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A Kindness Idea to Remind People That They Matter

I received the most exciting message today!  My kindness idea was selected!

I am going to make up some baskets complete with "You Matter" and Smile Cards and take them to local retirement homes.  I will ask a staff member to give the resident most in need of this gift while explaining to them the idea of paying forward the kind act for someone else.

I hope this will start a kindness "epidemic" in the retirement homes that I take the baskets to.  This is just my way of telling them that they are not forgotten and they matter!

Thank you HELPOTHERS!!

Strawberry Smiles

My husband and I were driving back home when we saw an elderly lady selling strawberries on the street corner. (It's not too common to see people selling fruits on the street here - as I don't think they are allowed to.) I thought of how hard it must be to make a living like that, and even though I didn't really need strawberries (I had some already at home), I bought a huge "flat" of strawberries from her which had 6 containers of the juicy strawberries!

Now, it's just my husband, my son and me at home and we were never going to be able to eat them.  So I knew just what to do. When we got home, I took little baskets of strawberries around to our neighbors, especially to the elderly living alone and the kids with single moms. The berries were juicy and sweet.  They loved it!  We enjoyed them too, and had eaten them all within a day or two.

I kept hoping I'd see the lady selling them again, and lo and behold....there she was the following week. So, I did it again and gave them away to different neighbors this time! It was such a great feeling :-)

Chapatis and Chili

My mother has always had a soft heart for beggars and anyone in need. When she lived in India, people would come to see her from far off villages. They would bring herbs and some organic home grown vegetables. She always cherished such gifts, and cooked them at home with love. After reading a kindness story, I was reminded of her and a story she told me once: Years ago, when my mother was in the early months of her pregnancy with me, she was very sick. She could not eat anything-- any food or drink would make her nauseous, and give her an upset stomach. In this condition, sleepy and hungry, she yearned to eat and drink--even just water. One afternoon, there was a knock at the door. When she went to open it, she found herself facing an extremely scorching hot day-- the temperature was probably around 40 degrees Celsius. Then she ... Read Full Story >>

More Kindness Inspired By A Homeless Man

  It was bitterly cold and I had been watching a homeless man make himself comfortable in a "shelter" next to a power unit on the canal bank. His "shelter" was a tarpaulin taped to the metal unit and anchored with rocks to keep the wind from blowing it away.  He had been living there for over a month in weather that often dipped below freezing. In all the times I passed that makeshift lean-to I never saw him with warm clothing or food. I knew what I wanted to do.   I was young, living at home, and when I told my parents what I wanted to do they were alarmed. I could be putting myself at risk, taking a box to a homeless person in the night time! But I knew, on some intrinsic level, that I would be safe.    I went to the grocery store and got an apple box with a solid top ... Read Full Story >>

The Gift of an Apology

For awhile, every time I saw my next door neighbor, I feel remorse and shame. A little while back, I had harshly reacted to him when he did something that upset me. But this is wonderful, as it has taught me to be mindful of my "reactivity," and reminded me of the high price I pay when I am reactive instead of proactive. After sitting with the discomfort for a bit, I finally apologized to him for any harm from my reaction towards his behavior. He noticed my tears as I spoke, so I guess he knew that I was sincere in expressing my regret. Now, as time continues to pass by, I feel less and less awkward when we bump into each other (which is often, given that we share a driveway :)).  The thing to note here is that, when we spoke, I did not apologize for not liking what he did (because ... Read Full Story >>

25 Tips to Turn Kindness As Your Superhero Power!

(Originally posted on mindbodygreen.com) My poet’s heart has always been soft, and I tend to err on the side of being more kind than necessary. This has always been misunderstood and perceived as naïve, and even weird, by others. Quite frequently in a new situation my kindness was perceived as disingenuous, or as having an ulterior motive. Why would anyone be nice without expecting something in return? I had no explanation other than that it simply wasn't the way I was wired. Finally, as an adult I came to the realization that kindness is my superhero power. Every day our lives serve as either a warning or as an example to others. My life at times has served as both. I now choose to have it serve only as an example. Kindness is my message to the world, and I’d like to think this message is gaining traction. From my heart to yours, here ... Read Full Story >>

A Generous Gesture That Made A Dream Come True

I had a dream for over a year, to attend the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December. I had even reserved a hostel room a year in advance  because I so wanted to be there. I had worked very hard to arrange things, but was having trouble raising money for the trip. I asked one of my MBA professors who is connected in investing circles to ask, if I were to write an appeal letter, would he please send it to his contacts? He apologized, because he said there is not much money available right now because of the economy. Then he paused, and asked me where I was flying from. When I told him, he asked me if he could help me out with flight miles to Copenhagen for the trip. I was awestruck by the offer. I hurried to tell him that I had not mentioned this to ask ... Read Full Story >>

