Stories of Kindness from Around the World

From Crying To Cruising

Recently, I really was feeling sorry for myself. I was sad and then I turned grouchy. 

Then an "angel" appeared at my door. My good friend rang the doorbell and returned something I had left at her house. I don't know if she saw it in my face that I was having an "off day" but she said that her husband was working and invited my to go to the car wash with her to get her car cleaned. I accepted the invitation to get out of my house and go for a cruise with her!

It only took a few minutes to get to the carwash, but we chatted and I shared my thoughts with her. When her car was finished she treated me to an Icecream cone and we chatted some more. By the time I got home, I felt so much BETTER. 

It doesn't take much to help change the way someone's day is turning out. A simple ride in the car and an ice-cream cone was like a million bucks to me!  :)

1:30AM at the Grocery Store

I'm in line getting some groceries at the 24-hour grocery up the road from me.

The woman in front of me looks to be about 72 years old, and very much reminds me so much my grandmother!  Her bill was about 170 , she halls out a stack of $5.00 bills and is about 22.00 short.  She starts trying to decide what she doesn't need and starts putting things back in her cart. 

I felt so bad for this woman that I gave the cashier 25.00 and told the lady not to worry about it.  She wanted my name, address, phone # to pay me back but I wanted nothing to do with it.  I just told her that the next time she's in a restaurant, or coffeeshop, perhaps she can pay for someone's order behind her and just to pass it along.

She got all teary eyed and wanted to give me a hug, so I said "why not". :)  It was a great hug, as if I was hugging my own grandmother.

This just made my day.  And it also made me wonder why there was a 70 year old woman at the grocery store at 1:30am in the morning.

Dare to Care

Originally posted in Ode Magazine It's Saturday night in the Paris métro. Two friends, Etienne and Sophie, are on their way to dinner. After sitting down in the crowded train, they discover the body of a homeless man curled up at their feet. How did he get there? How long has he been lying there? Is he dead? They look around: Everyone avoids looking at the body. Nobody has any idea how to handle this situation. Etienne and Sophie don’t know what to do either. In a study done in the 1970s, young Christian seminarians were assigned to teach a course on the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37). To make sure they would be in a hurry just like the priest and the Levite in the Biblical story, who didn’t stop to help a man in need, the researchers gave them directions to their classrooms that allowed them only enough ... Read Full Story >>

Walking In the Rain

It’s past eight in the evening when I came out of the mall and it began to drizzle. I continued walking as I needed to cross the highway to board a bus. A few minutes later, the rain poured a little harder. I walked fast and put the brown envelope on top of my head to protect it from the rain. Then the rain drops became bigger. I walked even faster and held onto the envelope, though I knew I’d get wet sooner before I reach the bus. But suddenly, I heard someone calling me from behind. “Miss,” she said and motioned to share her umbrella with me. “Thank you,” I replied and was silent for a few seconds, surprised by such act of kindness from a stranger. “What’s your name,” I asked so I could acknowledge her. “Diane,” she replied. I told her that she was so kind. She just smiled. Then I asked ... Read Full Story >>

Not My Horsie, My Friend

I just got back from a week in Guatemala with a completely youth-run group called Minga of about 30 high-schoolers who are trying to end the global sex trade in children. We (13 of us) took the trip to see first hand some of what is going on and to gain perspective. On Wednesday, we played a game of soccer against a group of 7 and 8 year old boys from a shelter for children living in the Guatemala City slums. They were so happy to see us and I don't think I've ever seen smiles so wide as theirs were before! At the end they all clambered onto our backs for piggy backs down the long hill. When I bent over and offered a ride to one of the little boys, his face just lit up with surprise and excitement and he laughed and grinned the whole way down. Later, my ... Read Full Story >>

Rolling A Flat Tire

I left early from work the other day, to get some errands completed and also to get away from the grind.  While I was on my way back to the house, I saw a guy rolling a tire up the hill.  At a closer look, he was my office although I didn't know him. I wondered where could he be going, considering that it was at least 3 miles to fix a flat tire.  Surely, he was not being burdened with the rolling of the tire in that bent over walk that far?!?   So I turned around and offered him a lift to wherever he was going.  He was appreciative of the offer but didn't want to put the dirty tire in my clean trunk.  I was not going to even discuss it, so I picked up the tire and placed it in the trunk.  He told me he had just ... Read Full Story >>

Pizza Hut Smiles

Yesterday I wasn't going to be home for dinner, so I decided to get a small pizza for my daughter.

When I called to order the pizza, the phone rang at least 10 times before answered and then I was put on hold for about 2-3minutes before I could order.

