Search Results for 'popular' (3617 matches)

Help in the dead of night

I was in Houston a few weeks ago, and needed to be back home in Austin by midmorning the next day. Though I planned to leave that evening, I'd had a long, tiring ride home, so I decided to leave around 5 the next morning. I was on I-10 in the middle of Houston when I realized I left my inhaler at my MIL's house, and knew I had to return to get it. I took the first exit I could, but when I rounded the corner, an 18-wheeler was stopped dead in the exit lane. I swerved to avoid it, but clipped the curb and my tire blew out. I pulled into a small parking lot and unsurprisingly found the area deserted at 5:15am. I've lived in urban areas most of my life. I'm fairly street-wise and don't spook easily, but I knew I was in a pretty tough neighborhood. There was ... Read Full Story >>

Harvesting Kindness From An Orange Tree

I have an orange tree that keeps giving and giving. 

I wanted to use my smile cards, so I picked about 60 oranges, divided them up among ten bags or so and taped one of the smile cards on each bag. 

Then I went around my neighborhood leaving these bags of freshly picked, juicy sweet oranges by the doors of my neighbors. 

I hope they'll enjoy them.

At The Bus Stop

I was waiting for a bus at the stop and I noticed one of the drivers got off and was walking around while waiting for its time to depart. The man looked tired and maybe a little sad, I imagine in his mid 60s. He looked at me and smiled gently so I smiled back. He stopped straight away and started talking. He told me all about his job and how difficult it is for him at his age. I listened and offered gentle encouragement. When the time was up he said he was very grateful for our conversation and we wished each other a good day. I hope I helped him feel better and have a better rest of the day. He definitely helped me. I felt grateful for my job, for his kind smile and for the opportunity to 'be there for him' for a brief moment.

A Sparkling Heart From A Simple Gesture

This is just a small story but it really warmed my heart.   I'd gone to collect my daughter from her music lesson when I saw this older woman walking around. She looked completely lost.   I had no idea why she would be in that area. It's in a business park and it was at the weekend when there aren't usually many people around. And why would she be in that parking lot which is totally off the beaten path?I guessed she was probably really lost. It turned out she had missed her turning and needed to find her way to the highway. I tired to explain but she seemed too upset and confused for me to just explain how to get there, so I said, "Don't worry. Follow me and I'll take you there."     She looked at me and you could see the worry leave her face. She said, "Bless you," ... Read Full Story >>

My Mother Taught Me a Lesson I Needed to Learn

My mom is a volunteer in a public hospital. She and her friends sell things to obtain money for medicines or supplies that may be needed by the hospital. They also bring dinner every Monday to the people waiting for their relatives outside the hospital. One Monday, I stayed after school to make up a class. When my mom picked me up, she asked me to go to the hospital with her and help with dinner. "At least, this one time" she said. At first, I didn't want to, but in the end she convinced me and I went; obviously unhappily. After we arrived and took everything out of the car, we set up the table and started serving dinner. The more food we gave, the more people would come. Looking at people's faces, especially those from children, was amazing! The way they brightened up reflected their gratefulness for receiving this meal,  and ... Read Full Story >>

The Shriek

The spectacular view of the harbour and the kid’s play area makes the café a popular place with families. Its proximity to some assisted living housing makes it popular with people with a variety of needs, and their careers. By the time we arrived there was barely a table free. We found one, ordered a late breakfast, and indulged in a little people watching while we ate. That’s when I heard the shriek.   Well, you don’t like to stare, so I looked casually around. There didn't seem to be anyone in distress. Then I heard another one. And another one.   Eventually I spotted who it was. She had been difficult to find, not because the place was so busy, but because nothing about her expression or her demeanor spoke of distress. But still she shrieked.   A little girl near us began to get upset and insisted on keeping her fingers in her ears even ... Read Full Story >>

A Snack That Turned Into Balloons

Often we do little acts of kindness and can’t really know what happens next… the people who benefit from the act return to their lives and we return to ours!  Our paths may never cross again.  But that’s not the case when a member of HelpOthers does a kind act to another member of HelOthers!  Here we can chart the ripples as we guide the kindness on its way!  Here’s one such story. You may have read Aurelia’s post about making Chex Mix for her family, or Bluebell’s post about receiving a snack from a friend in the US.  Well I sent some Karmabucks to Aurelia to find out more about her amazing snack and she offered to send some to me if I was based in the US.  Unfortunately I’m not, I live in the UK but luck would have it that I was off to America for a company event last ... Read Full Story >>

