Search Results for 'popular' (3455 matches)

Who's Thirsty?

A group of us walk dogs every week at our local Humane Society.  It's a fun thing to do and the dogs always express their appreciation! 

But it can be grueling in the hot humid summer here.  It's not quite summer here yet but we have had some hot days ... and many of us wish we had some cool refreshing water to quench our thirst in the heat.

But this is something that I can change -  I decided that I will be the water point person and try to keep my team cool so that they can stay committed.  So I've brought a cooler with water bottles for the last two weeks and intend to do that the entire summer.  It's a small and easy thing to do.

Last week everyone had some water and I think it helped us all physically and mentally!   Just look around - it's these little things that count!  :=D 

Frodo, Sam and the KindSpring Family

I’ve been thinking lately about my visits to the KS community, about how much I enjoy coming here and about the different types of messages which are posted here. I like to participate in some way too as I feel that it’s only fair to give as well as to receive encouragement from all of you however, I’m often at a loss as to what sort of thing to share. Should I post a pretty picture of a flower, an inspirational quote or should I tell a kindness story? When I first came to KindSpring I had recovered from depression and anxiety attacks, KS helped me to see beyond my immediate field of vision, and the inspirational stories of kindness renewed my outlook on life and the world in general. I had come from a period in my life which was pretty much summed up by these words from Tolkien which I ... Read Full Story >>

A Boy's First Watch

I had gone to my bank (in Nigeria) to withdraw some money and was given a beautiful, blue, customized watch as a free gift.    As I left there, I thought to myself that I didn't need the watch. I was already wearing one! I thought that there were people who needed that watch more than me, people who had never worn one before.    My sister came around and I handed her the watch to give any of the boys who go around begging with their physically-disabled parents. My sister's hostel is very close to where they usually stay.    A few days later one of the boys, about 14 years old, came around my sister's lecture hall with his blind mother to beg for money as usual. My sister then walked up to him and asked him if he had a watch. He said, "No." And my sister gave the watch to him. She ... Read Full Story >>

Helping a Friend in Need

I have a friend who owns a coffee shop.  She has until Dec. 31 to pay some kind of tax to our city totalling $1,400 dollars. 

I felt so bad for her.  Owning her own coffee shop has always been Kim's dream.  In fact I still vividly remember the day she opened up her shop 3 years ago.  Nobody could have wiped the smile off her face!

I am an artist and have a card rack in her shop.  I told her to put a large sign on top of the rack saying, "Buy cards, all proceeds go to help Barefoot Annie's Coffee Shop."

Helping someone is the best feeling!

Waking Up to Cookies on My Car

Yesterday around 9:30 am, as I was going towards my car, I noticed something box like on my windshield. At first I thought I may have gotten a ticket from the cops, but as I approached closer, there was a box of delicious homemade chocolate chip cookies and a smile card! Thank you anonymous angel! Later in the day, I had to make a run to my local library to pay off some overdue fines and pick up a book that I had on hold. I decided to keep few cookies for my parents to enjoy, and took the rest for the volunteers and staff at the library. I approached the clerk at the counter to hand them the box of cookies. "A small gift and token of appreciation for the staff and volunteers. Would you mind putting them in the break room?" I asked. She replied, "Oh wow! Thank you! Why don't you at least ... Read Full Story >>

Helping Others Is The Best Medicine

Yes, helping others is wonderful. Feeling so good helping out. You know what I mean..It brightens your day, lifts your heart and that wonderful from the heart smile! Fabulous! And then some. In March we had to take Dad's license away. Our proud, independent Dad was going to have to ask for help and to depend on others!  Yikes! How does one do that? He had to ask/accept and we did too. Big changes. Now I celebrate the start each day with 'breakfast with Dad".  We share special time. We help lift each other. I leave with a tired body but a fabulous smile. I have to admit there have been days when I had to push myself but was always happy I did.  Now for the unexpected WOW! I've been coping with chronic but stable health issues for 10+ yrs. ..being told to pace myself, don't get stressed, take naps, blah ,blah.  Well, guess what?  My blood work is now the best in 2 yrs! Wow! All I could ... Read Full Story >>

Fierce Love

Sometimes kindness has a ferocious beginning.

