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Power of Flowers

While at the supermarket this morning, waiting on line to pay for my groceries, I noticed the flowers by the counter  (because of my DailyGood reminder which suggested buying flowers for the cashier!).   All of a sudden, I remembered that it had been months since I have been wanting to do something special for my downstairs neighbor who has climbed the stairs numerous times to let me know that I left my car lights on!   So I decided to buy her a bouquet of flowers to thank her, and bought a second one for myself.    As I got back home, I found the Waste Management truck in my parking spot, with the garbage man picking up the building's trash.  My first reaction was to feel annoyed that I had to wait till he was done before I could park and get upstairs (I was feeling hungry and looking forward ... Read Full Story >>

Video: Are You Somebody's Favorite Person?

A subtle, poignant and charming film about the need for deeper connections in our lives.

If you ask yourself, are you somebody's favorite person, what would be your response?  Perhaps you can forward this video to your favorite person.

Saga of a Blue Scarf

Last December, following the Friday night performance of our Winter Solstice Celebration, my wife Chez had gone to the Cathedral parking lot to get some gear before taking a taxi to our hotel. When I finally got to the hotel a couple of hours later, Chez realized she was missing a small bag and was sure she’d left it on the ground outside the car. So I said I’d go back and look for it.   It was quite a dark and wintry night, and when I arrived back at the Cathedral around 1:30am, the whole area was deserted. I found the all-night security guard and asked him to unlock the gate to the parking lot for me. We walked back to Amsterdam Ave. and up past the front of the Cathedral to the north lot entrance. We were about 50 yards into the lot when we heard a woman’s voice calling ... Read Full Story >>

The Top 10 Kindness Stories of 2012

"There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness. " -- Dalai Lama  Ever year, we are amazed by every-day stories of kindness, compassion, warmth, and love that fills this space with inspiration and hope.  We are grateful for having such an amazing community to grow together with and spread ripples of kindness throughout the world.  Here are the top 10 stories of 2012!   My Sneaky Mirror of Kindness  High school is always full of girls who have little self-confidence and lots of negative thoughts relating to self-image. so, one lunch break, I did something to help! With the help of some friends I made a giant love heart on the girl's bathroom mirror!  It was made out of love heart shaped sticky notes with kind messages on each of them. The school was buzzing with chatter about the "Love Heart ... Read Full Story >>

1,000 Crisp Mohandases

It was late one night when I got an email from the states. It was my friend John who, as usual, had an idea. This one was about the power of connectedness. John was taken with the notion that he could, by sitting at his computer, with only a few small movements of his fingers, could affect change on the other side of the world. “In ten seconds,” he wrote, “I sent an email to my friend in Boston, asking him to go down to the street and give a watermelon to the first person he saw. And he did.” John, of course, wanted to illustrate the power of connectivity with a more compassionate experiment. “Please go find a needy person and give them $20 [1,000 Indian rupees, at the time]. If you can, try to see how it changes their life and let me know.” On our last afternoon in Ahmedabad, ... Read Full Story >>

Scientific Research on Kindness

Heather asks, "A friend mentioned to me that research shows that a certain number of acts of kindess a week "sticks"--creates the positive habit. Do you know of this, or similar, research?" So we thought we'd compile some useful resources for Heather and the rest of you, thanks to our friends at DailyGood. Altruism: a Neural Kick from Within: What motivates people to act anonymously kind? Researchers at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda, Maryland, wanted to find exactly that -- the neural basis for unselfish acts. So they decided to peek into the brains of 19 volunteers who were choosing whether to give money to charity, or keep it for themselves. They found that the part of the brain that was active when a person donated happened to be the brain's reward center -- the mesolimbic pathway -- responsible for doling out the ... Read Full Story >>

Share Your Knowledge

"If you have knowledge, let others light their candles with it." What a fantastic quote from Winston Churchill. Each of us has tremendous resources, gained through years of learning and experience. Yet, how many of us realize the potential of what we know in helping others? So many people belittle themselves, believing that they don't really know enough to offer any advice to others. They underestimate the value of their experience, which is often vast. Yet, every single day, our experiences provide us with more useful knowledge and skills. Over time, this accumulates and makes us skilful and knowledgeable in many different areas. Yesterday, one of the readers of this blog sent me a personal e-mail. She asked me to keep her name private, however she spent 20 years as a full-time mum bringing up her two boys -- and didn't think she had much to offer the outside world. A friend of hers suggested that she ... Read Full Story >>

