Stories Matching 'Public Transport/On the Road' Tag (130 matches)

Twelve Minute Cab Ride To Penn Station

"Penn Station," I told the cab driver.  The young, heavy-set man peered at me through his sunglasses and motioned me to get in. "I've got to get to JFK airport by 2:30PM.  You think I'll be able to get there via LIRR or should I cab it all the way?" I ask him, as I get comfortable in the back seat.  "Hmmm.  You should be okay.  Yeah, you'll make it.  It will be much cheaper to take the train," he replied in a mild South Asian accent. "Thanks," I told him.  Given his engaging nature, we naturally started a conversation, which went from the weather and quickly veered into the struggles of a cab driver's life.  "How long have you been driving cabs?"  "Three years."  "You like it?"  "It's really hard work.  Not all people are so nice.  I get tired, but what can you do?  You have to pay the bills."  ... Read Full Story >>

Repaying a Stranger's Generosity

This story was brought to my mind after reading some of yours :)  It happened several years ago but I have never forgotten it.  My husband and I were going through some bad times financially.  We had both lost our jobs and were trying to catch up on bills by cutting grass for extra money on the weekends.  We got up one Saturday morning and loaded up the little flat bed trailer that we carried our lawnmower on and headed out.   About 15 miles from the house the trailer started swerving and we realized that it had a flat tire.  Luckily, we were close to a little store and pulled into the parking lot.   The tire was in shreds, so my husband took the truck back to the house to see if he could find another tire for the trailer.  I stayed with the trailer at the store.   I had ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness Karma for a Waitress at an Italian Restaurant

This is my first post here as I have just joined and what a wonderful way to start off! I was working as a waitress in an upscale Italian restaurant where the majority of the patrons were the sort who pay little or no attention to those around them. One evening, I had been having an absolutely horrible day as I had just received an unexpected bill that was already past due. As I was standing in the entry way to the building, a young man appeared. He walked up to me and asked if there was any work that he could do to earn twenty dollars because he needed to get home.  Having recently moved and being from a small town, I had never really encountered something like this before, so I asked him to wait while I went to the back of the restaurant to ask my boss. As I ... Read Full Story >>

Hiker Joe and The Circle Of Life

I work in a bank and have lovely relationships with many of the customers.  Its not one of those banks with long lines -- its the kind of bank when you walk in, everyone says hi, we know when your husband has surgery, or the grandkids are coming for the weekend, we know your name and speak like friends.  One of my customers in his 70's owns and runs a barber school in East Baltimore.  He is connected with several nonprofits and I have 2 nonprofits of my own - we are like kindred spirits!  One days, he said to me that I really had to meet his niece in Florida -- Dee.  The next day Dee called me and we talked about her projects of gathering blankets for the homeless and pitching in the community wherever there is need.   We spoke for over an hour and found out how much we ... Read Full Story >>

A Gas Station Gift I Couldn't Afford

Just recently, there was a man standing near the islands in the gas station when I pulled in. I had recognized him from before, when I saw him trying to cross 4 lanes of traffic with crutches. He still had his crutches with him. When I got out of the car he politely asked me if he could pump my gas. I said, no thank you and continued on. I started to notice he asked other people the same question, and I realized he was doing it for money, but he wasn't getting any. As I looked at him, he seemed genuinely worn out and running low on energy. As I passed by him to go inside, he smiled and commented on how hot it was. I agreed, and asked him if he had walked here. He said yes, he is trying to get donations to be able to keep ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness 2 Miles Away from Home

A few years ago when my daughter was about two years old, I went through a difficult time.  My marriage was in trouble, I was pregnant  and not particularly well and I didn't have much money.   Looking back I think I was also a bit depressed but I had to get on with taking care of my daughter the best I could. One day I thought I would take my daughter for a nice day out up at our allotment as she liked it up there, and I thought it was a nice, positive thing to do.  I decided to walk because the bus was expensive, so it took us a long time to get there.  When we finally got there, immediately my daughter began to cry.  She was cold, she was thirsty, she wanted to go home.  To be honest, I hadn't been thinking straight as I had not prepared properly.  I didn't ... Read Full Story >>

The Karma Bus

A few weeks ago I missed my bus (actually the driver wasn't paying attention and drove past me!).  It was really cold that day, so I went to this little diner a block from my bus stop while I waited for the next one.  There was only one slight problem: besides my bus money I had a whole 35 cents on me and they didn't take credit cards.  The waitress was super-nice and offered to buy me a cup of coffee, and we chatted a little while I was waiting.

