Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Lost & Found On the Streets of Turkey

I'm a study abroad exchange student from New York studying in Turkey. A few days ago, I was feeling really down and homesick when I found five lira on the ground (the Turkish currency). The five lira cheered me up so much that I decided to try and spread the wealth to make people smile. Around the corner, is a little boy who sells bottled water all day and has a bathroom scale that you can pay to use. I'm sure he works for his family so I wanted to bring him something that could be all his. I bought a candy bar at the store. When I passed him, I tried to give him the candy bar. He smiled, but he didn't understand. I don't speak much Turkish, so my friends told him in Turkish that I didn't want it anymore and asked him if he wanted it. He looked ... Read Full Story >>

Nails in the Fence

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper.  His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down.  He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The ... Read Full Story >>

An Antique Coke Bottle

Some 20 years ago, I went to a huge antique show at the local fairgrounds. After perhaps an hour of shopping, I found a nice collectible Coke bottle and since it bore no price tag, I asked the older gentleman behind the table how much he wanted for it.  He told me it was $5.00, and since that was a good price, I bought it, and put it in my bag with my other purchases. This antique show was the largest in the state, boasting thousands of dealers, and 7.2 miles of tables. Perhaps 45 minutes later, I had shopped most of my way through the next exposition hall, and spotted another item which caught my interest.  I wanted to ask the seller about it, but he was talking with another customer, so I stood and waited for him to finish. He was speaking with a young lady who sounded quite upset.   "I ... Read Full Story >>

The Neighborhood Flower Lady

When I was an at-home mom, there were times I wished I could buy some beautiful flowers, but money spent there was needed in the home. I remember when walking into town with the family, as we often did  when we didn't have a car, my youngest daughter would always carry sticks when we walked. One of her many nicknames as a toddler was Stick Girl. One day when passing the Flower Lady with Stick Girl, The Flower Lady smiled at her and said, "Come here, I have something for you." She handed my daughter a beautiful long stemmed flower. My daughter dropped that stick and carried that flower from Grant Circle to the Boulevard and back home. We placed it in water and enjoyed the beauty of that flower along with the feelings of warmth and kindness from the Flower Lady. Folks in our neighborhood would just run to her ... Read Full Story >>

The Smile Of A Child

I was very very upset yesterday.  I don't know why, I think it was just the past series of events.  It seems all bad things happen in bundles to me. My truck failed inspection.  I'm taking a car from an aunt who I can't stand.  We got into a huge argument the other day over college.  Apparently, I'm stupid for not taking more time off before going to school. There have just been some bad events happening this week that have been bothering me. I went into the gas station yesterday and took some money out of the atm.  I looked at my receipt and realized that I was -$45 in my account.  I got so upset, I started crying right there.  A little girl came up to me and hugged my leg and said, "Don't worry, when Mommy cries, I kiss her boo boos and it all goes away."  I turned around ... Read Full Story >>

Roundtable Dinners

A very close friend of mine has two older parents who have been very sick and in the hospital. Her Mom has alzheimers and her Dad has diabetes and just had surgery on his legs. She was able to make arrangements for them to come to her house when they left the hospital, but this is now an additional responsibility for her in addition to her own family.

A bunch of us (9 friends) got together and came up with a calendar of dates for us to take turns making dinner and delivering it to her house. (Thank goodness for email!) It'll be one less thing she will have to worry about while she establishes a routine and things settle down for her. This way she will know they are eating healthy foods and she can tend to her parents needs.  I'm so happy to be part of this effort.

MANY HANDS make LIGHT WORK.  If we all do our part, it's easy!

Confronting Road Rage With Compassion

I was on my way to the gym this morning and making the right turn from 21st onto Broadway when a car ran up onto me from behind, and started flashing his lights in my rear-view mirror. He then swings around in front of me and jams on his brakes. I go around him and he gives me the finger and mouths a couple of bad words through the window. I blow him a kiss. He gives me the finger again with even more ferocity and some more dirty mouth-mime. We get stopped at the next light, side by side and he rolls down his window. I roll down mine. He is a well-groomed, professional looking guy in his 40s. Could have been a lawyer or a doctor or a dad or a teacher. He was driving a newish, nice looking mid-size SUV.  "F*&% you," he says, "You think that ... Read Full Story >>

Earplugs for all!

