Stories of Kindness from Around the World

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.

The "Elf" in the Kitchen

   My roommates have been very busy these days with exams and tests, while I have been having a relatively relaxed period.

  We usually take rotations in cooking and washing up dishes. But I have been trying to make their burden lighter by quietly doing some of their dishes or making a quick dinner when it's their turn.

  Sometimes they come out of their rooms and see the dishes done (anonymously by me :)) and I can see the grins on their faces.

   They said the other day it reminds them of the story of the Elves and the Shoemaker in which they would find so many of their little jobs done when they woke up in the morning.

When A Hug Is Just What's Needed

I was on a flight to New York with my two sons.  Having been through many hard years as a single parent, I had promised us a trip to NY on my 40th birthday and my eldest son's 21st & my younger son's 18th!!  There we were on our way.  As I came out of the restroom on the plane, I noticed a woman (probably in her mid-30s) standing and sobbing.  People, including the flight attendents, were just walking past her.  I got up, walked back to her and said, "I don't know what's wrong, but can I give you a hug?"  The woman held on to me like a long lost relative and cried for at least 5 minutes.  She just sobbed and sobbed.  I did nothing but hold her and gently stroke her back.  After she had calmed down, she said thanks.  I said "no problem" and came back to my seat.  A ... Read Full Story >>

A Happy Memory to Lift You Up

I hear some actors keep a sad thought or memory tucked away to help them with scenes where they might need to cry. I think we should each try to find the opposite; a happy memory, something to lift us up on those inevitable down days.  I’m saying this because I think I just found mine! I had some work in Glasgow today. I was on a really tight schedule, which meant I would have no time for myself (or my own work) all day. I was having one of those days, the train was completely packed out and the conversation going on around me seemed to be particularly inane. On top of all that, I had a bit of a headache. Walking briskly across the concourse, I fished some change from my pocket. There was usually someone at the exit selling The Big Issue (a magazine that helps homeless folk earn ... Read Full Story >>

Invisible Smiles In an Empty Flower Vase

About a dozen college kids gathered around me after a talk on the 'spirit of service'. The theme of the talk was small acts of selflessness; they will not only make someone smile but also shift your entire perspective on life. That instead of obliging the receiver with your act of service, it is actually your privilege to get an opportunity to be kind. For some, these are common sense ideas but college students generally don't think about these things. When you're in college, you're more worried about YOUR grades, YOUR job interviews, paying off YOUR loans, meeting YOUR significant other and so on. In our commercialized, image-driven world, it's only natural to take care of your things before you serve others. So here I am -- a dozen folks asking me how to 'Be The Change', a stack of smile cards in my left hand and a commemorative bouquet of flowers ... Read Full Story >>

A Small Gesture Can Mean So Much

Many years ago, I was walking around Palma and for once, I decided to take a short cut down some 60 old, steep stone steps. On my way down, I came across an elderly lady who was clearly struggling to get down the steps, she had very swollen and painful looking legs, plus her shopping bag. As I walked past, I thought to myself, if that was me, what would I hope for?  So I told my boyfriend of the time to hold on.  I asked the lady if she needed any help and she gratefully accepted.  I handed the shopping bag to my boyfriend and took hold of the lady's arm.  Throughout the 10 or so minutes it took to slowly get down the steps, this lady told me how she was on her way to the hospital for a check up on her legs due to a painful condition she had.  ... Read Full Story >>

A Dinner Invitation Turns into a Great Friendship

I travel a lot for work and sometimes I end up staying behind to clean up the loose ends while my project team heads back home. We were in Boston meeting with a vendor and we wrapped up early, everyone was able to catch flights home, except me.  So I stuck it out and decided to go to dinner. Because I was not very familiar with where I was in Boston, I hired a driver to pick me up. I am a very outgoing person and love to meet new people and engage in conversation.  My driver asked for my destination. I responded by asking him to pick the restaurant he would like to go to for dinner.  We ended up at a local seafood place.  I invited him to join me for dinner; I hate eating alone and could not stand knowing he was sitting in the car in the parking ... Read Full Story >>