A week later I missed the bus again, but this time I had money so when I went to the diner and ordered some breakfast.  I was able to leave that same waitress a 100% tip.

I figured that was that.  However, after I got onto the bus, this couple got on.  They wanted 2 day passes, but were short fifteen cents and while the woman was digging for more change that she didn't have, the machine spit out only one ride pass.  They sat down behind me and were lamenting on how one of them would get home that night, so I gave them the money they would need.

I'm really glad I missed my bus that day.

On the Way to a Job Interview

[A letter to Abby, in her column last week.] Dear Abby: Please let the world know that kind people still exist. I was on my way to two job interviews. Not surprisingly, I was nervous, so before I got off my train, I took my phone out to check the directions to the first one. A short walk later, I reached the subway, but when I went into my purse for my wallet to buy a MetroCard, lo and behold, my wallet and new glasses were missing. I retraced my steps and ran to the courtesy counter to ask if anyone had turned in my wallet and glass case. The woman in the booth told me the train was still in the station and to hurry there immediately to check for my things. Long story short, no luck. Heartbroken, I returned to the courtesy desk. Not only would I miss ... Read Full Story >>

All I Did Was Smile

One day I was going home and jumped on the LRT (train). There was one seat compartment that was empty except for a 'dirty' run down looking man obviously coming down off of something. Although there were two empty seats across from him, and one beside him, and the train was jam packed, no one would sit there. Me, being me, waltzed into the train car, sat directly across from him, looked him in the eye and smiled. The look of shock, shame and amazment on his face is a look I will never forget. He was obviously shocked that someone would sit across from him when a train full of people had done their best to avoid him so far. After he got over the shock, you could see the shame on his face, and you knew it was because of his appearance and how his problems, addictions, whatever they ... Read Full Story >>

A Man Named Lawrence

This is a random act of kindness that happened to me on Sunday morning, as five of us got off of the 19 MUNI at Hyde and Fulton Street in San Francisco. It was at two in the morning, and we had just finished clubbing it up at a Persian Club and were trying to find our way back to Berkeley. There must have been this look of fear on our faces and in our voices as we were trying to figure out where the AC Transit stop was.   As we nervously chattered amongst ourselves, a homeless man a little ways away yelled at us, “What you lookin’ for?”   Ignoring him, our voices trying to figure out what to do got a little more frantic. “Excuse me!, what are you looking for? Powell is up one street.” I finally said, after much internal debating, “No, we’re looking for the AC ... 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.

From a Flood to a Hug with Kindness

The late evening train from Glasgow was battling the worst of the winter weather and the driver was proceeding more on hope than anything. Weeks of rain had meant the line might or might not be flooded - and he wouldn't know until he got there! Well, it was flooded. So he backed up to the nearest station where we sat and waited for about half an hour with no one knowing what was going on. I didn't mind. I wasn't going home to anyone, I had music to listen to and it wouldn't be the first night I had slept on a train. But not everyone would be in that position. Then the lights went out. Still there was no announcement. We sat another half an hour then the driver announced he was taking the train back to Glasgow and anyone who didn't want to come with it should get out now.  ... Read Full Story >>

