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Teaching Kids Spiritual Harmony

Aikido, translated as “the way of spiritual harmony”, is a Japanese martial art. While it is a powerful system of self defense, the greatest benefit of Aikido training is that it provides a means to better yourself and become a happier, more balanced person. There is a piece of calligraphy authored by Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido, that reads “True victory is victory over oneself”. This concept and Aikido itself is suitable for people of all ages. For the last year or so, I have had the privilege of being an assistant instructor for the “Kid's Self Mastery” classes at my dojo; helping to teach children ranging in age from 5 to 10 years old. The classes themselves consist mostly of games and exercises allowing the students to learn Aikido, teamwork, respect, kindness, and other skills in a way that's fun to them. They also have “Mat Chats” in which ... Read Full Story >>

Best Servers

Recently I was on a retreat in a foreign country with some friends, some strangers, and many strangers who became friends!    We were all given duties to perform, such as cleaning and cooking. I was in the team serving meals.   On the first day I tried hard to please everyone, but it was hard to know how. Some people liked it when you were fast and just gave them their food, some people preferred it slow and steady so that they could choose exactly how much they wanted, some wanted, for example, stew without the carrots in it, some didn't know what I was serving and didn't speak English. If they weren't served in the way they wanted some grew irritable. As you can imagine, after an hour of this it started to get old.   So the next day, we tried a different tactic.   I learnt how to say "Would you like ..." in ... 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 >>

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 >>

Scouts On A Train To Scotland

Traveling back to Scotland from a holiday in England, my family was to board a busy intercity train in the middle of its run.   We thought we would be okay as we had booked seats, but the train was just chaos. The booking system had broken down and everyone just sat anywhere. Our family were scattered throughout the carriage.  The next stop was a busy one and a whole lot more folks got on. It soon became apparent there wouldn't be seats for everyone -- actually nowhere near enough seats. I had noticed we were traveling with a Scottish Scouts troop (neckerchiefs, brown shirts and kilts), and the boys were engrossed in the usual games and chat.  Then, all of a sudden, the leader stood up in the middle of the carriage. "Boys!" he shouted. "Let's be gentlemen!"  Without a scowl or a grumble, twenty young lads stood up and ... Read Full Story >>

An Uneven Exchange Late-night

I worked as a waitress for a few months. I was not a great waitress and I worked in a restaurant that served mostly older people who, bless them, haven't learned that 10% is no longer a tip waitresses can live from--let alone a college student packing on 20 hours!

One night, when I was still working two hours after my shift was supposed to finish, all I wanted was for my last table to clear out so I could clean and go home.  My last customer caught me on her way out and asked if I had change for a twenty.  I dug through my apron and turned out my night's earnings... a measly $14.

She smiled at me and said, "That's enough."

My eyes welled up as I made the uneven exchange. "Thank you," I whispered.

I heard her little boy ask why she did that and she explained that I'd had a hard night and she just wanted to help me out.  Not only did her kindness touch my hurried, hassled life, but she also taught her son an important lesson that night.

I don't know her name, but I will always remember her.

Rice In Chennai Station

I was having something to eat at the central railway station in Chennai when I noticed an old man entering the canteen. He asked the man behind the counter for some food but, as he obviously couldn't pay, none was forthcoming.

So, I indicated to the canteen worker to serve some rice and paid for it without the old man noticing.
 
The old man had the food and left. And I was left with a warm feeling of love and compasion.
 
"It is in giving that one receives." Thank you Saint Francis of Assisi!

A Missed Act of Kindness

I have been inspired by you and you and yes you too! I think it takes maturity to give kindness to strangers as you are unsure how the potential receiver will react to you. As I said, I am inspired by you all. There seem to be a few new young members and they have inspired me to write this particular post. When I was a young student I remember going to college and the bin men (trash collectors) were emptying the bins. The bins were like the one in the image in those days!  The men lifted the bin and hoisted it on their shoulder to empty into the lorry. One day, as I was passing a bin man lifted a bin which was obviously heavier than it should have been, and he fell to the ground in excruciating pain. He was lying in the street flat on his back crying out with ... Read Full Story >>

A Home Without Books

I was talking to one of my students yesterday who is the eldest with three younger siblings, she was telling me that the younger two girls now have a repurposed bookshelf in their bedroom.

