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Kindness - Just Do It!

I drove into the supermarket parking lot and there were 2 homeless young people at the entrance with the standard "homeless and hungry" sign.  I felt the usual hopeless feeling and irritation.  I decided that I would drive out the other exit so I wouldn't have to see them when I left.  While shopping in the store I choose some really great cherries and proceeded to purchase freely.  When I was leaving the store, heading to my car, I saw the young homeless woman going around the parking lot asking for help.  No one seemed to being offering help and for a moment I could feel her hopelessness.  I was still set on driving out the other entrance believing that I shouldn't helpout and continue the homeless cycle.  As I was leaving the parking lot I thought of a talk I had listened to the night before - about kindness and how even a small ... Read Full Story >>

Saving The Smiling Turtle

It was a hot day and my mom and I were driving down our street. Mom saw a moving lump right in front of the car and screeched to a stop. 

I stepped out and saw a turtle limping along the road. My mom got out after me and we worked together to lift this heavy creature of of the road onto the grassy strip at the edge of the road. 

It seemed to me like the turtle smiled a little before slowly wandering off into the grass. I laughed before running back to the car.

The Big 4-0

I requested forty Smile cards for an up-coming milestone. When they arrived I spent the first part of the day preparing for forty acts of kindness.  On my very first stop, at the local frozen yogurt shop, I purchased a few gift cards to give to any kids we met. When the woman behind the counter heard my plan she gave me two extra gift cards for free!  Next I headed over to the florist and picked up eighteen roses. Then I went to the supermarket to pick up some Starbucks and iTunes gift cards as well as some chocolate, gum, and candy.  I brought the loot home and my husband and I attached Smile cards to each item. Then we grabbed the kids and we were off!  The first stop was a busy supermarket parking lot. My kids and I handed out eighteen roses to women we met coming out of the store. ... Read Full Story >>

Bagged by an Anonymous Act of Kindness

I was at the grocery store last Friday buying some milk, bread, and juice for my family of 3. At the check out the total came to about $25. I swiped my card but it didnt work. I tried again. No luck. I was quickly becoming embarassed as my 18 month old became fidgety and I scrambled through my purse looking for another way to pay.

I only had 6 one dollar bills in my purse. I asked the cashier to move on to the next person while I tried the ATM. That didnt work either. I finally resolved to write a check but when I came back to the checkout the cashier told me that my groceries had already been paid for!

Tears instantly came to my eyes. I have no idea who the person was that paid for my groceries.  They have no idea how much their act of kindness meant to me. Things like that give me hope and faith to carry on through the day.

Thankful for a Mother-In-Law's Advice 9 Years Later

When my husband and I became engaged some nine years ago, I felt slightly perplexed when my mother-in-law  offered us the following advice: "Be kind to each other."

I thought that was so obvious at the time, but over the years it has stuck with me and I have realised that it is one of the best pieces of advice I have ever received.

It is all too easy to take our nearest and dearest for granted and not show them the appreciation that they deserve.

I recently thanked my mother-in-law (mummy 2, as she prefers to be called) for those words.  It was nine years late, but I always think: better late than never. I told her just how much I still appreciate her words of wisdom that she shared with us all those years ago. I could see that I made her day too! :)

A Moment That Changed My Life

My wife and I were on our weekly Wal-Mart trip when I noticed a young man standing at the traffic light holding a handwritten cardboard sign that read, "Hungry, Please Help." My heart started to hurt -- I have seen people in need before holding hand-made signs all over town asking for a job, food, money, etc. I guess I just never paid any attention before, shame on me. We got through the checkout lane, and I walked over to the McDonalds's inside the store. My wife said to me, "You want McDonald's, I thought we were going to eat at Wendy's?" since we usually stop at Wendy's or Arby's for a quick bite to eat during our weekly trips. I replied, "It's not for me." I bought some food, and a bottle of cold water (it was really hot and humid out), and I noticed that this young man looked very ... Read Full Story >>

Beauty Tips for Your Soul

Here are a few primping tips to increase the beauty of your soul: A dear old lady was ... Read Full Story >>

