Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Turning Tears Into Smiles At The Happiest Place on Earth

I was recently on a vacation to Disney World with some of my friends.  I never expected to find a chance to exercise my kindness muscles. My friends were going on a scary water ride that I did not want to go on.  I waited outside the ride with their camera so that I could take pictures. While I was doing this, I noticed two small children who were alone.  It looked like the older one, about 7, seemed to be searching for something, while the younger boy, around 3, was crying uncontrollably.  I waited for some time, slightly afraid to approach them in case they would be scared by a stranger. After watching this scene for about 10 minutes, I decided that I needed to find out what was the matter.  The older boy explained that they were standing at the exact same spot with their parents just an hour ago and ... Read Full Story >>

Giving a Card That Brings Smiles

   I got my SMILE cards today.  I was thrilled like a kid at Christmas.  I was in the grocery store and had to have the cashier review my order because I knew there were things that were rung up incorrectly.  She appeared to be annoyed and as the line got longer, she got a little more heated.  I was correct about the prices and she corrected them.  When she handed me my receipt, I handed her a SMILE card and thanked her for helping me.  She looked at me funny, but the corners of her mouth curled up in a bit of a smile when she looked at the card.  It was a picture worth a million dollars.  I also gave one to my daughter's friend who I adore, however her father and I have discord between us.  I asked her to pass the card along to her father ... Read Full Story >>

A Helping Hand from a Hitchhiker

Three times a week we have to drive to physical therapy for my husband's hand that was reattached two months ago after a horrible work accident.  It's a 150 mile round trip. Today we were running 30 minutes late but just a few miles into the trip we saw a young man huddled against the strong, cold winds that were almost pushing our car off the road  We stopped and asked if he needed a ride.  He gladly accepted and jumped into the back seat.  His name was Dan and he wasn't going far.  As we dropped him off we noticed he had many large piles of cut wood stacked in his yard so we inquired if he was interested in selling any.  He said, "Oh, you can just come by anytime, even if I'm not here and load up all you want ."  We asked how much it would cost for ... Read Full Story >>

A $100 Sent In The Mail Goes A Long Way

I do my best to save money wherever I can, but I have to admit, recently I have had a bit of a tough time making ends meet.  My husband has stopped paying child support which has made things difficult.  I can only work part time because my full time job is raising my young children.  Some of my close friends are aware of this and have been very supportive.  Not that I am looking for money or anything, but they often ask me if I have received my checks.  I just tell them that I'm sure it is coming and that I'll be okay. I try to save positive because I don't want to my children to know what is going on. Yesterday, I opened my mailbox and as I was going through my mail (mostly bills) I found a hand addressed letter.  It was addressed to me, with the return ... Read Full Story >>

Offering a Friendly Ear to An Old School Friend

This morning I spent almost two hours on the phone, speaking to an old school friend.  We had recently got back in touch with each other through a social networking site.  It turned out that we were both feeling a little down today, each of us having our own private problems.  As the conversation progressed, we ended up telling each other how we felt and generally 'moaning.'  But when it was her turn, I listened, and when it was my turn, she listened.

I think it was something we both really needed, just a friendly ear to listen, someone who wouldn't judge or try to advise.  When we said our goodbyes and I hung up the phone, I felt cheered up, relieved to have gotten things off my chest, and more positive.  I think she felt the same way.

Making time to listen to someone, even if we have a million other things to do, can make a massive difference to how they feel.

The 93 Dollar Club

REDWOOD CITY, CA - Imagine this: on Aug 11 shopper Jenni Ware gets 207 dollars of groceries at Trader Joe’s and realizes only at the checkout line that she has lost her wallet. Carolee Hazard, in line behind the distressed woman, graciously offers to cover the tab! Jenni goes home and sends Carolee a check for 300 dollars, and suggests that her benefactress treat herself to a massage with the leftover cash. Carolee turned to her online Facebook community for advice on what they thought she should do with the 93 dollar gift. The idea Carolee choose was to donate the surplus to a local food bank. Carolee not only sent in the money that Jenni had given her to Second Harvest Food Bank, but matched that amount herself. So did a Facebook friend. And another. And another. Kids have pitched in 93 cents. And since the story has been on Facebook’s ... Read Full Story >>

Going The Extra 200 Miles On Mother's Day

A man stopped at a flower shop to order his mother some flowers for Mother's Day.  He was having the order wired to his mother, who lived two hundred miles away.