Dallas Cowboy's Gift to a Homeless Man

The Dallas Morning News reported a heartwarming story today, for all of us sports fans: A homeless man who goes by Doc was cashing in change at a Cinemark Theatre in Dallas when a guy walked up and offered to pay his way into the movie. He planned to spend his day passing out fliers and accepted a rain check before realizing that he recognized the generous gentleman. "Was that Tony Romo?" Doc asked the worker behind the counter. It sure was. Doc, who requested that his real name not be used, hustled across the street to the consignment store that paid him to occasionally pass out fliers and requested the day off. By the time he got back to the theater, Role Model had already started. Romo, who confirmed the story but didn't want to elaborate, waved Doc over to sit by him and his friend. Doc sheepishly mentioned that he hadn't showered ... Read Full Story >>

This I Believe, Robert Heinlein

This article has been taken offline by the request of Trustee of the Heinlein Prize Trust regarding infringement of a copyright.

Family with Epileptic Son Touched After Stranger Pays For Dinner

A North Carolina family with an epileptic child was given a touching gift on Friday when an anonymous stranger paid for their dinner at a restaurant, leaving them a note that is, not surprisingly, going viral online. The note read: "God only gives special children to special people." The message was delivered to Ashley England and her family, including her 8-year-old son, Riley, at the Stag-N-Doe pizza restaurant in China Grove, N.C., on Friday by a waitress. "I'll try to do this without crying," the waitress told the family, according to WBTV.com. "But another customer has paid for your bill tonight and wanted me to give you this note." England said Riley, who is nonverbal, gets frustrated because he can't speak, and he had been especially rowdy during the meal. "He threw the phone and started screaming," England told WBTV. "The past few weeks have been very hard and trying for us, especially with public ... Read Full Story >>

Nothing Less of a Miracle

We have spent this year using our cards to pay for the car behind us in drive-thru's. Most usually this happens on a Sunday morning after we have all worked at our church. Then it comes back...here is our story: This past Sunday, after 3 of my kids had been with me from 7am-1pm, they were working in the childrens’ wing of our church and were starving. They voted for McDonalds. Not having a lot of money on me I hesistantly drove to McDonalds. Upon arrival, the drive thru line was wrapped around the building, hungry and being impatient, I decided just to give in and wait. At that time I also began to pray. God I don’t have a lot of money but if you want me to pay for the car behind me just give me a ... Read Full Story >>

Breakfast Kindness

I grew up in a very poor family. Both my parents worked various odd jobs just to pay the rent, so I rarely had breakfast.

I was in Grade 4 and I passed out in class. I woke up in the nurse's room and after answering many questions, they figured out that a poor nutrition was the cause of my fainting.

Two university students volunteered at our school to tutor us in English. After learning that many of the students didn't eat breakfast or lunch on a regular basis, they started a committee to fundraise for a breakfast and lunch program. After only a few weeks, I was able to eat healthy regular meals.

I am forever grateful to Keith and Helen, for making a difference in the lives of young children. I know that Keith went on to become a social worker, and Helen became a teacher. If they are reading this, I want to thank them again, for all they did for my classmates and me.

Acts of kindness don't have to hit the front pages of the newspapers, or receive awards. But I wanted to share this experience, because it really made a difference in my life.

Do Something: Story of DC Central Kitchen

The first thing you've got to know about me--all I ever wanted to do was open the greatest nightclub in the world. At age 12, after watching the movie Casablanca, opening a nightclub was all I thought about, day and night. Much to my Marine Corp pilot father's chagrin, I landed a job at the Childe Harold, a Washington, DC, nightclub, and eventually worked my way up in the business to manage and book bands at several clubs in the city. I was having a great time preparing to use the power of music to take over the world, when, on a night off, I found myself tagging along with my wife, Claudia, and others from a church group to feed people who lived outside, on the streets of DC. Up until that point in my life, I had admired, but managed (purposely) to avoid, volunteering. . .which is why I still ... Read Full Story >>

The Mani Man

A prayer wheel, or mani wheel, is a wheel filled with innumerable mantras and inscriptions wrapped clockwise around a central axis. Some prayer wheels are tiny, like tops; others are huge, filling an entire room, and one turns the wheel by holding its handles and walking clockwise around it. Others are attached to running streams or waterfalls so that they can harness the natural energy and spread benedictions throughout the land. The faithful believe that spinning these prayer wheels or hanging prayer flags in the wind actualizes the inscribed prayers. The Tibetan province of Kham is akin to America’s Wild West. The people of Kham are great equestrians, and like all who ride regularly, they love their horses.  Until about a century ago, Kham was carved into dozens of smaller kingdoms, each of which had its own army, raised by forcible conscription. There was once an old man in far eastern Kham ... Read Full Story >>

Carrying A Kid Down the Stairs

Two years ago we took the kids to see a pantomime at a local theater.  As everyone was piling out of the theater after the show was over, I spotted a distressed mother at the top of the stairs with her teenage boy in a wheelchair. She seemed upset, insisting the theater staff had assured her they would have someone there to help her and her son down the stairs.