Live As Though Everything Is A Miracle

The following passage is a healthy prescription of how we can approach life. It is not about being famous or being wealthy or about our good looks. Truly, it is all about love. There are times when we feel as if we are separated from the rest. This illusion creates a mental prison. Hence, we should strive to internally liberate ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living things. "Open your heart to others and try to understand, When someone reaches for you, hold out to them your hand, Follow your heart, no matter what other people say, Do things that make you able to smile throughout your day, Treat other people, the way you would like them to treat you, Do what you know is right and to your heart and self stay true, Remember what life is all about, it is how you make people feel, What you do, where you go, and making dreams become real, Helping people through, in hard times of ... Read Full Story >>

'A Young Lady' Called Charlotte

I have seen Charlotte waiting for a bus many times. She is in her 80's. She is petite and thin. She lives in a little Fold for the elderly near my home. I have got to know her as I stop and give her a lift any time I see her. Even if I am going the opposite direction or I have just nipped out for a pint of milk, I still give her a lift. She is circumspect though and would be careful who she would take a lift from. When I changed my car she was used to seeing my silver car pull up beside her but was wary the first time I pulled up in my new white car. Charlotte looks elderly and frail but last time I gave her a lift she told me she'd been on a helicopter ride, photos even shown  to prove it! She ... Read Full Story >>

"School Ambassador" decides to become an Electrician

Today I was recruiting for a business administration class. Recruitment was slow and at the end of the day I telephoned students who were given a conditional offer in May. I telephoned Blaine's mother. She was very interested in him doing my course. Quite often when a student doesn't come back to us in Further Education it means they did really well and are going to continue on at school, complete their A Levels and go to university. I remembered Blaine didn't want to go to university. When I telephoned, his mum was able to confirm that Blaine had indeed done really well. He had decided to do a course to become an electrician. I could tell his mum was anxious about this. I asked how she felt about this. She really wanted him to do my course and 'doing a trade' was very much out of her comfort zone. I ... Read Full Story >>

Parents Are Precious

Venkatesh Balasubramaniam (who works for IIT) describes how his gesture of booking an air ticket for his father brought forth a rush of emotions and made him (Venkatesh) realize how much we all take for granted when it comes to our parents. My parents left for our native land on Thursday and we went to the airport to see them off. In fact, my father had never traveled by air before, so I just took this opportunity to ensure he experienced his first flight. In spite of being asked to book tickets by train, I got them tickets on Jet Airways.  The moment I handed over the tickets to him, he was surprised to see that I had booked them by air. The excitement was very apparent on his face. Just like a school boy, he was preparing himself for that day. We all went to the airport and eagerly enjoyed the ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness Knocks on the Front Door

Two years ago an African man from Malawi, Elias, arrived at my sister’s home in the rough, bush country of South Africa with nothing but the shirt on his back. He was hoping to come to South Africa to find employment in order to support his family in Malawi. Little did he realize my sister at that time was struggling to keep her body and soul together. Nevertheless, Elias was given permission to stay on the property with the understanding that she was unable to help him financially and he would have to find “piece work” employment to support himself. As unemployment is rife, Elias was unable to find work immediately, so my sister taught him how to grow organic vegetables, sew and bake. Elias is keen to learn whatever he can to take the knowledge back to Malawi with him once he goes home. Elias finally found employment but my sister hit ... Read Full Story >>

Where Does Kindness Start? With Us...

Recently at the gas station...I was walking in to Pre-Pay before being able to pump gas into my car. As I approached the door to go in to pay, there was a woman coming out.   I was about 15 feet away and she stood there, waiting and holding the door for me to enter. Usually people are in such a hurry that they dash out and sometimes even to the point of being rude and mowing me down.  I smiled and said "Thank You, you didn't have to do that"  and her reply was "No problem, take your time." Next we are both at our vehicles filling gas and she finished first. She hopped in her van and was getting ready to leave. I noticed her gas compartment was still open and the cap was dangling down.  I quickly scooted to her van and tapped  on it as she was starting ... Read Full Story >>

