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An Unexpected Blessing

Years ago a college friend and I set out across the US on a post-college adventure. Our vehicle broke-down in New London, Ontario, Canada on a Sunday afternoon.

We were towed to a garage where we spent the night sleeping in the van waiting for the owner to open the next morning. We left the van to be repaired and set out raising money working odd jobs throughout the day.

When we returned the mechanic had finished the work, but the job cost $100 more than we had earned that day. Tired and now more than a little disconsolate, we decided to ask the mechanic if we could send him the remainder of the money from our destination in Boston, MA.

To our surprise and relief he agreed. When we arrived in Boston three days later, we immediately sent the balance to him as well as a note of great appreciation for the trust he shared with two, young strangers.

Truck breakdown

My truck broke down this weekend out of state and leaving me stranded over the weekend. The people I met in the process of trying to figure out how to get it fixed and what to do made an unfortunate situation become an opportunity to meet others and witness how kind people can be without expecting anything in return.

I had a transmission mechanic examine my truck free of charge while he was not even supposed to be at work. Many things happened "by chance" but I couldn't help but feel like I was being looked out for.

I was able to get my car back home, find a loaner car and not miss out on work. My problem isn't solved yet but I have a very different outlook on the situation and peace in my heart.

All I did was try to put out hopeful good energy and use patience. Things lined up. "Move and the way will open" - Zen Proverb. Feeling blessed.

Mere Glance at Crosswalk

I feel like I'm always running around. And life, in its gentle ways, tries to slow me down. To stop, look, and listen to the beauty that surrounds us every day. As I rushed down the street, late for a meeting (again), I found myself behind a woman in a wheelchair (going at a pretty normal pace). Not wanting to rush past her in my haste, on a crowded street, I slowed down and stayed behind her. When we stopped at the signal light, I noticed that on the other side of the crosswalk was another woman around the same age -- also in a wheelchair. Something really simple, yet deeply beautiful happened as they crossed one another. The face of the woman coming towards us changed, from tired, worn-out, and blossomed into a huge genuine smile. Then I looked to the side at the woman next to me, they both locked eyes for ... Read Full Story >>

A little encouragement can mean the world!

A few days ago I was at the gym and a soldier was running a timed physical fitness test. He had lapped me once when I decided to catch up to him and just quitely push myself for the last few minutes of my jog. It was just at that moment that he let out an exhausted sigh...a resignation to stop trying SO hard if you will. It was at that moment that I said to him, "Come on...let's go. Don't quit now. I'll run right behind you and we'll do it together." He was so shocked but managed to say, "You don't know how much I needed that. I was going to quit." So as we both ran the track together he introduced himself and wanted to know my "time". Well, sadly enough, I am just beginning to get back into shape and simply said that I didn't keep ... Read Full Story >>

The Care Package

My dearest cousin has been really down in the dumps the last few weeks ... it hurts me to see her so unhappy with life.

So I went out and created a care package for her! In it, I put a brand new gardening tools, seeds, and a pot so she could get into gardening and get her mind off things (it's also just a great therapeutic activity!) and I also got her a 1000-pc puzzle to have her fun with. I just want her to get her mind off things and have fun with life, even if just for a moment.

You see the smile card there? YAY for happiness!

Bearing Smiles

Recently I went to a restaurant with my grandparents. I decided that it was time to use a card. We ate our dinner and got ready to leave, but before I left, I layed a smile card on the table along with a tiny bear figurine that I had made. Then, I hurried towards the door.

Before I got there, the waitress saw what was at the table and called out to me that I had forgot something. I told her no, it was hers! She smiled, and that was the last time I saw her. It was really exciting, and a new way to spead smiles! Plus, one of my bears now has a home, and is "bearing smiles!"

A Stop Sign Moment

It was one of those awkward stop sign moments.  You and the car on the cross streets both arrive at the stop sign together.  Both want to rush first but both are a bit hesitant.  And then, one person gives in -- usually the person with the faster car. :)

Well, it just so happened that I had one of those stop sign moments the other day.  But I had decided to let the other person go and the lady on the cross street had decided the same.

So here we are -- both of us trying to be kind to each other. 

I was determined to stick my ground, so lifted my hand and signaled her to go ahead of me.

