Stories by sleepytomato (5 matches)

One, Two, Three...SMILE!

I remember when a few weeks ago, a few friends of mine and myself decided to go out for dinner at TGIFridays. We were seated next to this group of more mature men and women and they were sitting there, laughing and having a lot of fun.  They were nearing the end of their meal and were beginning to take pictures and I know how sad it is when you're taking a picture with a group and someone is always left out because well, someone has to take the picture!  So I scooted out my chair and tapped one of the guys on the shoulder and asked, "Hi!  Would you like me to take your picture?"  For a second there I got blank looks not only from this group of people but also my friends, hahaha.  The guy then said yes and moved to join his friends while I took ... Read Full Story >>

The Power Of A Smile

I was in line to get dinner one day, and for some reason, the pasta line was extremely long. 

As I waited I started looking around, I started watching the girl who was making the pasta.  She was doing everything with a lot of skill, but with no enthusiasm.  Looking at her face, I could tell that there was probably a lot on her mind because she looked so sad, so sullen.

When it was my turn, I gave her my order and for some reason she looked up at me, straight in the eyes.  I smiled and even she couldn't even help smiling just a little bit.  I started talking to her while she was preparing my meal and her face brightened up little by little.  When she was done, she handed me my plate and I smiled to her, saying, "Thank you." 

She looked at me and smiled back - a real smile. 

I'm glad that even though my act of kindness was small, it was able to change so much for one person. :)

Moving a Table Upstairs

I was working as a summer camp counselor last summer and during one of my shifts with the kindergarteners, my partner and I noticed a table with a note on it asking anyone to move it upstairs because it was too heavy for the nuns at this Buddhist summer camp. My partner and I read the note and we knew what we had to do.
Though the table was incredibly heavy, we took it step by step and eventually we were able to get the table to the second floor. Later on that afternoon, the nun who had posted the note passed by where we were sitting and exclaimed, "smeone moved the heavy table! Do you guys know who did it was?" My partner and I just smiled and told her that we had done it because we were young and strong and had a spare minute. We had moved the table not for recognition or anything, but because it was the right thing to do.

A Stroller and Stairs on a Rainy Night

I was in downtown Paris one evening and it was a breezy and even a bit rainy. We were in front of the metro, trying to decide where to head next when I saw this woman pushing a stroller with a baby. She was headed down the stairs of the metro and she spent awhile trying to figure out how to get the stroller down without disturbing the baby. She was trying to go down the stairs backwards and I knew that I had to help her. So i ran over to her and lifted the end of the stroller so that we were carrying the stroller down instead of bumping it against the stairs, step by step.
It was a small act but the lady was very thankful and I felt very good to be able to do something good :)

Summer Camp Superheroes

Volunteering at a summer camp is not an easy task, especially when you're not being paid to do it. However, I find myself going year after year to be a counselor because it's just so much fun. However, this story is not about what I have done but what others have done for me. During summer camp there are a number of parents who attend because their children are too young to be dorm students or simply because they want to spend time with their kids in the Buddhist monastic environment of the camp, hoping to maybe take a breather from the toils of everyday life. From the moment they arrive these parents seem to be everywhere, working so hard to help in the community by washing dishes, taking nuns to see the doctor, buying groceries, ... Read Full Story >>

A Family Tradition Lives On

Lessons Learned from Lavender Lilacs

A Revolution in Me

Helping a Man and His Son

Being There When He Needed It Most

Daily Homework

Offering My Job to A Friend in Need

Losing My Fear of Having Enough

Including An Only Child

Lesson From A Janitor

Smile Card Surprises At Work

$2.65 That Inspired Me To Be Kind!

A Gift For My Father

Smile Cards Transform Nigerian Kids!

He Played His Best

You Are So Beautiful To Me

Seeing A Handful Of Pennies

Befriending a Bully With Kindness

87 Year Old Woman Named Rose

The Crumpled Dollar