Learning About Pay-It-Forward In School

Today at school I just learned about "Paying It Forward" and after that I couldn't feel more happier! I sent anonymous notes to everyone saying "you're Beautiful no matter what everyone says" . The next day I got my whole class to sign a letter to my teacher saying "Thank you for all you do for us, we love you". I feel like my life has just gotten better :)

A Five Rupee Formula for Joy

On my way out the building in the morning, I search my pockets for 5 rupee coins. If I have one, I go to the shop downstairs and buy 5 packets of Gems-- an Indian version of M&Ms. There are 3 Gems per packet, giving me 14 chances to make someone smile (there would be 15 but invariably the first Gem ends up in my own mouth!). On the first day, I gave one each to the two youngs sons of my dhobi (washerman), and to the boy who lives in the makeshift shack in front of my building. Their hands were really dirty so I put them straight into their mouths. I thought for a second about giving them an impromptu lesson in hand-washing, but they are too young to understand Hindi and I haven't learned enough Kannada to explain properly. Next time I'll pick up the basics, and use ... Read Full Story >>

An Award For The Janitor

Recently, I spent two months at a guesthousefor work purpose. One day I encountered a very unique and honest janitor at the guesthouse. Below is the e-mail I wrote to the Human Resources Department regarding the incident.       Hi HR-Person,   Can I request that you forward this to the department concerned with housekeeping?    I want to highlight one of the best experiences I have had at your organization to date. It might come as a surprise, but this experience was with one of your janitors [insert Janitor's name] (I really hope I have his name correct, please correct me if I dont have the name right.)    He was suppose to help me exchange rooms within the guesthouse. He was very sincere and dedicated to his job. After the shifting was complete I offered him a tip. His reply was what impressed me the most. He said, "No ma'am, we get paid." I mention that ... Read Full Story >>

Smile Away and Make Someone's Day

Try to remember that even when you don't have any extra cash to share or spare and you still have that burning desire to do good and make a difference, you can always smile!

Yesterday I was picking my daughter up from school. As we drove home I got stuck behind a 'transport vehicle'. I didn't know then but it was a van that took elderly folk in wheelchairs wherever they needed to go. Anyway, when I decided to pass the van I put a big smile on my face!

The van had large windows and you could see right inside. There she was, looking right at us, an elderly lady. She was in a wheelchair and still in her pajamas. Who knows  where she was about to go; to the hospital for testing, to a room in a new nursing home, I just didn't know.

So I smiled widely and waved at her. She looked surprised and then started smiling and waving back to me. It was as though we knew each other! My daughter and her friend started waving too. It felt good and really gave me a lift! 

We made each others days with those smiles that cost nothing. I am sure of it! Smiles are contagious!

Seeing Someone. Paying Attention For A Change.

This was on Thursday. I was driving to visit my brother for his birthday and I had to stop and wait because the utility guys were blocking the road.

As I waited this woman went walking past with a cane and looking sore and tired. So when I got to her I stopped and asked if she wanted a ride. "You don't know me"." Well ", I said. "I have been having to walk with a cane and if I had to go very far, I'd be sore and tired in a hurry. So, hop in and I will take where you need to go."

She did and it was even on my way I was going. I'm glad I had to stop and wait. Gave me a chance to really SEE her. So I thank the. utility guys for the chance to be kind. And I had a great time with my brother when I got there too.
 

Tomatoes for the community

Last year I grew tomatoes and like usual the bad one's that the bugs ate and the bird's nibbled i threw back into the dirt and covered them over, well the next spring i had tons of tomato plants blooming all over the place. My Mother asked what could I do with them and I took a day to think it over. As hard as times are now, I try to find ways to " Help others and Pay it Forward", so i decided to re-pot each plant into it's own paper cup and place an ad on( www.MyFreeCycle.org )where people can place items for free to help others and the items wont go to the land fill and create waste. Paper cups from the local dollar store and a brick of CoCo Coir ( a miracle compost/ potting soil retains 80 to 90% water retention) Dehydrated from the local hydrophonics store. I ... Read Full Story >>

A Chocolate-Chip Birthday Cake

I work in a small department store. I decided to celebrate my fellow employees birthdays - if they wanted to be remembered!