Renewing My Father's Smile

Last Sunday I visited my parents as I do every Sunday. My 84 year old Dad seemed unusually worried, so I asked him if anything was the matter. He silently gave me a letter from his motor insurance company to read. In two sentences they informed him that they would no longer be able to insure his small truck and that he can call the undersigned for further clarification. I told him not to worry and that I would take care of the matter.  The next day I called the undersigned to get clarification. To sum it up, it did not matter to the insurance company that my Dad spent 50 years paying the premium, but what mattered was that in his first accident (last August) the company had to fork out € 8,942. From then on for three days I visited or phoned almost every broker or insurance company to try and ... Read Full Story >>

A New Old Friend

My daughter and I have recently moved across the country to the West Coast. I know no-one here other than my sister and her husband. I started feeling a little lonley and missing my friends and family back east. I have now started to go back to college and have been enjoying getting the education I should have gotten long ago. I'm an extrovert and I love to talk, that's why I enjoy going to school so much because it gives me the opportunity to meet new and different people. I think you learn the most from people and life experiences. I love talking with and learning about people from different walks of life, different religions, and age groups. Children and the elderly are the most interesting to me. Children look at everything with eyes full of wonder. The elderly have been there, done most of it, and can tell you all about it. You can learn so ... Read Full Story >>

Uncovering the Naked Beauty of My Soul

There is a story that I want to share with you. It may not change your life, nor may it move you to tears. But there is a chance that it may touch that space in you from where the fountain of life springs from, in all of us. The place from where it all began. Where the entire history of mankind, of the universe, we can all feel inside of us - in the content of our souls. This was a few years back when I had left for the United States from India to study at a prominent college and then pursue a career. At a professional level one could say that I was well accomplished as a young woman in a foreign country.  There were many physical comforts and privileges that money could buy. But somewhere, there was a strange kind of emptiness engulfing me all the time.  There ... Read Full Story >>

Two Sides of Wisdom

I was 16 years old, getting out of the train station with my father, and a woman came to him and said that her money had been stolen.  She asked if he could  lend her some money to go back home. My father gave her what she asked and told her not to worry about sending it back. I was shocked. How could my own father be so gullible? It was obvious to me that she was lying, staying in the station all day long to get the next patsy.  "She was lying!" I exclaimed. "Why did you give her anything at all?" My father looked at me and I could see he was a bit angry. "And what would you like me to do," he said, "Should I tell her that I am a college professor and I can see through her scam?" I did not understand him at all, so he told ... Read Full Story >>

The Challenges of Travelling with Children

For my birthday, Julie booked a coach trip to Liverpool. It's where I went to college thirty years ago and I hadn't been back since. We had a great time!   Watching the passengers embark on the coach as we got ready to head to Liverpool, I was a little dismayed to see a couple get on with two boys, both under five. We were gonna be on the coach for four hours. Would they act up? Or be sick? Or would it just be too boring for them?  It turned out they were great!  No doubt about it. Travelling like that with two lively little boys would take both parents full attention. And they did seem to work well together. In the hotel (a hotel that was once the pride of the city, now a bit dowdy, but still spectacular!) the parents got through the meals by working as a tag-team and never leaving ... Read Full Story >>

Learning from a Father's Empathy, 28 Years Later

On Sunday while I was having my own Father’s day celebration, I thought about my dad a lot.  By the time I called to tell him that I loved him, he had already gone to bed.  I was bumbed out a bit because of missing him so I thought I would write a little post about what my dad means to me. My dad is that absolute most kindest man in the world.  He would never hurt anyone intentionally and would give the shirt off his back in an instant.  This made me reflect on a story about 28 years ago. My dad was a used car salesman and owned his own car lot and body shop on several occasions.  Every Thursday night, he would head off to Shreveport, LA to the auction.  Most of the time, I drove a car over there for him so he could sell it at ... Read Full Story >>

In Flight From San Francisco

Airports, even familiar airport, are very difficult to negotiate alone, when you have lost a good deal of your eyesight, as I have.  Boarding a recent flight out of San Francisco, I sank into my seat with relief and belted myself in.  I was seated at the bulk head on the aisle.  The window seat was occupied by an elegant older man.  There was an empty seat between us.  Looking to escape the tension of the past half hour, I put my purse on it and took out a murder mystery and began to read.  When lunch was served an hour later, I was deeply engrossed, the book inches from my nose.  We were given a salad, a bagel, and a pint container of yogurt.  Times have changed. Continuing to read, I tucked into my plate until my seatmate gasped in dismay.  Turning my head slightly, I saw that he had ... Read Full Story >>