My dear friend Michael stood in line at a  grocery store. In the next line a mother had lost her temper with her screaming three year old sitting  in the cart seat. To everyone's shock the woman began slapping the little boy's face. Michael (a therapist) turned to  her and commanded, "Stop!" The woman jerked, as if from a trance and buried her face in her hands as she began to sob. Michael took her in his arms and held her as she cried. Then he comforted the little boy. The woman thanked him and tearfully told him about the tremendous stress she was experiencing in her life. Michael encouraged her and gave her a card to an excellent family therapist that he knew. Through her tears the mother apologized to to her little boy and hugged him and promised that she would make an appointment with the therapist.

I think most of us, at our worst, would benefit from someone stepping in to help us regain our bearings.

Michael is gone now, but the Love that he shared so generously in life continues on, rippling from those he touched to others.

A Bus-Load of Appreciation

The shuttle bus service I take to the airport is famously bad at customer service, but they are the only option for lots of travelers. I was sitting on the bus one day feeling disappointed by their shoddy service when a young soldier got on. He was in full uniform with his duffle bag across his shoulder and a ticket in his hand. But, guess what? The driver wouldn't accept his ticket!   Apparently it was "the wrong format." It was probably a military issue travel pass but because the driver didn't recognise it or it hadn't been made out properly he was not going to let the soldier travel. The soldier did not have any cash and, unbelievably, the shuttle company (via radio) would not authorize a voucher.     I was sitting pretty near the back but I could hear what was going on and I had heard enough. I stomped down to the ... Read Full Story >>

Aren't We All Family?

I noticed elderly man was wobbly on his feet and was trying to steady himself by grabbing at a bush outside the rest area facility, but then sort of slowly collapsed to the concrete sidewalk as another bystander. My husband and I ran to his aide. Thankfully, he didn't hit his head on the sidewalk! A few more of us gathered around, assessing the situation. I gave my cell phone to husband to call 911. It seemed lot happened all at once, but there were at least 4 or 5 of us by the man's side. <3 His wife was alerted (she had been walking their dog in the pet area) and then she brought his oxygen. Someone took his pulse; another cushioned his head. Waiting for the ambulance to get there, I held his hand and looked in his eyes. I patted his face and touched his forehead. I assured him that ... Read Full Story >>

A Special Blessing That Lasted A Lifetime

Most of us have a few experiences each day that make us laugh or grin for a short period of time. If we are lucky, we may cross paths with something that makes us grin for a day or two. If we are truly blessed, somewhere on our path we are able to be part of something that will make us grin for the rest of our lives. I need to share such an event with you, with the hope that you would consider a similar project in your community. I am a building contractor from Lynchburg, Virginia. I have been volunteering with Greater Lynchburg Habitat For Humanity since our affiliate started in the late 1980’s. In the past 20 years, I have tried to give more to Habitat than I have received, but it is something I have not been able to accomplish. I have always said that if you look around, ... Read Full Story >>

You All Are Heroes!

I just wanted to thank all of you for spreading so much of joy and goodness in this world. It might sound cliche, but through your stories, I came to realize that there is so much we can do to make people happy and touch their lives in a special way. You all have made me more sensitive. I have started appreciating the small joys in my life. In short, your stories have made me forget my sorrows and helped me become a much happier and better person.

I love you all because everyone visiting this website is a true hero. Please take care of yourselves and others and keep the wheel of kindness moving!!

A big thanks goes to the people behind this website for taking the initiative and giving us such a good opportunity to become more humane.

A Simple Bowl To Drink From

While buying milk from a nearby vendor my husband noticed an old lady walking by. She had a big sack on her head and two milk containers in her hands. She was walking a little ahead of him and, after some time, she sat down on the footpath, laid down her sack and tried to drink milk from the container. 