Strangers Reaching Out to Help Us

One Diwali, We were on a vacation in Dubai and having a good time and lots of fun. One day, we were visiting Abu-Dhabi, traveling with a few passengers in a bus. At our first stop, we got out to take some pictures. At our second stop, we noticed that we had forgotten our shoulder bag at the first stop. The worst part was that our passports, Visas, hotel booking papers, Itinerary...everything was inside that bag and we were very panicky, as we had to return to India in 2 days. During this process of searching for our bags we came into contact with so many strangers whom we found to be genuinely concerned and helpful with our situation: A tour guide and a bus driver helped us to locate a cab so that we could travel back the first destination to find our bag. A cab driver, who stayed with us for ... Read Full Story >>

When Kindness Doesn't Need Any Words

On 'Pay-it-Forward' Day, our family knew we wanted to pick up someones tab at the grocery store but we didn't know what we would say to them.

We took the kids and told our oldest to find someone checking out. I felt drawn to the first man I saw, we all agreed this was the one. It was a family with two small children. They had A LOT of items. Still not knowing what to say I went to the cashier when she rang their last item, gave her my card and told her we were paying.

The mother holding the baby was confused and handed  her welfare card to the cashier, her husband signaled to her to put it away. We didn't have to say anything, the couple was deaf. We hugged and cried and left the store. It was a moment we will never forget.

An Extra Dose of Compassion at the Hospital

Today I met an old lady when I was in hospital. I was done with my check-up and I was standing in medicine counter of the hospital to get my medicinal receipt and medicines.  I saw that the old lady was sitting in a nearby chair and waiting for something. She seemed a little distraught so I asked her if she was okay.

She told me that she was waiting for her son who was tied up with some personal work and he had told her that he could come back in a few hours. She said that she was feeling faint and tired. I rushed to the nearby hospital cafeteria and bought her some breakfast. I then got her prescription for her and paid for her medication along with mine. 

She had the breakfast and she was happy now. She also had the tablet and thanked me.

I was happier for showing kindness to her.

30 Acts of Kindness in 30 Days Challenge!

I am currently participating in a "30 acts of kindness in 30 days" challenge which I set myself. Let me explain! A dear friend of mine recently celebrated her 30th birthday. Rather than doing what most women of her age would do, she decided to host a "random acts of kindness" party, inviting her friends to participate in spreading some kindness in the world, and to spend money they'd have spent of a gift for her in acts of kindness to others. At the restaurant, she had a lucky dip draw, and everyone received an act of kindness they had to carry out anonymously. She'd also prepared cards for all those present, where she'd written to each guest personally, saying what they meant to her as a friend, and then passed them around the table for everyone else to add nice comments about each other. She explained to me that she was ... Read Full Story >>

A Natural Instinct to Give

While out for breakfast with my 23-year old son he told me about an experience he had earlier in the week. He was not sure if what he did was the right thing. As he was walking from the bus stop one morning he saw a man sitting off the sidewalk near some bushes. The man had clearly been having some hard times. He was covered in days of dirt and it looked a though he may have been homeless. The man looked up at my son and asked him for money as he peeled a bandage off of his leg. He told my son that a police dog had attacked him. Knowing this person might have been involved in criminal activity and could be dangerous my son reacted in a way that he himself questioned. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his change and handed what he ... Read Full Story >>

A Stranger In My Car

While out running errands today I passed a woman walking along a busy highway. I continued on my way, but I couldn't help thinking about that woman.  

How to Lighten Up a Laundromat

I recently needed some quarters, so I went to the laundromat to exchange my $10 bill for change. The environment there seemed a little tense-- no one was smiling and everyone kept to themselves. I didn't need to do laundry, and I could feel people looking at me as I waited for my quarters to come out, clinking one at a time.

I quietly placed my quarters in my wallet, and started to walk toward the door. Then I stopped for a moment.