This last weekend, my sweetie and I went to the San Jose Grand Prix. We are used to be around racing so we know that it's really important to have ear plugs at the ready.  We decided to carry a lot of extras and give them out to (mostly) kids. Then we thought why not add a smile card. It was the highlight of the weekend to give out the earplugs and tell the kids with a smile card, to pass it on!

Something I dearly love about my hometown, San Jose, is that it truly is a melting pot. The diversity is what makes my city so great.  Watching all kinds of people enjoy the races was really fun because even young "cool" men in their 20s had huge smiles on their faces and were really enjoying themselves. Their true, unmasked selves were showing and they were beautiful to see!

Lucky me to live here!

An Angel and a Pepsi

I was not employed at the time and I was getting help from the government by getting food stamps.  One day, I was walking to the store when I noticed a little man sitting on a bench across from the store.  I walked past him but could not stop thinking about him.  I turned around and went up to him and asked him if he was ok. He said no.  He said he hadn't eaten in 2 days.  I told him, "Dont worry, I'll be right back."  I turned back again and asked him what he would like.  He said it didn't matter.  I then asked him to tell me what he hadn't had in a long time.  He said "a Pepsi".  I went into the store and got  him a loaf of bread, some lunch meat, chips, cookies -- enough food for a few days.  The store I had gone ... Read Full Story >>

Life is Like Hot Chocolate

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired.  During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives.  Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate. When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said: "Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones.  While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of ... Read Full Story >>

A Five Lira Pick Me Up

I'm a university student from New York and I am currently studying abroad in Istanbul.

Istanbul is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been, but every now and then I get homesick or feel sad or left out. Today I was having an especially bad day because I was struggling with a history paper and finals are this week as well. I was also feeling sort of lonely and left out.

I began to get teary eyed and I decided to leave my dormitory for a walk in the night air. As soon as I had walked a few steps into the hallway, I found a Five Lira Bill (5 YTL) on the ground. I looked all around to see if there was anybody that had lost it, but there was no one there.

Finding the money on the ground made me so happy, I forgot about my problems for a minute. It really picked me up and made me realize how small my problems really are.

Tomorrow I will try to use the 5 YTL Bill to make someone smile. :D

I feel like it doesn't belong just to me, but to the world. It was a piece of happiness sent to me from someone else, even if by mistake.

Re-keying a Home

A friend of my fiancé’s called in a bit of a panic.  She needed the locks on her doors to her home replaced or re-keyed that evening.  We drove over and checked everything out.  While the two friends chatted, I went to the local hardware store with her cash in hand and purchased a set of same-key front and back door locking knobs with deadbolts.  I purchased them with my check card.  I came back, installed the knobs and deadbolts, and handed her the new keys.   While I was installing the locks on the back door I thought it would be a good idea to take the cash she gave me for the locks and slide it under one of her fridge magnets along with a smile card.  I almost made it out of there before she found it.  Not so anonymous.   She hugged me for about a minute and she was weeping.  ... Read Full Story >>

Eight People in One House

I work with a young lady that lives in a house she shares with 8 other people.  Two are children.  None of the other adults have a job.  She supports them with food and everything else they all need.  She earns a very modest salary and they struggle to survive.

Her mother lives with her too.  I have offered her mother domestic work at my house on Saturdays in order to supplement their income. I also supply all old clothes and shoes from my home that we do not use anymore.  I help with food sometimes when I can too.

I believe in helping where you can. I know that I have at least made a difference in the lives of 9 other people over the last few months.

Splat!