Their Mum set out their books so that they could easily access them. Through a charity funded scheme in our school each child chooses a book to take home 4x a year, so the girls now had 6 books on their shelf.

I grew up in a book driven home. Some of my best friends were not in the playground, but on a page. The thought of not having that pleasure of the company of a book, mourn and celebrate along with the characters, cry or dance at the end... Or reading the last pages slowly because I dont want the book to end...

My best friend said she will have a look through the abundant bookshelves of her children and donate. Im going to do the same, and keep vigilant at charity shops. Im sure those girls will soon have more than 6 books between them :-)

Kindness Is A Love Song

My husband's entire life is kindness. If I made a list of all he's done and is day-by-day in the 16 years I've known him, it would take me days to type. He's not a praying kind of guy but his life is a prayer.

He doesn't use flowery words, but his language of love is compassion, hard work, and just so many thoughtful things he does. He just handed me a big green shake.

Earlier he cleaned out the fridge joking the entire time about various, er, science projects. I'm constantly astonished that this gorgeous guy loves me enough to stick around so long. Trust has never been easy for me, but he has shown me why trust is the best path, and kindness is a love song.

Walking Each Other Home

Last night, my partner and I went to the levees where I am relearning how to run (he supports on his bike and I go as fast or as slow as my old legs want to take me, heart is strong so that helps :)) Ahead of us was a very tall man with a plastic bag who seemed to be unable to walk a straight line. John said "you keep running, I will check on him." I tried to continue on but then turned around only to find that the man had fallen and was lying on his back with John at his side. I watched quietly. John was holding his hand. I saw the man's stomach go from quick breaths to one of ease. John told the man, "we are going to come back this way, if you are still here, we will check on you." The man said ... Read Full Story >>

Forgiveness and Reconciliation

"When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in 7 years. ' Mark Twain My 23 year old daughter and I embody the female version of the above quote. When I left her father about 12 years ago she chose to stay with him. He was very acrimonious about the break up and unfortunately stoked her anger fire. She literally had nothing to do with me for about 5 years, no contact, no presents to me, no overnight stays. It broke my heart. Now she works near my home. She has often slept on the settee in my home and I so love this. Last Mother's Day she sent me the card below,  it says: To Mum Hope you have a nice Mother's Day Thanks ... Read Full Story >>

My Nephew's Birthday Adventure In Paying It Forward

I want to say thanks to all of you for your special notes and ideas, after I sent my request for 'gifting acts of kindness ideas' for my nephew's birthday last month. I was excited to hear from some of you with suggestions. Pancho suggested that I give him my attention -- as the greatest gift one human being can give another -- yes! Nipun helped out by sharing his own story, and got me thinking further about how I could do a kindness tag, Idaho style. I gave that kid some super-duper hugs, not to mention every bit of attention I could muster, and a good dose of kindness stories, to boot. There is a long story with great sidenotes that goes with the birthday adventure story, but the short story is as follows: I gave my nephew twenty bucks for his birthday, with the condition that he use it to do something kind for someone ... Read Full Story >>

The Sweetness of Siblings

My sister and I are forever borrowing and giving money back to each other whenever either of us is in need.  Just last week, she asked me to pick up her medicine at the pharmacy and she said she would subsequently pay me back soon... Her response suggested to me that she was struggling financially. So, I thought I would step it up and instead of doing just one favor for her, I decided to throw in a few more while I was out shopping. I realized all of her furry living creatures would be delighted to receive some yummy treats so I picked up edible biscuits, chewable toys, and bird seeds for all of her respective pets (which included the dog, the kitty, and the new parrakeet). I got her a new sketch book  to encourage her to explore her budding artistic talent more deeply.  I found her favorite cream filled cadbury chocolate egg at the candy store and tucked that along with $40 into one of her pill bottles, so that she could discover the sweet surprise later. A kindness offer was to made her ... Read Full Story >>