I opened my wallet back up, and looked at the washier unit in front of me. It read: $2.00 per load.

I could feel eyes watching me cautiously, curious of what I was doing. 

I took $2 in quarters out of my wallet and placed them neatly on one of the washers. Then I smiled, walked out, and drove away.

I hope that someone who needs it will pick it up and use it. :) 

And for the people who saw what I did, may they see that it was just a gesture of kindness to someone I will never see or meet or know. It was simply to show that we can leave an act of kindness wherever we may go. As small and simple that act may be.

Helping A Stranger In Need

During the holidays my sisters and I were walking through town when we noticed that a lady was struggling so much to try and carry her groceries..far too much to try and carry them by herself. People were passing on by without taking a second look. All at once together my sisters and I all said to ourselves "lets go help out this lady" without giving it a second thought. We carried all her groceries to her car which was parked about 5 minutes walk down the road.

She was so happy and as she thanked us, you could see the happiness across her face.  It didn't cost anything nor did it take anything out of our day..only those few minutes but let me tell you...it was the best time during the entire day...helping a stranger in need :)

Smiles all round :)

Finding That Positive Note

My step-son is going through an extremely difficult time in his life and is battling many personal issues.   He calls his father several times a day, often consumed by sadness and negativity, sometimes near his breaking point. Trying to be supportive and non-critical takes it's toll on us all, but we keep trying.    This morning on our drive to work I asked my husband to try ending the telephone conversation with his son by simply saying, "Now, tell me something good about today".     Some days that might be an easy thing to do, other days it may be nearly impossible. But even if the only thing he could can up with to say is, "You were there for me again today, Dad," that would at least give him something positive to focus on.    Tonight, I heard my husband say to his son, "Okay, now let's end on a positive note. Tell me ... Read Full Story >>

A Chance Encounter Has Them Meeting Again Two Years Later

It was a rainy day in a north Indian village, near Patna in Bihar. I was passing through our village market, crowded as usual. A slight rain made the road very muddy and dirty. I saw some mangoes being sold at a cheaper price, so I bought three kilograms of ripe mangoes in a delicate plastic bag. After a few minutes along the crowded market road, my plastic bag broke and half of the mangoes fell on the road. Slowly the traffic came to a halt as I started collecting the fruits on the road. But as I put some back into the plastic container, another part of it broke and some more mangoes fell on the road, causing more embarrassment for me. It went on for two or three long minutes, as the traffic stood still. Then suddenly a young woman came and picked up the remaining mangoes from the road ... Read Full Story >>

A Mother's Patience and Love Offered Her Daugther Many Lessons

I helped my daughter to become unstuck as she begins the 'teen years' and projects become overwhelming. Our lesson was patience, organization and understanding that it is OK to ask for help.

I can't (won't) "do" the project, but I can help to create an easier journey for her. It's a learning lesson for me as well. It's easy to be reactive when others are struggling. It is easy to celebrate when things go well.  

My hope is that I can help her to see big projects can be broken down into smaller more manageable ones. That we are all here to help each other. I truly enjoyed the smile she had when together we completed part of the project and she could see the light was truly at the end of the tunnel. The project isn't done, but she is no longer stuck in the process. 

A Warm Drink For A Homeless Man

There is an older, homeless man that stops into the local coffee shop with his cart that his pushes around, to rest for a little bit. I have seen him pull out a bag of change sometimes and have barely enough to cover a small cup of coffee. This morning the homeless man came into the coffee shop. When it was my turn in line I told the casher to put the man’s small coffee on my tab.

A Beautiful Stray

My personality has always been geared towards animals. I love everything about them, from their healing qualities, to their rambunctious nature. I feel like animals are to be revered and respected, never abused. Today, this belief really showed! I went out for a simple stroll to my library, when I spotted a dog! The dog looked like a rust colored German Shepard, and I, being an animal lover, approached it. I noticed it had a collar, but no leash, and no one was even around it! I tried asking multiple people around the dog if it belonged to them, but everyone said no. I felt so bad, and didn't know what to do. She was so friendly and sweet that I felt guilty about just leaving her there. Then, what do you know? She starts following me! I couldn't help but giggle at that, seeing how she must have bonded with me. I ... Read Full Story >>