Something Extra for An Expecting Server

“Hello, my name is Marisa, and I’ll be your server,” our waitress introduced herself, setting down our menus. Laughing Water Restaurant at Crazy Horse Memorial was in full decoration for the holidays. There was only one other family in the huge dining hall, which was great for social distancing, but not great for Marisa’s tips. Obviously very pregnant, Marisa nonetheless served us with a cheerful demeanor, efficiency and consideration. Remembering how huge and miserable I felt when I was that pregnant, I had the urge to change our customary premade origami packet with a $5 gift certificate to a $50 bill instead for her tip. As we left, I gave the packet to Marisa.  She was off in a corner, wrapping silverware in napkins. I didn’t expect her to open the packet immediately, but she called to us as we were at the cashier, “Oh! Thank you!” The surprise and happiness in her voice were evident. ... Read Full Story >>

"Do You Like Chocolate?"

While grocery shopping today, I saw that my very favorite chocolate was on sale. I bought three of them and decided to share one with someone.  As I walked to the register, I noticed that the cashier was smiling at everyone. He was asking them how they were doing and wishing them a nice night. When my turn came, he asked me how I was doing.  I replied, "Great!" and then asked, "Do you like chocolate?" "You bet," he said.  I smiled.  As I finished checking out and was about to leave, I grabbed one of the chocolates that I had in my bag, pulled out a Smile Card from my wallet, and gave it to the cashier.  He smiled, "Are you sure?" "Yes."  It was great to see the big smile on his face when I did that. :D

Final Resting Place

As I left my home this morning, I found three small feathers on my windshield, which I kept in the car.

As I was heading into work, outside in the parking lot, I noticed that there was a dead sparrow on the pavement. She must have been less than a day old since she passed. I know that the ultimate act of kindness would have been to nurse her wounds had it been alive, but at this point, there was only once choice for me.

I put my laptop bag down on the ground and made room by an adjacent flower bed, in between the mound junipers, for her to have her final resting place... It felt right.

I gathered all twigs and leaves that I could find and covered her body.

Thank you little sparrow for your journey in this reality..

"Mom, Can We Give It All?"

Last night, my eighteen year-old son and I were leaving a store. At the end of the parking lot, there stood a man. He was older many--most likely in his sixties-- clean, but looked very sad. He was holding a sign which read: "Looking for work. Trying to get enough money to buy a bus ticket to Wyoming."  I drove by him and something in my heart said: You need to help him. I rarely have cash on me, but today I actually had cash in my wallet.  I looped around, stopped my car, and asked my son to get my wallet. I had a $5 and a $10 dollar bill. I said get the $5 and we will go drive by and hand it to the man. My son said, "Mom, I think that man is really down on his luck. Can we give it all to him?" "That's all the cash I have," I ... Read Full Story >>

Three Feet of Snow and a Very Kind Neighbor

It's no secret that we've had some pretty crazy weather in the Maryland area this past winter. We had 15 inches of snow during one month followed by 28 more inches. Whenever it snowed like that, I packed my things up and stayed at my mom's house, both to help her with shoveling and for the ease of getting my car out of the driveway to get to work rather than attempting it from my mountain side driveway. I did about 4 hours of shovelling one day and only managed to dig us out of the house and a small walking path to and around 3 sides of my car.  To make better headway the next day, I set the alarm and got out there preparing to do the necessary 3 or 4 shovelling rounds before being able to relax and watch the Super Bowl. My whole body was in pain from the ... Read Full Story >>

Small Gestures in the Workplace

One day, while I was walking to work, I decided to bring some flowers that I had picked from my garden that morning. I came across a random stranger, and was inspired to give the bunch to him with a smile card.  Struck by the sense of joy I felt from giving flowers to another person, and maybe brightening his day, I wanted to do it again. When I got to my office, I had the idea of anonymously leaving flowers around the workplace. Sometimes, the impersonal atmosphere of the building where I work numbs my spirits a little. It's a nice building, with great light, but it just feels a little sterile sometimes. I figured lots of people might feel the same way, so why not put a little beauty there, and throw in an inspirational quote while I'm at it? After all, who doesn't like flowers? So, for the past month, I've been putting flowers ... Read Full Story >>

Inspired by KindSpring

I was inspired by a couple stories, here!
 
I decided to have a burrito from a local fast food restaurant. I went through the drive-through. I was telling my dad about this 21 day challenge and how a lot of people pay for the next person in line. My dad and I decided that we should try it!

 I order my $2 burrito and go to the window. I ask the cashier if I can pay for the person behind me and he asked me if I was sure I wanted to do that. I said yes, and told him to give the next customer a smile card.