A "Food For Thought" Jar

When I worked in a busy office, most of my co-workers kept jars of candy on their desks to enjoy and share with others.  Constantly battling the "bulge," I hated these temptations, but neverthless often gave in to them.  I decided to put out a jar of my own "feel good" stuff, with no calories. I bought a beautiful jar and spent one whole weekend at home cutting up colorful strips of paper and writing down inspiring quotes.  I filled up the jar with the inspiring quotes and placed it on my desk for people to help themselves to.  It took a while to catch on, but soon, everyone was stopping by my "food for thought" jar daily to fill up on something much better than empty calories.  They would take one out, read it, smile knowingly, and then fold it up and replace it for the next co-worker.  It's something that never needed ... Read Full Story >>

Helping An Old Lady Forget Her Crash, With Flowers

 An elderly lady's foot slipped while driving and wiped out two posts, managing to write off her car.

Seeing that she was a little shaken while I was in the picture shop next to the accident, I went and bought her a bunch of flowers.  I said to her, "I thought you would rather remember the day because a tall, dark stranger bought you flowers, instead of crashing your car."

With that I walked out smiling...

The Crocodile Whisperer

Whether a person likes animals, reptiles or not, this really is amazing, just goes to show what some human kindness can achieve.   Rather than trying to tame wild stallions, fearless Costa Rican fisherman Chito prefers a playful wrestle in the water with his best pal Pocho -- a deadly 17ft crocodile. The 52-year-old daredevil draws gasps of amazement from onlookers by wading chest-deep into the water, then whistling for his 980lb buddy -- and giving him an affectionate hug. Crazy Chito says: "Pocho is my best friend. This is a very dangerous routine but we have a good relationship. He will look me in the eye and not attack me.  "It is too dangerous for anyone else to come in the water. It is only ever the two of us." Chito made friends with the crocodile after finding him with a gunshot wound on the banks of the Central American state's Parismina ... Read Full Story >>

Helping Someone Find Work

     I was at a party with my friend and someone introduced himself to me and said we used to go to school together.  To be honest, I did not  have a clue who he was.      While we were chatting he told me that he was looking for  work and if I heard of anything I should let  him know. I forgot about him and went on with my life. After two weeks, I got a call from  him asking if I'd heard anything and I immediately remembered seeing a  job vacancy  sign somewhere and gave him directions to go and check the place out and maybe he would be lucky.     I didn't  hear from the guy for a month or so until one day I got a call from him asking me where I was staying as he wanted to buy me something to thank me. I told ... Read Full Story >>

Finding The Courage To Wipe The Windows

Here I was, as any other morning, in front of the bread store.  Today, the door was opened. Outside it was cold enough.  I stepped inside and I saw some pieces of cloth on the stairs. The door's window was wet - at a closer look I saw it was sprayed with window cleaning liquid. I stopped. I saw there were two other ladies in the store, waiting to be served.  I looked again at the few pieces of cloth, hanging there, exactly in front of me. I thought about Help Others stories. Suddenly I felt I had the courage to pick one up and wipe the window. "Don't worry about it" I heard. "I'll do it later. There is plenty of time" and she laughed, blushing all over.  I realized I didn't do it for her. Some force inside pushed me to do it just to show me that I can humble myself, ... Read Full Story >>

Virtue Is The Only Shelter We Have In This World

The first thing I noticed about him was his intensity.  When other people got up to take a break, he sat with such a sincere, unassumingly deep focus that I was immediately impressed. The next time I noticed him was few days later.  He happened to be in front of me as we walked down to the dining hall, and I caught a glimpse of his sweatshirt.  The cuff of his sleeve was tattered and dirty, with a small hole in it.  I instantly knew that he had no money, and that his intense search for truth had rendered a simplicity and faith that made the lack of funds not as worrisome as it would be for the rest of us.  Still, I thought that if there was ever anyone to help, it would be someone of this type of intensity, where the his answers might reap dividends to help many ... Read Full Story >>