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Making Sure to Thank the Referees

I spent my Saturday at the basketball court watching all three of our kids play their games.  My older two had playoffs as they worked to be in the championship game.  During the third game of the day I commented to my husband that these playoff games were getting a little overly rough and competitive and it was making me nervous. As my son's game continued, the fans around us starting making light-hearted comments about the refs' calls - or lack of.  These were the same ref's my son's team has had all season and I think they are a GREAT pair - which I said often during the game.  The refs had a sense of humor and grinned and nodded as the comments continued to come. It was an intense and physical game and I was cheering loudly!  It was a tight game to the end, but my son's team did end ... Read Full Story >>

Top Ten Kindness Stories of 2012, Story #10 - 8 Things To Do Every Day That Will Make You Happier

1) Thank someone First thing in the morning, send an email thanking or praising someone. Research shows this can brighten your day.   2) Spend money — on someone else Harvard professor Michael Norton, author of Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending, explains how spending money on other people can generate more happiness than spending on yourself: 3) Give 5 hugs People assigned to give or receive hugs 5 times a day ended up happier than the control group. From Sonja Lyubomirsky’s very interesting book, The How of Happiness: In a one-of-a-kind study, students at Pennsylvania State University were assigned to two groups. The first group was instructed to give or receive a minimum of five hugs per day over the course of four weeks and to record the details. The hugs had to be front-to-front (nonsexual) hugs, using both arms of both participants; however, the length and strength of hug, as well as the placement of hands, were left ... Read Full Story >>

Art with heart...

Last week, I arrived back home to our flat in London from my trip to visit my family in California to find a "mystery package", which someone had left with the porter in our building some time while my husband and I were both away. It was a large envelope with a wooden backing, and a small note on top reading "Deep and Trishna, Enjoy!" As soon as I opened the flap, I discovered a Smile Card attached, and I knew instantly that someone had anonymously reached out to us with an act of kindness. As I reached into the envelope, MUCH to my surprise, I pulled out a sketch by Manohar Devadoss. My heart instantly melted by the idea that someone reached out to us with such a beautiful drawing by a person, whose life has touched mine from the minute I read Pavi's piece on him and his wife. ... Read Full Story >>

A Kind Local Gardener

A few weeks ago the local gardener came to help me with the hedge as it is so difficult for me to do on my own. He's a lovely man and I always enjoy talking to him. We talked about the flowers we liked and I mentioned that I would like to get lupines some days because they look gorgeous at the garden centre. Today he was due to do the lawn, which only takes 45 mins so I didn't get to see him. When I got to my garden he'd left. I checked my phone to call and thank him and he'd left me a message saying that he'd left some lupine seeds for me in the post. How sweet and kind is that?!

Patience is a virtue

Over the Christmas holidays my young boys were driving everyone in the house bonkers with their fighting, usually it's worst just before bedtime. Yesterday, at separate times of the day, I sat with each of my sons and told him "I love you".  A few hours later, I realised those words had been missing from my regular vocalbulary since the holidays started. I felt guilty.

With so much time to do things together, it's inevitable that friction happens.  It was kind of like coming up for air, when I said "I love you". My sons are more affectionate and calmer when they are around me now.  I know it won't last, but if I keep positive, patient and loving, then life will be a lot more peaceful.

Kindness Grows: A Company Experiment

I work for a wonderful company that promotes and encourages civic pride and community involvement.  Recently I suggested an idea to our Division President that he liked and has put the wheels in motion.  We are calling it Kindness Grows and what we did was draw 8 names of employees at an all employee meeting recently.  Those eight people were each given an envelope that contained $150 and a letter instructing them that they had been chosen for a very special assignment.  They were to use all the money to perform an act of kindness for a person or people they have never met before.  They could team up with another team member and combine their money, they could recruit help from co-workers or family members to help come up with ideas and perform and document their acts of kindness to strangers.  They have about a month and a half ... Read Full Story >>

Just A Note...

A couple of days ago, I was feeling down for no reason and I didn't know how to get my spirits up again.

So I decided to write to two of my closest friends a little note. I told each of them how much I valued their friendship and that their mere presence always made my day. I thanked them for always being there to support me.

I saw them today and slipped the notes into their bags when they didn't notice.  Later that day, they both came up to me and gave me big hugs. It felt really nice!! =]

Two little notes that took me 5 minutes to write ended up cheering all 3 of us up! Joy comes in small packages.

Kindness Ideas For Kids?