Growing From A Rescue Opportunity

We had a marvelous 10 days in Idaho and were driving home a day earlier than we'd planned. We just wanted to have a day to rest and prepare for our work weeks ahead. Little did we know the impact our leaving early would have on someone else. We left Caldwell, Idaho at around 1pm and went through a small town called Marsing, population 790. They have a volunteer fire department, a couple of gas stations and a small market. About 10 miles on the other side of Marsing, we saw thick black plumes of smoke miles down the road to where we were driving. It didn't look good at all. We got to where the smoke was, and discovered a Big Rig (18-wheel truck) on fire and the driver was sitting on the side of the road. Another car pulled over to see if everything was okay too. We pulled up to assist ... Read Full Story >>

Why Didn't I Help Her?

On Monday at 2:35 pm, a bus full of passengers was going to 4 Bungalow from Andheri (E) in the outskirts of Bombay. There were a lot of guys on the bus who wanted to reach their destinations and were busy in their work. The bus was so crowded that you had to struggle even to get room to stand, forget about a seat. People were entering & exiting stop by stop. At one of the bus stops, an old lady came on the bus. She was not too old but looking tired and I think she was not well also. She had to go beyond 7 Bangalow which was a distance of at least one hour. I don’t know why I was watching her. I noticed after a few minutes that her legs were shivering slightly. Maybe she was tired and that’s why she was facing this problem. ... Read Full Story >>

What's In The Bag?

Sometimes I am witness to acts of selfless generosity that are nearly invisible and done with no thought that anyone would see them other than the person to whom the act is directed. Here's an example.It comes from our little artist breakfast group that we host every week. Taya, who is a remarkable artist, is moving to New Mexico. She's 75 and has decided she wants to start a new chapter in her life. So she has just completed the purchase of a property in a tiny community in New Mexico where she knows no one. She is leaving Oakland where she has lived for perhaps 25 or 30 years and, of course, leaving her circle of friends. This in itself is astonishing. One of our group, Edythe, had mentioned [only mentioned] how she is fond of the beauty of coins, not for their monetary value, but just for their beauty. This morning ... Read Full Story >>

Nightshift at the Marriott

It had been a long, hot August day. We'd driven over six hundred miles and it was nearing 11 pm as we entered Kingman, Arizona. We pulled off and picked a motel. Much to my surprise, it being mid-week, the deskman informed me they were full. Next place, same story. This time, I asked the clerk for suggestions.      "Try the Hampton Inn."      At the Hampton we were greeted with, "We're booked. Sorry."     "What's going on?" I asked. "Is there some kind of convention in town?"     "A tour bus just pulled in with 60 people," he said. "Plus lots of people are heading up to the Grand Canyon. It's an unusual evening. You might try the Best Western. I think they had one room left about an hour ago."      We tried the Best Western. No luck.      By that time, we'd traveled to the west end of ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness of Italian Grandmas

We were traveling in Italy recently and what really made our trip memorable are the encounters with Italian Grandmas. I had just crossed a busy road in Roma. A grandma right next to me sprinted across and came back with my toddler's missing shoe. I hadn't even noticed and she thought it would be easier to run twice than try to communicate with me through our language barrier :) Another time, I was looking for Fontana de Trevis and had wandered off in the name of looking at this and that. Out came a Grandma from a small cafe and she instantly knew I was lost. She took me by my hand and asked where I was headed. Then she went into a rapturous discourse about the fountain (I guess) and in 3 minutes, I was standing in front of the masterpiece. Just as she was about to disappear, she searched for ... Read Full Story >>