As he got out of his car he noticed a young girl sitting on the curb sobbing.  He asked her what was wrong and she replied, "I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother.  But I only have seventy-five cents, and a rose costs two dollars."


The man smiled and said, "Come on in with me. I'll buy you a rose."  He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother's flowers.


As they were leaving he offered the girl a ride home.  She said, "Yes, please! You can take me to my mother."  She directed him to a cemetery, where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave.


The man returned to the flower shop, canceled the wire order, picked up a bouquet and drove the two hundred miles to his mother's house.

Paying Forward an Umbrella, Thoughtfulness and Generosity

California has a reputation for generally having nice weather.  However, it can really rain hard when it rains in California.  We were broke, my daughter was just a few weeks old, and I got caught in a rain storm.  It rained so hard that the water was over my ankles crossing the street.

A total stranger gave me her umberalla to help keep the baby dry.  About a month later I was walking home from work, it was raining again.  There was a young couple with a baby getting drenched.  I handed them my umberella. They didn't want to take it, but I told them I had a baby at home, and this umberella had been given to me by a stranger to keep my baby dry. I wanted to pass on not only the concern for a small child, but also the thoughtfulness and generosity that was given to me.

An Exercise In Compassion

I sometimes look out of my window with envy at the parade of bicyclists who ride past my apartment each morning on their daily commute into the city. I work from home, and getting exercise outside is not easy for me. Since I moved into this apartment, my bicycle has been in hibernation. I had been longing to get on it, but I have a market almost next door, so I find it difficult getting any riding in. One morning, though, I decided to commute to work just like the cyclists under my window. I planned to bike up the long hill to the bridge and coast back to start my day, a two mile loop. Eager to get out, I filled the rear tire with air, and pushed off into the street. I was so happy to be riding again! Right away, I raced past a bike-commuter, and beat ... Read Full Story >>

One Coconut Please

During the summer break after my first year in college, I  worked part-time at a tourist shop along the ocean front in Hawaii.  One particular day, I had been twiddling my thumbs for a while when a bright eyed, quite pale boy of around ten years old rushed into the store and asked if we sold coconuts.  It took me a moment to recall that yes, we did.  I took him to the the last two coconuts we had and helped him grab one. The little boy was ecstatic.  He explained that he really wanted a coconut from Hawaii and he couldn't find them anywhere before he left.  I was very happy I could help him, I knew personally how seemingly small mementos can mean a lot on trips to far away places.  When he asked how much it was, I told him the price.  The look of sadness on his ... Read Full Story >>

A One-Week Mission To Bring Cheer

There's a woman I work with who is very shy.  She doesn't usually share much about herself so I don't know her very well.  At the beginning of the week, a group of my co-workers and I were gathered around the water fountain.  This woman was there too.  Usually she is fairly quiet, but today she was unloading all her woes.....I listened (without interrupting) while she shared  her  many concerns and life challenges with the group. Some of the group rolled their eyes or tried to change the subject I suspected because they did not want their precious break time spent on someone else's problems. I could tell she was really stressed and disheartened. Even, her appearance spoke volumes - her posture was poor with slumped shoulders, she has deep furrow lines on her forehead, her eyes had no sparkle and she had dark circles. She seemed to be surrounded by ... Read Full Story >>

Letting Go of Preconceived Notions

Earlier this year, I had been shopping and was walking back to my car with my purchases.  Two unkempt men, obviously homeless,  started to approach me.   I had a full cart and was more than nervous, since it was only 7:30 in the morning. As they got nearer, I saw that one of the men had a face covered in bruises and cuts, clearly battered-looking.  As they got nearer, I could smell their breathe and they definately had been drinking. The one with the battered face asked if they could help me load my car.  I wasn't too concerned at that, because they didn't know my 22 pound mastiff was in the vehicle.  I agreed, but warned them about my dog.  They wheeled the cart for me and asked if I had any change I could give them.  They noted it was a chilly morning and they hoped to get a cup ... Read Full Story >>

A Small Gesture Brings Sunshine to a Rainy Day

The weather was especially brutal yesterday.  I was out shopping for a few things.  As I exited the store, I saw these two ladies sitting on a bench with a few items, waiting for the bus or taxi.   As I approached them I smiled.  They smiled back and we briefly discussed the particularly unpleasant weather.

I asked, "Do you have far to go?"  They said,  "We're ok, we can wait for the bus." I responded, "I really don't mind getting you home"  They thankfully accepted my offer and away we went.  They lived only a few blocks away from the shopping plaza.