My aunt just asked me for some kindness ideas, so I tossed together this list ... Free Car Wash: I saw this story for a 10th birthday and it seems like a grand time! Miles of Smiles: stand on busy street intersections with "smile" posters.  Non-stop fun. :) Clean-up Public Places: help clean a beach or a local park, adopt a highway.  Extra credit if you can take some of that waste and create a public art piece (see garden-art from trash). Balloon stand: hand out free balloons with smiley-art on the balloons and perhaps even on your faces. :) Plant trees: visit Arbor Day Foundation -- "We inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees" -- to find local organizations that can help you plant.  You could also volunteer ... Read Full Story >>

The Patient Patient

I had been waiting in the doctor's reception area for more than an hour and was getting little restless! 

I saw this frail lady trying to open the door to leave. I got up right away, opened the door, and took her out to the bus stop. As I was helping her climb the steps onto the bus the driver asked for a dollar. She was ready with the money in her hand but, before he could take it, I handed him a dollar of mine! 

The lady looked puzzled at first but then her eyes showed her gratitude. She thanked me several times. I just gave her a big hug and big smile! 

The driver just looked at me - and then smiled too. 

I returned to my seat in the reception area, smiling, and waited for my turn like a good patient ... patiently!

Sponsoring Smiles :)

When I first joined a Smile Group, I immediately purchased some smile cards which I doled out quickly.  So I went back to purchase some more immediately.   The high from practicing RAOK , seeing others smile, etc was so addicting that I wanted to do and share, more and more and more!! Well, guess what? The second smile card purchase also disappeared rapidly -- seems that when I got new cards, they "burn a hole in my pocket " urging me to gift and give away at every opportunity.  Do your cards whisper to you too? Reading the website thoroughly one day, I noticed that I could donate money to sponsor cards for others so right then I wrote a check, sent a hand written note and the money, knowing I was assisting others who would want cards but may not be able to afford them. I have since been printing out smile cards from my computer and I pass ... Read Full Story >>

The tiny, mud-free space that meant a lot!

I'm in Boulder, Colorado, and am one of the fortunate ones without much flood impact on my home. Today, I went over to a friend's house to help with the cleanup there. The house is less than a block from one of the creeks, and the flash flood broke a basement window, filled the basement up to eight feet, rushed up the stairs to the ground floor, and flooded that floor as well.  A crew of her friends had been pulling up carpet and moving furniture all morning when I arrived. She asked me to help move damaged items out of a back room where carpet was already pulled out, and start getting the layer of chocolaty mud out. With one other helper, I got busy shoveling and scraping; once we got the heavy layer off, I started running the wet vac. There was a three-foot square of tiled floor in front ... Read Full Story >>

Remembering a Name Makes All the Difference

Today, I needed to ring the helpline of my internet provider -once again!  I have had problems with disconnecting and called the line to ask them to reset my connection.  I was put through to a young man, who gave his name and asked what the trouble was. He tried his best to help, but it took a long while and I was on the phone for quite some time.  He apologised to me several times for keeping me waiting.  It was as frustrating for him as it was for me I am sure. 

Finally - to his relief - I was reconnected.  I thanked him for his help, using the name he had given to me at the beginning of the call.  He was very surprised and I could hear the smile in his voice as he said, "Thank you for remembering my name - we are not often thought of as people, just technical assistance - you have made my day!"

Small acts - big differences.

While Yet There Is Time

Many years ago when I was in college, I came across this very inspirational poem: While Yet There is Time   The hours slip past, Our moments melt into the eternity behind us Time sweeps us onto a destination from which there is no return. While yet there is time, Look out upon the world, Devour it with your eyes, And if your spirit demands more Add at least one stone to the edifice being built Fill your lungs with the smell of flowers, Let the first cool breath of dawn blow through your hair While yet there is time Let us greet the dawn together, While yet there is time, Love and be loved, Let your thoughts throw light in dark places, Let your lips blossom in a smile. While yet there is time, Let the hand of a friend feel the warmth of your hand, How much we have to do, to create, to express. While yet there is time Graft a slender bough to a mighty tree Do not say I love to ... Read Full Story >>

March To Your Own Drummer

A few days ago I was about to begin teaching a class when one of my students came up to me and said she had to talk to me---she seemed quite upset and close to tears so I took her out in the hallway to find out what was wrong.  She started sobbing uncontrollably and told me that she'd been feeling so stressed out and depressed because her mom was pressuring her to go to medical school and she didn't want to--- she felt like she'd be letting her mom down if she went against her wishes and she felt very helpless. I asked her what she wanted to do and she said she wanted to work in the biotechnology industry.  I told her that she would be really good at that (since I have her for a lab class, I know that she's really good)  and that she should try ... Read Full Story >>