One day I was walking out of Mcdonalds when a man  deliberately walked into a girl. The milkshake she was holding out of her hands fell on the floor with a SPLAT!                                                                                                                           I quickly went inside and bought a milkshake and went back outside and  gave it to the girl. She smiled and slurped happily while her mum was profusely thanked me!!                                                                                     I felt so warm and fuzzy inside. And yet I walked away as though nothing had just happened. :-) lol Angel4eva ... Read Full Story >>

The Happiness Entrepreneur

"I have a package for Jonathan," Tom says. "Um, ok, let me page him," the person behind the counter says. This is an independent book store, and they generally don't get random deliveries like this. Wearing a buttoned shirt over a pair of jeans and black sneakers, Tom might've been taken for an errand guy. A closer look, though, and Tom's mystique is evident with the serenity on his face and the depth of his voice and the span of his geniune smile. On paper, Tom has a ton of accomplishments to his name, but in spirit, he identifies to something subtler -- "I grew up in love with stories of the invisible worlds that surround us, whispering to us of greater potentials than most of us ordinarily recognize. I have learned about silence and the world’s soul through years of walking in the woods, on mountains, and ... Read Full Story >>

Embarrassed

I think I could live to 200 yrs. and still not understand what happened today. I was sitting infront of my little shop talking to a 6 yr old girl. In my 65 yr old mind I was trying to tell this little girl how important words were and how important it was to know how to use a dictionary. The word semantics came up and I went inside to get my dictionary, I wanted her to know the correct meaning of the word was.

However as I started to look up the word, I realized how hard it is to look up up word when you don't  know how to spell.  I went next door to ask her mother how to spell the word, she was of no help.  In the end all I could tell this little 6 yr old, was she better learn how to spell or she would end up like me, knowing a word, but not being able to prove it in the correct manner. The good news is I did realize words change from time to time and I am not able to change as fast. I think I might be happy being a good heart. I do not have the win a spelling bee.

Pass The Buck!

Few months ago, a friend of mine handed me an envelope. Intrigued, I opened it and found a dollar bill.. A dollar? For what? My friend launched into an animated articulation of how he received a gift of $20 and he decided to split it up and give a dollar to 20 of his friends to do random acts of kindness. Multiply all the goodness that comes with an offering twenty-fold! Last week I was walking in a nearby downtown to keep a baby entertained while the  rest of the family watched a movie. The downtown is really small so we ended up pacing up and down the same street many times over. There was this small ice cream shop, half-way between 2 blocks, that kept drawing me. I saw two girls, about fifteen years, doling out cones and cups with a great smile and attitude. The line was long and so ... Read Full Story >>

Best Buds

When my new neighbour moved in I did not want to meet her as I am shy. So I just watched her move in hoping that one day my shyness would go away and I would be able to meet her because she seemed so nice.

One day my neighbour told my mum that she was having a barbecue. My mum told me and I said I would go. While I was getting changed I started to have second thoughts about the barbecue but I reminded myself that this would probaly be the only chance I would have to get to meet her  properly. So I went  and bonded with my neighbour and had a great time.

So the week after I decided to make her some jelly . But when I gave it to her I ran back to the house because I was still a bit shy but before I got to the door she thanked me. A week later I decided I would make her some biscuits and this time I didn't run away instead I stood there blushing.

And now a month later we are like best buds!!! 

The Benefits Of Kindness

I thought I would share this passage from a lecture by the Buddha on the benefits of kindness :One sleeps Happy! One wakes Happy! One dreams No Evil dreams! One is Liked & Loved by all human beings! One is Liked & Loved by all non-human beings too! One is Guarded & Protected by the divine Devas! One cannot be Harmed by Fire, Poison or Weapons! One swiftly Attains the Concentration of Absorption! Ones appearance becomes Serene, Calm & Composed! One dies without Confusion, Bewilderment nor Panic! One reappears after death on the Brahma level if one has penetrated to no higher level  in life! ... Read Full Story >>

Brownies for the Doctor's Office

I had a doctor's appointment a few days ago ... nothing wrong with me, just a physical.   My doctor and her  office staff always treats me so well on the phone and when I'm at the office. It is always a pleasant experience. 

To show my appreciation, I baked a batch of brownies and gave them to the office staff when I went in.  Their faces lit up and they really appreciated them.  They said they usually only get treats brought in by patients during the Christmas Holiday.  It was a little thing but it meant a lot to them.  : ) 

~Aurelia