I was glad to be of help on such a miserable day.  It brought a little sunshine into my very rainy day to be able to help them out.

Sterling Performance For Your Eyes Only

There was once a skinny young boy who loved football. Practice after practice, he eagerly gave everything he had. But being half the size of the other boys, all his heart and effort couldn't make up for his physical shortcomings. At every game, this hopeful athlete sat on the bench and hardly ever got to play. However, the determined young man decided to hang in there.  He hoped that maybe his body would grow to match his heart and dedication.  All through high school, he never missed a practice nor game, but he remined a bench a bench warmer all four years.  His faithful father was always in the stands, always with words of encouragement for him . When the young man went to college, he decided to try out for the football team as a " walk on.".  Everyone doubted that he would make the team, but he did.  The coach ... Read Full Story >>

You Inspired Me To Help Him

Today, in the supermarket, I saw the man who stands outside on the street corner trying the sell 'The Big Issue'.  It is a magazine that the homeless sell.

I saw him pick up things in the supermarket, look at them carefully and then put them down again. 

I was thinking of all your lovely stories on this site and I walked up to him and slipped a few pounds in his hand.

Gratitude: The Key To Good Health

Gratitude is becoming quickly a central concept in the area of Positive Psychology. While there are various ways to express gratitude, what seems most important is that you find a way to express it that works for you. Frequently, a gratitude journal is used. You may have a specific notebook that is devoted just to writing what you're grateful for. The gratitudes need to stay fresh and you need to be emotionally invested when you write them if gratitude is to develop and deepen. For this reason, often writing daily is not the best route. Nor is reporting over and over the same items for which you are grateful, even though certainly you are still grateful for them. Expressing gratitude requires an "alive" and vibrant experience. You need to allow yourself to feel the gratitude in your body. Other ways to express gratitude include writing a letter of gratitude to individuals ... Read Full Story >>

Generosity That Goes Around Comes Around

The other day I noticed a young woman, very close to my own age, walking by the store front.  I thought she was a student at the local college, mainly due to the fact that she was carrying her books and supplies.  She stopped and looked through the window with a somewhat sad look on her face.  The next day, around the same time, she stopped by again, the same thing as the day previous. I came to the cafe this morning, after having made a comment of how cold it was outside.  The region experienced a drastic drop in temperature last night to around 27 degrees Fahrenheit.  I noticed the time was getting close to be around the same time as the previous two days when I had seen the young woman, so I looked for her.  I saw her slowly approach the store.  She looked as cold as ever.  ... Read Full Story >>

Turning a Glum Day into a Free Breakfast

I was sitting in Billy's Downtown Diner in Bethlehem, PA one morning. I was feeling glum while eating my breakfast, I had been fretting over the rising cost of tuition and housing at college. I kept dwelling on how it was affecting my mood, and how it was making me unhappy. Then, it came to me: perhaps my plight should be the means for someone else's happiness.

I noticed a mother and her young daughter sitting across the way from me at the dinner. I went up to the waitress and asked for their check as well as my own. I headed for the counter, and paid for their meal. I didn't bother to stick around for any sort of reaction. I was so excited and had such a great feeling that my legs were shaking. I would just like to think they were able to enjoy the surprise.

Find Something Beautiful

                        FIND SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago whose husband died suddenly of a heart attack. About a week after his death, she shared some of her insights with a classroom of students. The class was nearly over, and as the late afternoon sunlight came streaming in through the classroom windows, she moved a few things aside on the edge of her desk and sat down there. With a gentle look of reflection on her face, she paused and said, "Before class is over, I would like to share with all of you a thought that is unrelated to class, but which I feel is very important." "Each of us is put here on earth to learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves. None of us knows when this fantastic experience will end. It can be taken away at any moment. Perhaps this is the ... Read Full Story >>

How Kindness Changed My Life

During my travels over the weekend I was able to give lots of sincere compliments and do little things to make people happy.  Just little things like helping a lady open a door or complimenting a friend on her lovely voice. 

I had time this weekend to reflect on how different my life is now.  It is so strange to know that all this happiness was there, but I just couldn't see it or reach it.

I was afraid to do nice things for people, I don't know why.  Maybe because I was shy.  I would think of something kind to do, but then talk myself out of it during an internal dialogue in my own mind. 

When I joined this site one of the quesitons I asked was, 'Is it being 'holier than thou' to do the act of kindness or should I do it anyway?'

Many gave me wonderful advice and one person wrote 'to do it, but do it humbly'. 

I really want to thank all of you on this site.