthy snacks like dried fruit and nuts.  Or sometimes, I’ll find a sweet note. ·     If I’m running late and haven’t had time to grab breakfast, a cup of hot chocolate might magically appear by the front door for me to drink on the way to the train station. ·     Sometimes, I’ll curl up in bed at the end of the day only to find that my pillow is lumpy – my mum will have hidden a small present under my pillow.  A pair ... Read Full Story >>