Quotes Celebrating Fathers

Father’s Day Quotes (Don’t Forget Father’s Day on Sunday, June 14th!) He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.  ~Clarence B. Kelland My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard.  Mother would come out and say, "You're tearing up the grass."  "We're not raising grass," Dad would reply.  "We're raising boys."  ~Harmon Killebrew When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around.  But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.  ~Mark Twain, "Old Times on the Mississippi" Atlantic Monthly, 1874 One father is more than a hundred Schoolmasters.  ~George Herbert, Outlandish Proverbs, 1640 Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope.  ~Bill Cosby A father carries pictures where his money used to be.  ~Author Unknown The greatest gift I ... Read Full Story >>

Just A Simple Little Thing

“Never lose sight of the importance of a beautiful sunrise, Or watching your kids sleep, or the smell of rain.  It’s often the little things that really matter in life.”  -- Unknown Yesterday, I did a very simple little thing. I was working out at the gym on my lunch hour and an elderly lady was in there riding on the bike.  She can't walk very well and uses a cane, but she was in there working hard. When I was done exercising, I told her that I was going to wait for her until she got done and that I would walk her out to the car.  It was a little ways to the car and it was a foggy, gloomy damp day yesterday here in Missouri.  I walked her to the car and opened her door and I felt so good for helping her. She could have fallen so easily out in that damp parking lot ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness Is The Medicine

One of my co-workers was recently stressed because his wife is struggling through a period of severe depression triggered by a rebounding of bodily pain from fibromyalgia.  She's also been on furlough from work for a number of years, and doesn't get much opportunity to maintain social ties and a sense of purpose which are often so essential and deeply nourishing.  After listening to him unload his burdens, I decided to do something small to support him and his wife. I don't know his wife very well at all, but wanted to express some warmth and kindness to her, since it so often feels like the universal balm to soothe every ailment. I found out that, like most people, she loves receiving handwritten mail.  So I purchased a card and wrote the following message to her: Dear Nxxxx, I want you to know that you have something very unique and beautiful to offer the ... Read Full Story >>

Thanking A Veteran

I was headed into Walmart. I grabbed a shopping cart and noticed this older man with a walking cane struggling with his cart, As I approached to help him I noticed his cap with WWII and some decorative pins on it. I was more determined to help him now. :0) 

I asked can I help you? He said his cart wheels seem to be jammed. I took his two bags out and put them in my cart and asked can I help you to your car?  He was a proud man and said "I'm ok now that you've given me your cart".  I said "My pleasure and I patted him on the back of his shoulder and blurted out the words "Thank you for all you did for our Country"... He looked at me and said "WHAT?"  I repeated myself and tapped his hat.  Then he smiled widely and was on his way.  

I grabbed another shopping cart and would have been whistling a tune if I knew how to whistle that good.  I was happy that I made him smile like that.

I used to be afraid of not saying the right thing, but "Thank You" was all I needed to say.

The Insight of Children

I took my children into the city last night to meet up with my husband to celebrate my daughter's 6th birthday.  We walked through the downtown area while we waited for him to get out of owrk.  In front of one of the subway stops was a woman sitting with a can.  As we walked by, my daughter asked what she was doing and I told her that she was probably homeless and was trying to get some money.  My daughter  looked back and asked if on the way back she could give the woman some money.  I told her that she absolutely could do that, and we continued exploring.   Later on during our walk, we  found a bed of cardboard and blankets.  My daughter knew what it was and wanted to know who it belonged to so she could give them a dollar or two.  We moved on, and she played ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness Inspired By A Car

As I was parking last weekend in the Los Angeles area, I experienced one of those "I know I'm in the right place at the right time" moments.  I happened to find a space next to a car which had the most inspirational back window I've ever seen.

It said "The fruit of the Spirit is" and then listed all these qualities (but not as a bullet point list; it was quite artistic and fun!)

• Love
• Joy
• Peace
• Patience
• Kindness
• Generosity
• Faithfulness
• Gentleness
• Self-Control

The best part of it was that they were not promoting a business or any particular religion -- it was just the message.

I just happened to have a SmileDeck on me, so I wrote a note saying how inspired I was and then put the note and the SmileDeck under their windshield wiper.