Instead of getting mad I placed my order and jumped in the car to go pick up the Pizza. As I was driving I thought about how busy it must be at Pizza Hut because the phone rang so much and I had to wait so long to order. I started  feeling sorry for the girl who handled my order and decided I was going to MAKE HER DAY and give her a smile card with a $10 tip! The pizza only cost $3 so the tip was huge! It was busy when I got there and the girl was definitely stressed. WHen I handed her the Smile Card with Money she was shocked and then she read the card and the biggest SMILE came over her face and I walked away hearing her saying THANK YOU very Much!

I had the extra money because a friend was having me over for dinner, so I figured...pay it forward!    :)

Attitude Not Reward!

Many moons ago, I was waiting at the bus terminal with less than a $ in my pocket when this gentleman pulled out a wad of $50 notes and dropped them on the floor.

I rushed to pick them up & followed him around the terminal. Finally,  I tapped him on the shoulder and he just turned and stared at me.  So I told him about his dropped cash.  He took it, without even a thank you.

I went back to my seat, kicking myself for returning the money and wondered about all the things I could've done with that money.  But then, I asked myself if I would have enjoyed it -- No Way!

Sometimes we find things and our integrity is tested to the max.  Incidentally, I may have done the right thing by returning the wad of money, but the biggest reward was a committment to my attitude of generosity.

A Carrot, an Egg or a Coffee Bean?

A young woman went to her mother and told her how hard her life was. She said she wanted to give up; she was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.  So, her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.  In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.  Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what you ... Read Full Story >>

Two Boys in a Playground

A friend of mine is a teacher and enlightens us with stories and words of wisdom from some of her students.

This is a story of two boys in a playground. They are best friends and another group of boys only wants one of these boys to join in their football game. He tells them, "I won't play, unless my best friend plays too."  And he adds that it doesn't matter what my best friend smells like or what he has for lunch -- even if it's a tuna sandwich, he is still my best friend!

True friendship!!
 

Stormy Night Outside Taco Bell

Today, a friend and I were returning from volunteering at Camp Quality, a great nonprofit that gives cancer-kids a chance to be kids!  We spent two days there, and on our way back decided to make a stop for some junk food -- yes, Taco Bell! It was 10:45PM and one of the fiercest storms of the year had hit when we arrived at a local Taco Bell.  Half way out of the entrance, a car appeared to be stuck; so while my friend ran inside to see if TB was open, I went over to the car to offer help.  The lady -- with her young child, no more than a few months old -- was feeling a bit helpless.  My friend had borrowed his Dad's Lexus for our weekend trip, so I asked her to get transfered to our car to keep herself and her child warm.  As my ... Read Full Story >>

A Twenty Dollar Tip

Today I went to lunch at a salad place I have been to many times. There is a hostess/waitress there who is always smiling and very happy. She was my waitress today so I decided to do something nice for her. I wrote her a note telling her that I noticed her always smiling and very happy attitude. I thanked her for making the world a better place in her small way. I also left a $20 tip for my $6 lunch.

Because I parked just outside the window, I saw her when she went over to the table where I had been sitting. She got a great big smile when she read the note and called one of her co-workers over to read it. I watched her as she smiled in disbelief and must have been giving her version of this story. That made it all worth it for me.

I didn't sign the note and I wasn't expecting to be able to watch her reaction but it made my day and hers too I'm sure. It's great to make someone smile!

Written in Dust

I have a black car and I live off a dirt road in a rural area.  And you have no idea how frustrating it is to try to keep it clean!  In fact, I have given up and now I enjoy the dust. On my car, I have 2 bumper stickers.  One says:  "Strive to be Extraordinary"  and the other says, "Caution I Break for Elves, Fairies, Gnomes, Leprechauns, Unicorns, Dragons & Other invisible creatures that only I can see." While taking my Dad to the doctors in Baltimore, I sat in a lot of traffic.  Through my rear view mirror, I noticed a lady smiling in her car behind me.  In fact, not just smiling -- laughing!   Then she tapped her passenger and pointed at the bumper sticker on my car.  It was the passengers time to laugh.  Since then, I noticed it happen a number of times.  And it's a ... Read Full Story >>

A Leap Of Faith

We have been conditioned to look at life from the eyes of fear and scarcity.  We think that every stranger we meet is ready to do some harm to us, that they are scheming to rob us from our wealth.  This attitude helps us when we are kids and learning the ways of the world, but as adults we are responsible for our own perceptions.

I do agree that world has mass murderers and thieves but it also has ample kind people who can help us in our life.  Using my intution as my life saving aid, I took a leap of faith last year.