The Power of a Simple Smile

I work in a pharmacy, on the main cash, full time. I love it, it's the perfect job for where I am in life, I feel like I'm learning so much from people. I always tell everyone who I serve to "have a great day" as they leave, and I always add a smile. A few weeks ago a lady was in the pharmacy.  She wallked by me close to the end of the night, looking concentrated, but calm. I told her to have a great day, and as usual, smiled at her.  To my surprise, she broke down in tears. I don't know why she was crying, but it was pretty obvious that she must have been having a horrible day. She quickly said:  "Thank you, that means more right now then you can imagine." And managed a smile, even though she was still crying. I wanted to go over and hug ... Read Full Story >>

Karmically Rich

I just can't get over the fact that there really are so many caring people in this world....Sometimes we wake up and think about all of the world's tragedies and begin to believe we are doomed as a planet. I don't even like watching the news in the morning because the deaths and car accidents and flames that flash across the screen in loud red and orange colors are the first visual images of my day that set a somber tone to my newly awakened eyes. To shift my perspective on the world, what I do instead is, clutch the remote, and push the "off" button so that version of what the world we live in today is shut off.  Ready to reset my day, I make my way to the HelpOthers site on my computer, with my steaming cup of coffee in my hand. Here, I discover a world that doesn't appear on television screens. I find wonderful stories that uplift ... Read Full Story >>

The Grip Of Love Is Hard To Let Go

I was in the bus when a lady, probably in her late 60's, boarded. She sat next to me and, coincidently, we got off at the same stop. As we were walking, she began complaining of giddiness and thirst. So, I took her to a nearby restaurant, got her sweet lime juice and a snack and she smiled.   Then I accompanied her along her way. She seemed to have wanted a saree but I didn't have one to give her. She also didn't seem to be very happy with her relatives. So, I just told her to forget all that and just relax as we were walking along. I said it with a smile and she actually seemed to brighten in response.    Then she wanted to rest at a temple along the way.    Her friend (another elderly lady) came by and I gave a small amount of money to each of them so ... Read Full Story >>

There is Life in Just a Smile

It was only a sunny smile,

And little it cost in the giving,

But like morning light,

it scattered the night,

And made the day worth living.

-Unknown

Thank you for all of your smiles as they have made my days worth living. 

Tears And Cheers

I am a high school teacher in a small school in a very rural area.  My personal "goal" each year is to greet each student in the hallway by their name at least twice every week.  Graduation is coming up so people are becoming very sentimental. 

Today a senior student zoomed over to me in the hall and handed me an envelope.  In it was a Thank You note which read, in part, "Thank you for talking to me when no else would. Thank you for saying hello to me in the hall.  No one else says hello to me. Thank you for visiting with me about what books I've read and how my cats are."  This student is a shy person and not too socially fluent.  School is tough for her because "there are so many people in one building". 

Her note meant so much to me and of course, I started crying.  Inside I also cheered because she took the time and energy to "connect" which is what I hope all students will be able to do.  I love teaching and am so lucky to be able to go to work at a job I love.  What a lovely gift I received from this student.

Kind Words That Touched a Young Mother

I was on the bus with two of my young children this morning. My daughter was chatting away to me.

When the bus came to its next stop an older lady was getting off. As she passed me, she smiled and said, "You're a good mum."  I thanked her and was a little bit embarassed.

Then, after she got off, tears came into my eyes. It meant so much to me because no one ever really says that -- probably most mum's don't hear that very much!  I'm really grateful to her for taking the time to say it.  Having said all that, I don't know what I was doing that made her want to say it!!