I asked how much the total is, and he said, “Woah! It’s over $17!”
At this point, I’m thinking, “Woah that's a lot!” too. But in that time I also thought - well hey, If I were in his situation and someone paid for my $17 meal, I would be the happiest person there is. THAT would make my day.

I told the cashier that it was fine and he asked, “You sure? Think about it... Are you sure?”

Even though I was nearly $18 short for a $2 burrito, I've never felt better. My dad encouraged me and my mom was proud of me.

Shoveling Snow The Canadian Way

  So, we were in the middle of a heavy snow storm, the kind where you need to shovel every couple hours otherwise it will pile up to the point where it's really hard to remove.   For the last couple of years whenever I've been out shoveling my place I would walk over to the house of a really nice elderly couple and shovel their driveway too. They knew it was happening - but never knew it was me!   Today, since I needed the exercise anyway, I shoveled all the walkways between my house and their house. About four other walkways. This time they caught me and realized I was the one doing the shoveling.      They were very thankful but kept insisting on giving me money. I refused and ended up  walking away because they were trying to shove money into my coat pockets.    Before I left, however, I pulled out a Smile card and ... Read Full Story >>

Painted Rock Treasure Hunt

My sister-in-law just sent me an invitation to participate in this fun activity that is taking place in our community. It sounds like fun and is something that any community or group could do! You can change the "rules" to suit your group or situation.

Here's how it works: Just paint a rock with art inspirational quotes of your choosing, write "Go to PNW Rocks on Facebook" on the bottom, and be sure to seal it so it holds up in our wonderful rainy weather. Then, hide it around town where people can come across it in their daily activities. If you would like, post a picture of your rock art. Give a hint as to where people can find it.

If you find a PNW ROCKS painted rock, post a picture of your find on the Facebook page. You can choose to keep the rock or re-hide it. The whole point is to use art to brighten someone's day! Please note that there is no guarantee your painted rocks will be found, and they are given freely.

Sixth Graders and the Smile Deck

I teach a sixth grade religion class, and today I played the Smile Deck game with my students.  They each left with two kind acts to complete and were very enthusiastic as I handed them regular Smile Cards to go along with the Smile Deck Cards.

One student was able to complete one of her acts that day itself, when class ended.  She held the door for those leaving the building, handing out Smile Cards to those who would take them.  It was uncomfortable for her at first (12 years old is an awkward age, at best), but she got the hang of it and started to enjoy her 15 minutes as 'Door Woman'!

I am excited to hear about how the other children's acts of kindness go.

I hope that my take on the ways we can “take care of God's creation” will sink into these kids, and they will carry forward the idea of embracing kindness as a meaningful part of life.

This is just the beginning for me!!  Thanks for the forum of inspiration!

Secret Shopping In Iceland

I work just minutes from one of London’s busiest railway stations. Another minute or two away is a lovely, lively street with stalls selling Mexican, Thai and French food, as well as cafes, sandwich places and an Iceland which is one of the cheaper frozen food stores here in the UK.   As I was walking around one lunch time I spotted a small elderly lady pushing an empty push-chair slowly along the pavement.     I immediately wanted to do something for her but I felt a little strange following her around so I decided to continue my walk. Fate had other plans though. A few minutes later I passed Iceland and saw her putting groceries into her push-chair inside the store.     That’s when I decided I’d try to pay for her shopping.    The cashier looked at me kind of incredulously as I tried to explain that the money I was handing over ... Read Full Story >>

Post It Note Blitz

Today I did a post-it note blitz - on public toilet mirrors, outside a public parent's room, and on the back of park benches in the park. I wrote the notes on the run of the mill yellow post it notes saying "Be the Kindness in the World Today" "A smile is free" "Your smile looks great on you" "I'm glad you are reading this, you are a blessing to our world" It was one of those days that I didn't feel like putting myself out there, and perhaps on those days its important that I do :-)

A Mother's Unforgettable Act Of Kindness, Years Later He Son Still Remembers

When I was very young, we used to live in Florida, a place I will never forget. These were the happiest days of my life, and I loved riding down one of Florida´s highways and to feel the wind whistle through my hair. One day, we went down a highway, but strangely nobody else appeared to be there. Well, maybe not any humans, but an animal was there. It was laying in the center of the road, blood red, and seemed to be dead: hit by a car. Quickly my mother pulled into the parking space (this highway had those) while I stayed in our car. ¨My dear god,¨ I heard her say. ¨It´s a turtle, and it´s still alive!¨ We had an empty bin in the back, and some water and blankets from the supermarket, so my mother filled it with water, picked the Turtle up, and put it in ... Read Full Story >>