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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.

The Old Folks At The Station

I had gone to the city railway station to pick my relatives. On the platform I saw a couple who looked to be in their 70s. They seemed restless, stressed and searching for something. I couldn't ignore them and asked if they were okay.    They said they had come from a village and were searching for their son who was supposed to pick them up. They asked if there was a telephone booth nearby so they could call him. I took the number, called him on my cell-phone, and let them speak to him. Then I told him exactly where his parents were standing.    I can still feel the shivers I got when the old lady smiled and said, "Let God keep you well, wherever you are."    That random and very small act gave me such a feeling of inner peace and happiness!   I couldn't wait for their son to arrive. I had to ... Read Full Story >>

Appreciating The Rare Gems in Our Lives

I met a lady years ago, only twice, but she has stayed in my mind until she died at 97 years of age, a week ago. I asked myself why did she stay with me all these years. She was one of those people who are just so lovely and good. She wasn't bitter when she could have been, wasn't angry, wasn't a gossip, mean, or hard to talk to. She just was a really kind, loving, forgiving person.  When you meet someone and you have an instant connection and feel like this person is a friend, cherish the time. Learn from the time you spend with them. They are like rare gems. I hope to be a rare gem. To cultivate those qualities in myself. To all my lovely rare gems on KS, I am grateful for you. 

 

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 >>

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 >>

Her Quiet Sit On A Park Bench, Has Become A Place of 'Therapy' For Passers-By

The past two days, when I sit on a bench after my park walk, an acquaintance comes over to sit by me and needs to 'vent' about something that is apparently troubling him. He goes on and on, and sometimes repeats himself. I listen patiently and let him vent. He thanks me for letting him vent and apologizes. I tell him no apologies necessary, that we all need to be listened to.

I am learning as I listen, as some of what is irking him helps me understand some similar things that sometimes irk me as well.

I also like thinking that by sitting there on that bench in the sunshine on a glorious park day, I am getting an extra kindness act in by listening and occasionally sharing some thoughts with him that might help him. 

“There are times that all you need is someone who will listen to you without judging you — not telling you what you should have done or should do, but simply, listening to you” ― Bernard Kelvin Clive

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 >>

Using Lunch Monday to Help a Stranger

While biking I came across an old man who had a flat tire on the side of the road and looked as if he needed help. I decided to stop and help this man. It turned out that he did not have the right size tube and then i remebered that right around the block was a bike store.

The man had left his wallet at home and I remembered I had my lunch money. I decided to use this money to go buy him the right-size tube. I was not worried about buying the man a tube as I knew he would appreciate this kind act. I also didn't worry about eating a lunch because by doing this kind act, I became full with the smile he had given me after I helped him. 

Doormat Surprises

Once a year, the ladies from my church bring flowers for a special service. After the service is over, they throw them away.

This year, instead of throwing the flowers away, I took them home and decided to give them to my neighbors.

My mom helped me pair each flower with a card that read "Blessings". Then we placed them on the doormat of each neighbor. We could have left our names in the cards, but I think it always feels better when a gift is given anonymously. 

As I went from door to door, I smiled, knowing that when my neighbors go to check their mail, they will be pleasantly surprised with an anonymous act of kindness!

When we finished, I felt so full of joy inside. It was such a great feeling to share flowers with my neighbors, especially since most of them are elders and rarely receive anything at all.

A Small Gesture Makes A Big Impact

I feel so fortunate as I write this. I signed up to this website last week after my Grandmother died.  I’m hoping to make a difference like my Grandma did. I've been thinking about things to do for others and I've been reading all of these wonderful stories from all of you- and it is truly inspiring. I took my daughter school shopping the other day.  She was on a budget and didn’t want to spend all her money in one place so she was being careful of what she was picking out and how much it cost. We were in the (long) line waiting to pay, and we were adding up everything she had bought.  The lady in front of us must have heard us because she turned around and handed us a 40% off coupon and said we could use it if we liked as she already had one.  My daughter ... 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 >>

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!

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..