In the past one year, I have made a conscious choice to be bit more freindly and trustworthy.  It has worked wonders.  I have made friends in the oddest of places  and I am quite grateful that they are a part of my life.

At least sometimes let us look the other way -- the way of love and compassion.

Once Blessed, Blessed Forever

On Friday afternoon, when I would arrive at my grandfather's house after school the tea would be already set on the kitchen table. My grandfather had his own way of serving tea. There were no tea cups and saucers or bowls of granulated sugar or honey. Instead he would pour the tea directly from the silver samovar into a drinking glass. There had to be a teaspoon in the glass first otherwise the glass, being thin, might break. My grandfather did not drink his tea in the same way that the parents of my friends did either. He would put a cube of sugar between his teeth and then drink the hot tea straight from his glass. So would I. I much preferred drinking tea this way to the way I had to drink tea at home. If it was Friday, after we had finished our tea my grandfather would set two ... Read Full Story >>

Two Conditions For This Gift

A couple of weeks ago, I heard that a friend had been diagnosed with cancer. It turns out that he doesn't have long to live. They are hardworking people with two young children -- one is only five weeks old.

Clearly they are devastated, as is their family. A major challenge is the debt they owe as a mortgage on their home. He cannot work, has no insurance and they really don't need the worry of a bank asking for repayments. So I have assisted them anonymously, through my friend.

The conditions are two fold -- they are not to be told who put the money in their bank account and they are to watch the movie "Pay it Forward".

I feel good that I am able to assist them. I hope that if they ever can, they will indeed "pay it forward".

Mondays With Mom

I "woke up" about a year ago and realized, at 79, my mother wasn't going to be around forever.

So now, every Monday when I get off work, I drive to her house and we spend the evening together before I drive the 40 minutes home.

We have dinner together, watch TV, knit, I take out her garbage or help her find a misplaced item or whatever she needs. I listen to her tell me the same things she told me last week and the week before or 15 minutes ago, over and over. But, I realize how precious our time together is and I enjoy that she is "chatty" so I try to never discourage her talking by letting on that she is repeating herself (as a couple of my sisters tend to tell her). I hope someone will be as patient and caring with me when I'm her age.

I also call her every morning @ 7:30 to make sure she is up and see how she is feeling.  She lives alone and this gives her a little sense of security knowing someone cares about her and checks on her well-being.  There isn't always a tomorrow for everyone ... let them know you love them TODAY, you won't regret it!

Finding Angels Among Everyday Life

When my friend was driving me into the city for a doctors' appointment on the 15th of Aug. this year, we had the truck break down.  While we were sitting there trying to find someone to give us a pull to another friends' place, a car pulled up behind us. And a mother and her 12 year old son got out and ask if they could help. We said YES and got them to tow our truck to a friends. When we were unhooking the vehicles, the mother asked us how we were going to get home.  As we live north of the city, about an hour away, we told them that we would need to find a ride to the bus depot and catch a bus home.  The mother and her son asked us if they could take us back to my place. We said sure, thinking that we ... Read Full Story >>

Unspoken Contract With A Rickshaw Driver

"Where to?" the rickshaw driver asks me with his mouth full of tobacco. "Vijay Char Rasta," I say. I'm headed to meet a few friends to talk about the purpose of life and things like that. :) After some light conversation, the rickshaw driver and I quickly become friends. "Are you from Ahmedabad?" he asks me. "No, I'm just visiting a friend." "Just a visit?" "Yeah, he's opening a restaurant and he wanted my parents to inaugurate it. I'm helping him launch the café." "Café? You mean, it's like a Barista?" he asks showing his knowledge about the trendy coffee joints in town. "No, not quite like Barista. It's called the Seva Café." "Oh, what's that?" "Well, it's a place where most everyone is a volunteer, and no one gets charged for their food. It's going back to our cultural roots, where each person is treated as a ... Read Full Story >>

John's Biggest Wish

John's biggest wish was that his Mom could come hear him sing.  My ex-partner was an excellent pianist and would play weekly at a local lounge.  He would set out 20 books and encourage the patrons to choose a song to sing as he played.  One regular was this man named John.  At first, he can appear cold and stand-offish, but today, we've become best friends! John has a voice that could easily be recorded on CD and sold.  He's one of those unsung talents.  And because he always wanted his mom to hear him sing, I tracked her down over the Internet and planned a surprise for John! On John's 34th birthday, we went to a nice restaurant for dinner.  I went early to set up the table with Kermit the Frog tablecloth, plates, napkins, balloons and had a version of "Rainbow Connection" -- my favorite song -- playing when he arrived ... Read Full Story >>