The Business of Respect and Kindness

So I am on the way to an appointment, and while I am not late yet, I don't have much time to spare. I drive up Henley Road (always careful to observe the speed limit, of course), and I approach that nasty, blind S-curve just south of U.S. 40. Ahead looms a garbage truck. Uh-oh. By their nature, garbage trucks progress slowly -- house by house by house. Passing a truck on that nasty, blind S-curve is foolish. I prepare for an impatient crawl through the curve and up to the stoplight. I see a hand hanging out the side of the truck. The hand is motioning. The hand is waving. The hand is motioning and waving for me to keep moving and go around the truck. I have the reflexes of Uwe Blab, but I finally pull out and around, pass the truck, reach U.S. 40, make it to my ... Read Full Story >>

An Exercise In Compassion

I sometimes look out of my window with envy at the parade of bicyclists who ride past my apartment each morning on their daily commute into the city. I work from home, and getting exercise outside is not easy for me. Since I moved into this apartment, my bicycle has been in hibernation. I had been longing to get on it, but I have a market almost next door, so I find it difficult getting any riding in. One morning, though, I decided to commute to work just like the cyclists under my window. I planned to bike up the long hill to the bridge and coast back to start my day, a two mile loop. Eager to get out, I filled the rear tire with air, and pushed off into the street. I was so happy to be riding again! Right away, I raced past a bike-commuter, and beat ... Read Full Story >>

A Happy Memory to Lift You Up

I hear some actors keep a sad thought or memory tucked away to help them with scenes where they might need to cry. I think we should each try to find the opposite; a happy memory, something to lift us up on those inevitable down days.  I’m saying this because I think I just found mine! I had some work in Glasgow today. I was on a really tight schedule, which meant I would have no time for myself (or my own work) all day. I was having one of those days, the train was completely packed out and the conversation going on around me seemed to be particularly inane. On top of all that, I had a bit of a headache. Walking briskly across the concourse, I fished some change from my pocket. There was usually someone at the exit selling The Big Issue (a magazine that helps homeless folk earn ... Read Full Story >>

A Helping Hand from a Hitchhiker

Three times a week we have to drive to physical therapy for my husband's hand that was reattached two months ago after a horrible work accident.  It's a 150 mile round trip. Today we were running 30 minutes late but just a few miles into the trip we saw a young man huddled against the strong, cold winds that were almost pushing our car off the road  We stopped and asked if he needed a ride.  He gladly accepted and jumped into the back seat.  His name was Dan and he wasn't going far.  As we dropped him off we noticed he had many large piles of cut wood stacked in his yard so we inquired if he was interested in selling any.  He said, "Oh, you can just come by anytime, even if I'm not here and load up all you want ."  We asked how much it would cost for ... Read Full Story >>

Giving Generosity Another Chance

Lately I had started to question why I still would readily help someone, since recently my attempts at generosity usually turned around to end up hurting me.  However, this concern recently vanished thanks to a very kind person. Last week, I was winding down a long day of train-hopping and dragging a few huge suitcases around with me to get home from visiting a friend's house.  I was rather peeved that I had to sit at the station for 4 hours for a bus that left at 10 p.m. While I was sitting there tired and frazzled, a woman asked me if I had some change that she could have for a ticket.  Without thinking, I said, "Oh sure! How much do you need?" and then mentally kicked myself.  But I reached for my that I had buried in one of my bags anyways and fished out a $5 bill.  When I ... Read Full Story >>

Beyond The Call Of Duty

The maid at the Kingsgate Hotel off Salam Street in Abu Dhabi had outdone even my mother. Every article of clothing had either been placed on a coat hanger or folded neatly,  even the socks. The disposable razors and washing gels were lined up like toy soldiers, waiting to do battle. I thanked Agnes profusely, gave her a generous tip and went about my day. Late that evening, when I returned from work, a shiny new alarm clock was on the bedside table. As I had occasionally asked the maid for the time of day, I knew right away what had happened. She had used some of the money I had given her – money she certainly needed for herself or her family back home in the Philippines – and bought the clock. As I hope anyone would have done, I told her she was too kind and returned the ... Read Full Story >>