She gave me the best smile, and I saw an inaudible "thank you" through some lip-reading, and it just made me feel so good.

All it takes is a moment to be kind.  Try it next time.  It feels good.

Build-a-Bear

Last weekend my dorm mate was kind of bummed. We don't really know each other too well, but we get along. I had just recieved some coupons for Build-a-Bear Workshop and was excited about going to make a bear. But I decided that maybe she needed it more. I took her to Build-a-Bear and let her make a teddy bear and I let her use my coupons. She was laughing so hard that by the time we left, she had a smile stuck on her face! It was a lot of fun!

Nervous Girlscout

I was out of town at a relatives house for a party- when I heard the doorbell ring. I volunteered to help answer the door, since everyone was so busy. A nervous little girlscout came with her older brother.  I decided this felt like a moment to do something nice. 

I encouraged the shy little one to talk about her products, and cheered her on when she recommended items. At first I thought, it's probably not a big deal to be encouraging- and went ahead to order the "Smores" and other items that would be left as a surprise anonymously for the relative that I was staying with.

I shared my experiences as a young, nervous girlscout too. And then applauded the kids for doing their work- going door to door. I thought they were bound to get a lot of orders, and congratulated them on working so hard. 

Then to my surprise, the older brother piped in- we've been trying to sell for hours and barely anyone was buying!  I had no idea such a little act of encouragement would matter.  I may never see these little kids again since this wasn't my neighborhood- but I really felt good for what happened in our exchange. 

Gaining Marriage Wisdom: Sharing Homemade Carrot Cake

I made a homemade carrot cake for the first time. It was really the most delicious cake, according to my family. So I decided I would spread kindness by giving some of this cake to a my parents' neighbor- someone I didn't really know. I gave the cake to a neighbor's husband- who invited me in to talk.  Next thing I know, his wife also comes over, and we have a three-hour discussion about life- concerns about her college age son, and lessons around marriage and divorce. I walked away from this meeting profoundly touched about the wisdom this woman shared from an early divorce- the courage she showed to leave someone irresponsible, and the faith she kept that she deserved to be married to a man who honored her and supported her. The eerie thing is I struggle with being married, and certainly didn't know she went through this experience.  I walked ... Read Full Story >>

Another Reflection of Hope

You may remember my story of Stephen, the homeless guy.  I decided to  take a walk up to the hostel to see if he was ok. I spoke to my friend who works there and she said, "Well Angel, how are you?" I said "Angel?" She said "Yes, Stephen said he met an angel from God." I laughed and asked if he was in. She said he was out looking for work. That really made me stop. I gave her some money and asked if she could give it to Stephen so he could phone me. Later that night, he phoned me. He asked if he could meet me. I arranged to meet him at the coffee shop again.  Wow, what a difference! He was clean, had a smile on his face, shoulders back facing the world. He gave me a hug and called me angel. I said, "You know ... Read Full Story >>

Planting Date Palms

[A Sufi Story]

Harun al-Rashid was once walking through a plantation when he saw a hunched man with a long, gray beard, putting in sapling date palms. He greeted him, saying, ‘Take it easy, father!’

‘Thank you, my son,’ the old man replied.

‘What are you doing, father?’ he asked the old man.

‘As you see, I am planting sapling date palms.’

‘How many years does it take a date palm to bear fruit?’

‘Ten, twenty, thirty years. Some take as long as a hundred years.’

‘Will you be able to eat the fruit of these palms you are planting?’

‘I may not live to see the day,’ said the old man, ‘but we eat from those our forebears planted. So let us plant, that those who follow us may eat in turn!'

Stones and Flowers

One afternoon, he discovered that if he tossed stones over his neighbor’s fence, he could create a crashing sound, the sound of breaking glass. So he would heave a stone and wait for the crash. Heave, crash. It was great fun and felt a little dangerous. He might get caught, after all, but that, to a small boy, was part of the excitement. As it happened, he did get caught. The man who lived next door came to his house and told his parents about the boy and the stones. ‘I would like Juan to come to my home so I can show him a few things,’ the man said, in a tone Juan found rather ominous. His parents, ashamed of and disappointed by their son’s behavior, readily sent their son to the neighbor’s house. Juan sheepishly followed the man into his house, through the back door, and out into the yard. ... Read Full Story >>

