Search Results for 'popular' (3484 matches)

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. 

Giant Smiley Face!

I work on a college newspaper, and we share the lab with the magazine staff. It always gets really hard around deadline day. Everyone is grumpy and frantically trying to get stuff done. They forget sometimes to smile. So, I found this giant smiley face at a garage sell...it is bigger than me! I bought it and took it into the computer lab where we all work and I thumbtacked it to the wall! It was hilarious! It did the trick though! Everyone smiled and when deadline days come around, if someone is in a bad mood, or is getting to wrapped up in work, we just smile at them and point to the wall! And it usually works! Plus, the added bonus is that anyone who comes in to see us is instantly caught off guard by the giant yellow smiley face but the first thing they do is smile! So basically, I installed a smile machine! And all it cost was a dollar at a garage sale!

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 >>

Seven Questions on Giving Time

How can giving time be more powerful than spending money?  Below are seven questions of an interview with Nipun Mehta in Healing Life Styles and Spa Magazine: 1.      How is spending time on gifts more beneficial than spending money? In the moment when we spend money for others, there is the deep joy of expressing gratitude, of imagining the recipient's delight and of silently recognizing our interconnection.  It's beautiful.  Yet, it only lasts for that moment.  Instead, when you give time and allow yourself space to experience the process, you witness a long series of those joyous moments.  If spending money is generosity, spending time is like generosity on steroids. :) 2.      Can you please provide some examples of how to spend time? How are these just as rewarding (if not more rewarding) as purchasing a gift? The minute my mom gets invited to a baby-shower, she'll start knitting ... 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.

The Shop That Stayed Open on Christmas

Shopkeeper Tom Algie faced a dilemma over Christmas  --  how to give himself and his three staff time off but without letting down his customers. So he came up with a solution to suit everyone: leaving the hardware store open with an honesty box. He left a note telling shoppers who came in on Boxing Day to serve themselves and then leave their payment in the box he had rigged up. Perhaps astonishingly, his plan worked. Trusting shopkeeper Tom Algie wanted a day off and left his DIY store open with a note and honesty box - and returned to find £187 inside When Mr Algie, 47, returned at 4.15pm to close up, he was delighted to find the shop in Settle, North Yorkshire, had taken £187.66  -  and two euros. The father of two said: 'I didn't think twice about leaving the shop open. Settle is a lovely quiet ... Read Full Story >>

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 >>

Beautiful Girl - Beautiful Father

“Josie Metz's father won't be there to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day. But thanks to California photographer Lindsey Villatoro, the 11-year-old was able to experience what it might be like anyway. Her father, Jim, 62, had already been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer when he and his wife, Grace, hired Villatoro -- a mother, photographer and founder of Love Song Photography based in Menifee, Calif. Two years ago, Villatoro began offering photography sessions for terminal clients or clients with serious illnesses to document their journeys and was referred to the Metz family. "I try to really showcase the person for who they are and not the illness," she told The Huffington Post during a phone conversation Tuesday afternoon. Villatoro went to Jim and Grace's home for a shoot and offered to do one with their young daughter, Josie. After she left, she posted about the family on her website ... Read Full Story >>

Gasoline, A Burger Meal, and a Kiss!

Yesterday afternoon in St. Louis Mo it was rainy and light snow. While pumping gas, a young man approached me and asked if he could pump my gas for a dollar so he could get something to eat.

At that moment the pump stopped, my tank was full. I asked him to meet me at the Burger King across the street. At this time he informed me that the manager had asked him to stay away, as he was begging.

I went in, talked to the manager, explained that I was going to buy him a meal, and would they let him stay long enough to eat his meal. The manager agreed. I purchased his meal, and thanked the manager by telling her she'd done a good thing and also gave her a smile card and a Hershey Kiss!

A Bag of Donuts

Yesterday, I went out and saw a street vendor selling potato donuts. I had bought 8 donuts for the boys at home. Before I left the place, I saw this little boy sleeping on the sidewalk, with his mom sitting next to him. She appeared to be sleeping as well, with her head resting on her knees. Their clothes were tattered and dirty.

As I walked to my car just a few meters away, I couldn't ignore the tightness in my chest, as the thought of what that boy was going through came into my mind. So I went back and gave the woman the bag of donuts. She thanked me and placed the bag next to her and went back to sleep.

I left the place and hoped that maybe when that little boy wakes up, he will smile when he sees a bag of sugar covered donuts, all for him.

A Smile Goes A Long Way!

It costs nothing to share a smile and help someone in need. Today I woke up grumpy and on the wrong side of the bed (obviously).

I knew that doing something special for someone would snap me out of this mood. I work with a bunch of college students and today, I met a really nice student. She was returning after the death of her father. He lived to see his daughter attend college! I decided to go one step further and show her where she needed to go for her ID and parking pass.

Instead of telling her, I walked with her. I am rehabilitating from a full knee replacement.  I really feel that walking with her not only helped her learn her way around college, but helped me in my rehabilitation process. We both smiled, glad that we had made a new friend. Something so simple as a smile goes a long way.