A Carpenter's House

A highly skilled carpenter who had grown old was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. The employer was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter agreed to this proposal but made sure that this will be his last project. Being in a mood to retire, the carpenter was not paying much attention to building this house. His heart was not in his work. He resorted to poor workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career. When the job was done, the carpenter called his employer and showed him the house. The employer handed over some papers and the front door key ... Read Full Story >>

At a Bus Stop with Popcorn

I was living in São Paulo, Brazil. It is a HUGE city, with more people living in it than in my whole country (Hungary, which has a population of 10 million). We rented a flat in a gated community, but there was a favela (shanty town) quite near. For several months I didn't have a car, so three times a week, I used public transportation to go to the city centre. During these trips, I would ride with the people who took the same bus from the favela to go to work. When I got on the bus, all the seats were already taken. But when people saw that my bag was heavy (full of books), they offered to hold it in their lap, to make me feel lighter standing. At first, I was shocked. Then I realized that these people had absolutely no intention to steal from me: they only wanted to ... Read Full Story >>

Dry Cleaner Excitement

I went to pick up my dry clean and paid for my bill. Then, I kindly said, I wanted to pay for someone else’s bill as an act of kindness today. The lady said you what? I repeated myself. Keep in mind she had a smile on her face and she was saying that is so nice of you to do. I started to tell her about Helpothers.org and showed her the Smile card. She just starts beaming with smiles. She said is this money from the website? I said no, the website gives us a place to share our stories and ideas with other people. She asked if this was a religious site. I said it’s a site for anyone that wishes to share acts of kindness with people all around the world. She said should I pick someone I know? I said that would be fine because I do not know them. She ... Read Full Story >>

The Sock Ministry

David the homeless man started to cry.   In order for the ER doctor to examine him, he needed to get undressed. With some coaxing, he undressed, explaining that removing his layers of Michigan winter clothing made him feel vulnerable.    He hesitated when I assisted him in taking off his socks, and once they were removed, I knew why. The socks were smelly, wet, and had not been changed in months. David also had a severe case of trench foot.   With soap and a pan of warm water I washed David's feet, recalling in my mind the biblical meaning of washing another feet. It was then I got the idea to start a Sock Ministry. Christmas was coming, and we encouraged people who received socks (again) for Christmas, to donate them to the Emergency Room. Within a few weeks we had hundreds of pairs of new socks. Word spread throughout the homeless population, and ... Read Full Story >>

Bank of Candy

It was such a nice day today, with storms expected tomorrow, so I put the laundry on hold and treated my adopted mom to lunch. <3

We walked around the entire mall, and I found a bank of candy machines that I filled with quarters. :) My mom said she had never seen anyone do anything like that!

A Professor's Unforgettable Motto

I was priviledged to join a college which not only created an environment for attaining professional qualification but also ensured that each and every student left the college an all-rounded individual. Most of the colleges in my country were commercially oriented and students tended to come in, have their lectures and off they went.  The lecturers in the college I attended always embraced higher ideals and many of the kids coming straight from high school would dread this college on the basis that it was strict. It was no bother to me anyway and I often looked forward to my college days. One of the lecturers, in particular, captured my attention most, not because of his tutorial skills but by the way he would always walk and leave no dirt or paper behind him. He would always bend over and pick any piece of paper lying on the floor and throw it to the nearest dustbin. On ... Read Full Story >>

The Spirit of Kindness

I wanted to share some of my reflections on kindness..... Acts of kindness are a wonderful way to reach across time and space to touch the life of another being and they undoubtedly make the world a better place. At every step along the path of expanding our awareness there is the opportunity to go deeper; to explore more of the potential of our divine humanness. So it is with kindness. Acts of kindness are really not difficult. An intention is formed, and you carry it out. It makes you feel good. Holding kindness and compassion in our hearts, and integrating them into the complexity and stresses of daily life, every day -- now there is a deep challenge! Parents can learn to discipline kindly, remaining firm, yet doing so with love and warmth. Teachers can learn to remain patient and forgiving, no matter how frustrated they might feel with a particular student. ... Read Full Story >>

Dont Worry Be Happy

This is one of the happiest songs I have ever heard -- Bobby McFerrin's Don't Worry, Be Happy.  Every time I'm down, I listen to this and I wanna share my happiness with you all.  Here's the video and below it are the lyrics to the song: Don't Worry, Be Happy Performed by Bobby McFerrin Here is a little song I wrote You might want to sing it note for note Don't worry be happy In every life we have some trouble When you worry you make it double Don't worry, be happy...... Ain't got no place to lay your head Somebody came and took your bed Don't worry, be happy The land lord say your rent is late He may have to litigate Don't worry, be happy Lood at me I am happy Don't worry, be happy Here I give you my phone number When you worry call me I make ... Read Full Story >>