I offered to help and picked her son up in my arms while she followed with the folded down-chair. All the way I kept up a conversation with the boy despite not understanding a word he said. The poor boy didn't have control of his limbs and kicked me all the way down the narrow, crowded stairs.

After safely seeing the boy and his mother down the stairs, my wife expressed gratitude for what I had done.  Upon reflecting on her reaction, I realized that what I had done was not special or out of the ordinary. He was a human being and I was a human being and both deserved to be treated with the same degree of respect and compassion.  I hoped that someone would have extended me the same courtesy if I were in that position. 

Breaking My Six Week Streak

I'm a bit of an introvert. I've spent every weekend so far this year in my room or in the library working. It doesn't matter what kind of work, school work, debate work, just work that requires only a book, word document, and a quiet space. So yesterday when my friend asked me to go to an improv show with her after dinner I habitually retorted "No thanks, I have a lot of work to do." I didn't anticipate this being much of an argument, but 10 minutes and a few persuasive exchanges later I found myself saying "Ok I'll go, but just this once." I was still in a bit of shock about my response, to be honest. I had broken my streak of 6 straight weeks without socializing. But I couldn't say no to my friend this time.  I decided I would be a kind fellow and keep ... Read Full Story >>

A California Town Turns Strangers Into Friends

California town decides to put kindness on the agenda By Susan Herendeen Wednesday, April 22, 2009 WATERFORD, Calif. — This little town in eastern Stanislaus County may be known for the orchards and dairies that dot its rolling hills, but this week city officials are reminding the 8,100 residents to pass on some good cheer by doing something thoughtful for a stranger, mentoring a youngster or simply being a good neighbor. Thanks to a push from the Waterford Ministerial Association, the city has declared "Random Acts of Kindness" week, which began Sunday and ends Saturday, at the close of a community clean-up day. City leaders may not find a cure for the ills of modern life, like road rage or bullying or the angry remarks that can demoralize a community. But they hope to remind people that kindness can turn strangers into friends. "It's a goodwill kind of thing, to draw attention to the fact ... Read Full Story >>

Helping Out at a Red Light

On tuesday, I was driving and came to a red light where a gentleman was selling news papers. It was very hot outside so I rolled down my window and asked him if he wanted some Gatorade since I had plenty in the trunk of my vehicle.

I quickly put my hazard lights on, put the car in park, and ran to the trunk for the Gatorade. The light turned green and by this time the car behind me was honking their horns and being impatient!  Regardless, I took my time, and spoke to the man for a few seconds, gave him the gatorade, and then decided to leave!   

An Act of Kindness Every Day

 This whole week I have been doing acts of kindness every day.  The following are a few that I wanted to share.   Thursday I went to the post office and solicited for prayers for the prayer book I have started for a very ill boss of mine who is battling cancer.     Friday   I called my boss while he was receiving his chemotherapy and I told him that everything would be ok and he just needed to hang in there. I also offered to drop off the prayer book for him to read if he needed encouragement.   Saturday   I just moved into my current neighborhood and still getting to know my way around. When I first went to the car wash near my apartment, I met a lot of friendly people. When I went back for the second time, they washed my car for free.   This past Saturday my mother needed to borrow my car. I ... Read Full Story >>

An Interesting Ride to the Airport

I was driving home from work and was queued up on the entrance ramp to the freeway, when I saw a car pulled off to the side - smoke pouring out from under the hood.  A man, with a very pregnant wife and small girl were standing nearby looking extremely distraught.  I pulled over and offered my cell phone so the man could call a towing service.  While he was making calls, I found out that they were on their way to the airport to pick up the wife's mom, who was flying in from Europe.  The wife had a bad cold AND was crying because they were obviously not going to be able to meet her mom on time and they had no way of letting her know what was going on. I had no schedule to meet and the airport was on my way home so it seemed like a ... Read Full Story >>