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Making 12th Graders Smile

I just started 12th grade this year. Being stuck in school since I was 3 years old in preschool I know how hard it is on the teachers and the young people they teach.

I go to a high-school now and in my bag I always have pack of smile cards. A few years ago I was the one who gave the first smile card at my school and now it's going on strong.

So back to story. I was the one that hated talking to or going up to people that I don't know. Well lets say that I have changed that. Every person that I saw on the fist day of school, I would say something nice to them or help them out and give them a smile card. Now I have cupple of cards.

Now when I need help not only do I get it but sometimes I get a smile card too. And now at school I am known as the Smile 12th grader. When you need it the most I will be there. It's like I just know when somebody needs me.

A Fond Legacy of Wise Woman

I am looking forward to using my smile cards. Many years ago a beautiful lady took my son and I under her wing. She was so loving and caring, and one day I said to her "how can I ever repay you". she looked at me in her wise way, just smiled and said "do something for someone else".

What a wonderful legacy she left us. I try to pay it forward wherever I can, in fond memory of her.

Keeping On With Smile Cards

I am part of a club called Random Acts of Kindness (R.A.K). Our group ordered a lot of smile cards throughout last school year and they worked wonders. Myself and the other club officers plan on ordering more cards for this year and just continue to pay it forward.

Free Entrance to Football Games

When some young kids showed up at our doorsteps for a fundraiser for their sports team, my brother asked 'em which school they went to.  It turns out that both my brother and I are alumni for that same school, so we made a little donation. While we didn't expect anything in return, we got a little "gold card" that gave us entry into all football games. Now, no one in our family has time to go watch a  high school football but we didn't just want to throw the card away either.  So it was sitting nice and pretty on our staircase. Last week, I randomly meet a young girl who is aspiring to be the student-body president.  She was asking my advice on a few things (my brother was actually the ASB president during his years).  And then all of a sudden, a flash bulb turned on in my head ... Read Full Story >>

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.

Lunch in Walnut Creek

I have been meaning to post this story for the past few weeks--my husband and I were in Walnut Creek to run errands.  We decided to stop off at California Pizza Kitchen for lunch; we asked to eat on the patio.  It just so happened that across from us, on the other side of the glass (in the restaurant) two women had just sat down for lunch. 

One woman was visibly upset and repeatedly left in tears.  I decided that she would be a perfect candidate for a tag--it was kind of difficult to tag her without her noticing as she was sitting directly across from us but luckily we had the same waitress.  When we told our waitress what we wanted to do, she broke in a huge smile and said that she was happy to accomodate.

I just happened to have a smile card on me--we had our waitress tag her.  It was the best feeling and a new experience for my husband who is now addicted to the feeling.  Hopefully, this made her day a little better! :)

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!

Giving Rides

I drive a 97 Ford Expedition, but I live by myself. I am constantly being told how that truck is too much for me and I should get something smaller but the way it came to me was of sheer Karma, I have to keep it. It's been a year now, and that truck has been helpful in so many ways.

The latest was just yesterday, I was on my way to work and passed 8 hispanic men walking along this long narrow road. The nearest structure was at least another 10 minutes by car so I pulled over and offered them a ride. They spoke no english so I used my (rough) spanish to find out that they work 5 blocks from me which was still 15 minutes away by car. I took them to their job, and went on with my day. Just thought I could share that with this site.

Touched by Devotion

It was time to head to the Gandhi Ashram for the day long events that marked and celebrated the life of one of the greatest influences on my life – Mahatama Gandhi. I decided to walk to the Ashram on this day. After 10 minutes or so, I’m not sure why but I decided to take a bicycle-rickshaw and a rickshaw pulled up. On the way to the Ashram, the driver stopped at a flower shop to get a garland of flowers. Instead of getting a small one, he ordered one of the largest ones they had – it was 1m long. I knew this was too expensive for his meager income. He then proceeded to gently place the garland on the rickshaw, with utmost love and devotion. In the middle of the garland, he placed another flower. I was a little confused by the ... Read Full Story >>

Ripples of Compassion

As I walked down the street, I took in my surroundings and was keeping an eye out for opportunities to serve. I spotted a man sitting off to the side of the road. He had soiled himself repeatedly and looked like he hadn’t bathed in days. This was someone I wanted to reach out to. It is Dussera (a holiday in India), so fafada and jalebi (sweets) vendors are everywhere. I decided that like everyone, this man too would eat these food items today. I went to a nearby vendor and ordered 20 rupees worth of fafadas and jalebi. I told the man behind the counter who it was for and asked him to put a little extra love into the food and packing. I then took the bundle and made my way towards the man. He was surrounded by a 1 ft perimeter ... Read Full Story >>

Cleaning from Inside Out

My car was getting some work done at the shop and my father-in-law offered to go pick it up since it was walking distance for him. I had been meaning to wash it for a while and decided that I would as soon as he brought it home.  I started getting the washing supplies ready as soon as he brought it. He asked if I wanted to bring it to the driveway first since the car was parked on the curb of the street. I said, "No. I want to get everything ready first." He gave me a suspicious look and walked inside. Once I was ready, I hurriedly picked up my keys and went outside to bring the car.

As soon as I walked up to it, I noticed the sparkling clean windshield which was filthy and dusty just hours ago. I went closer and realized that he had it professionally cleaned inside and outside. I ran back inside the house with a big smile and noticed there was a smile card under my keys that I hadn't noticed in a hurry. I got tagged! :-)  It was such a thoughtful thing for him to do in an otherwise hectic week.

I still can't believe that I got tagged by my father-in-law. Kindness is contagious.

Red Slushies!

My mom and I did this one. My niece and nephew were in the car behind us with their mom and dad and we were going through spangles...we bought two red slushies, paid for them, and then had the lady give it to them with a card when they pulled through the drive through. It was something little, but fun!

Kindness Chain-Gifting Experiment #2

"J" is a brilliant musician who fell from his rising star as a world famous rockstar when he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease.  Now a mute quadriplegic on a respirator with only the movement of his eyes and thumb left, he's far outlived the 3 years of life they gave him more than a dozen years ago.  Releasing 4 albums since being disabled, his musical genius has been amply revealed as he composes Mozart-like symphonies and other pieces (replayed in premiere venues by other famous musicians), painstakingly, one note at a time. "D" is long-time friend of "J" and has bought 200 copies of "J"'s last CD to support him and his work. "D" believes its "J"'s deep spirituality, and his love of music that keeps him alive.  I invite "D" over for a homemade lunch of gourmet tostadas, and purchase 2 copies of "J"'s CD from him, hoping to have done something small for both ... Read Full Story >>

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 >>

The Secret

A friend of mine was deeply concerned about lack of funds for survival to say nothing about what is needed for her to effectively make her contribution to the world.

I sent her some paypal money so she could view The Secret online, which is a wonderful movie about the Law of Attraction and how to create resources through bypassing fear and creating the feeling of what it would be like to have it.

A New Generation of Smiles

I plan to hand these cards out to college students to encourage them to go out and change the world. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

Cleaning Up Bad Habits

My lovely roommates are always complaining about my messy ways.

My roommates were out of town this weekend so I decided to completely clean the kitchen, the bathroom, and the living room as a surprise. 

Boy, were they shocked!