Noticing An Agitated Duck

Kim Tucker was heading home to West Sacramento last week and saw a sight that can't rightly be ignored. There, by the side of the road, was a remarkably agitated duck, pacing the pavement and flapping in fear. Her ducklings, Tucker learned on subsequent inspection, had fallen through a drainage grate and were desperately treading water in the filthy bog below. She looked for help, eventually enlisting a burly construction worker (to pry off the grate), a slew of onlookers and, she was surprised to note, a teenage boy, who whipped off his shoes and, without hesitation, slipped into the drain and started retrieving the ducklings in distress, one by one. "He was right on it," an impressed Tucker said. "It was (a very) human moment." But not all 13-year-olds are so human, judging by the number of like-aged boys who passed by the scene with little more than a glance. What made this particular kid ... Read Full Story >>

Pay It Forward Coffee (Video!)

Just saw this on CNN today:

Perhaps all our collective good karma is impacting the world after all! Keep spreading the goodness, friends.

A Perfect Stranger Restored My Faith

Anymore, it seems like all we ever hear about are the horrible things people do to others. I can't even turn on the news at night (we get Kansas City, Mo. news) without hearing of at least 3 people who were shot and killed plus numerous other acts of violence. Also, with families everywhere pinching pennies everywhere they can, not everyone is feeling as generous as they normally would be. But I found out that even in tough times, people can do simple things that might greatly improve a stranger's day. Not long ago, I was having one of those end of the week, everything fall apart, rotten days. I had a hard day at work, my week didn't go well and problems just kept popping up everywhere. Things broke or quit, unexpected bills came in and I was struggling to keep from loosing my cool from all the stress. Then ... Read Full Story >>

Morning Kindness Delivery Route

At a recent breakfast to say good-bye to a couple moving from their retirement community in Stone Mountain, GA, my Mom was surprised at the number of people in attendance. What was more surprising was the revelation that Patricia's kindness had endeared herself to so many of the people on her block. My mother and I would often speak of Pat with great admiration for her steadfast service.  For example, she would move my 89-year-old mother's newspaper from the end of the driveway to right outside her door. While my mother is quite able, this little kindness was deeply appreciated, especially when the weather was dicey. What she didn't know until this breakfast gathering was Pat did this same little deed for everyone on the block who had newspapers sitting in their driveway. She was an early riser and she'd time her morning walk to follow the newspaper delivery person and make her rounds, which include a trek down and up ... Read Full Story >>

21 Day Gratitude Challenge Top 10

If this were your last day, how would you spend it? "If today was my last day on earth I imagine the world would suddenly come into view as never before. All the things around me, the sights, sounds, feelings, those natural and even unnatural, would have more meaning, preciousness, & vividness than ever before. I would try to live each moment of that day with mindfulness and presence, appreciating the small things that I usually take for granted and feeling grateful to experience them all for one last day. Ideally I would spend the day with loved ones, simply enjoying each others' company. If for some reason it wasn't possible for me to be with loved ones I would make sure I contacted them to let them know how much they have meant to me and how they have blessed my life. There's no reason why this imaginary last ... Read Full Story >>

A Small Change With Small Change

Someone posted a note on the vending machine at work about the change they lost in the machine. I believe they were hoping the vending maintenance person might give them this amount back when they come to fill the machine.

So, I preempted the vending guy, took a Smile card, taped the "lost" money to it, and then taped the card to the note on the machine.

It may be a small thing, but I believe every good effort adds beauty and kindness to the world - like a little sprinkle of glitter!

Innter Transformation And Some Balloon Moments!

My friend/new found kindness buddy and I were walking down a familiar street near our university and we stopped by an ATM to withdraw some money. We were in the queue when we noticed a young girl helping a blind girl on her way home, by holding her and not letting her come in contact with any danger. My friend H and I felt we needed to thank her for the immense act of kindness that she was doing. So, we decided to make a balloon animal for her to express our gratitude. We created a balloon giraffe and handed it over to her when she stopped by a pharmacy next to the ATM and told her that we were touched by what she was doing to help someone else who is disabled. A connection emerged so strong out of this interaction that we had that she wanted to join us ... Read Full Story >>