Compassionate Clowning

I haven't been very active on KindSpring even though it is the site where I've felt the most connected over the past month or so. I believe there is a wonderful joy in sharing acts of kindness when it isn't about ego, but just the pure happiness of having the opportunity to help others. Still, this is a tough one coming from my own personal socialization. Today I did one of my favorite activities: Compassionate Clowning. On Saturdays a group of us meet up at a local hospital and do an hour and half of clowning for kids with cancer. It's one of the most strange experiences of my life. It is both deeply rewarding and disturbing at the same time. This afternoon there were so many kids who laughed out loud from my antics, but others were simply in too much pain to show the slightest of smiles. Holding the hand of ... Read Full Story >>

A Moment of Calm

My husband and I were cleaning windows together yesterday. We  have the double-hung windows that you can pull forward and flip, allowing us to clean the inside and the outside surfaces. My husband was washing one window - and it popped out of its frame!  Well, our house is for sale and the last thing we needed was for something to break. He was so upset and tried with all his might to get it back together, using a few less than pleasant words (I am sorry to say). After twenty minutes he still could not get it fixed. That's when my 23 year old son told his dad to walk away for a minute and he would try to fix it with me. It's amazing how you can see things more clearly and do things more easily when you are calm. He and I fixed the window in three minutes! I called ... Read Full Story >>

Aren't Smiles The Best Instant Gifts?

I have recently developed this habit of waiting an extra few seconds to look out for others who may want to take the elevator up. Today there was a person who appeared just when the doors were closing and I hit the "Door Open" button on the elevator and greeted him with a smile. He was overwhelmed and said - "Its not often that you see smiles & kindness like this around here". It was both disheartening as well as fulfilling to hear those words. I hope this inspires him pass on his smile to the people he runs into today.

After all aren't our smiles the easiest & most instance gifts we have to share at any moment?

A Banana Bread Thank You

We live in a circle of giving in my neighbourhoood; neighbours sharing and looking out for each other.

So, the other day when a plate of banana bread appeared on our doorstep without a note I didn't know who to thank.

Was it Leslie? We often exchange fruits and vegetables from the garden and swap baked goods. I called her. She said it wasn't her.

Was it Carol? She loves our garden veggies! Nope.

Was it Helen? I had stopped by her house with a bag of freshly picked tomatoes and although her daughter had just given us some apple cake a few days earlier she said it wasn't her either.

I was scratching my head in confusion when Helen started talking about how nice it was that my husband and two other neighbourhood men had helped her neighbour move a big mattress into their house the other day.

Then her eyes sparkled and she said, "I know who baked a lot of banana bread! It was Ellen! She wanted to thank your husband for his help with moving the mattress!" 

Mystery solved - and more friends to bake for!

Stories for an Extra Special Listener

 This isn't so much a kindness story as a lovely moment. Every once in a while I go along to a local radio station to record some stories that go out as a 'Thought For The Day'. Usually the sound engineer is very fussy about background noise when we are recording. Sometimes there are other people in the studio and he makes sure they know silence is the order of the moment. Today there were two people in the studio. One was teenage boy working at a computer keyboard. The other was a woman who might have been his mother or his helper. We exchanged some pleasantries and she asked if I was doing 'Thought For The Day'. I said, "Yeah," but joked I was self-conscious. "So, nobody listen," I said in a mock raised voice. Then we began to record. While I spoke into the microphone I noticed the woman talking to the boy - ... Read Full Story >>

It Is In Giving That You Get

It was one of those unexpected moments of generosity that just takes your breath away - I called up my favorite sandwich shop, ordered two veggie hoagies, and arranged to pick them up in ten minutes. Parking places are hard to find around there so my wife dropped me off, saying she would pick me up again in a few minutes.  I walk in and mention my order. "Ah yes! Here you go. That'll be $14.87," the burly man behind the counter said.  I gave him the cash and he handed me my change. As I picked up the napkins he handed me a giant empty glass. "Here you go," he said. "That's for your drink."  I took it, not really sure why he had given it to me. "Um, I actually didn't order a drink," I said and tried to hand him the glass back.  "Oh, I know. Go ahead, help yourself to a ... Read Full Story >>