Stories Matching 'Small Acts Of Kindness' Tag (363 matches)

Tandem Acts of Kindness in Two Cities

A few weeks ago, I was in a crowded local train in Mumbai. I was sitting in a window seat of the super-crowded ladies' compartment. I was lucky to find a seat as I had got in at the first station. In a few minutes, the seats were all taken, and most people had to stand jam-packed in the aisles. Anyone who has been in Mumbai knows how frustrating a crowded train can be. In the middle of all this, I saw a young girl, about 10 years old, probably from a poor family. It was evident that she was used to the crowd, and the pushing and jostling, because she would silently shift position to be just that little bit more comfortable. I felt a little sad sitting there watching her having to stand. It struck me, that this is the time to practice a random act of kindness. However, I had to overcome some ... Read Full Story >>

Three Hours and Three Beaming Smiles

It was a hot weekday afternoon and I was on my way to volunteer at a reading session with visually impaired girls. I got in to a rickshaw and immediately struck up a conversation with the rickshaw driver.  The rickshaw driver started telling me the story of his life.  He related that he had grown up very poor and he and his siblings didn’t have much. He said he worked very hard so that he could make sure that his children had the opportunity to attend a decent school.  He said that there were many nights when he would skip dinner to make sure that they would have enough money to send the daughter on a class trip or to pay for his son to attend the computer lab.  I was profoundly moved by the simple and matter of fact way in which this man was relating this heart-melting story. When we ... Read Full Story >>

Sharing a Birthday with a Homeless Friend

I live in a big Scandinavian city that unfortunately has a lot of homeless people. Luckily there are small ways of helping them even though you may not have a lot of money.  One way to help is to buy their monthly magazine. By doing this one day,  I got to know a young homeless man who was often standing at the train station, selling the magazine. He was a refugee from another country and I can only imagine what kind of psychological scars he must have had from living in a war-torn country, escaping it and then ending up being homeless.  After a while, I discovered that his birthday was close to mine which meant that we were born under the same sign of the Zodiac, something we talked about once in a while. I met him last year shortly after his birthday, and without thinking, after congratulating him, I asked if he had had ... Read Full Story >>

Honoring A Daughter By Paying-It-Forward

Mandy was the kind of girl I was blessed to have as a daughter, the kind of friend everyone wanted to have, the kind of spirit that radiated joy and happiness when ever she entered a room. Mandy left this world to go be with her Lord on November 15, 2008 in a tragic car accident. Since then, I have tried to live each day of my life living up to her expectations.  I started the Kindness Revolution on Mother's day 2009 and gave out over 100 flowers to random women throughout the weekend along with a card letting them know to pay the kindness forward.   I have given away jewelry, paid for coffee and tolls, paid for groceries, cleaned off car windows trying to spread the kindness and to do as she instructed.   I know that each time I do a kind act, I get back 100 times more than I gave.    The feeling ... Read Full Story >>

Developing the Intention to Help

Last week, I met a friend who suggested that I do an act of kindness every week and then share the story with him through email.    Of course, like the most of us, I have my own share of helping people and hence I thought this "simple" suggestion would be an easy weekly task.  But I was in for a surprise.   I had made a promise to myself that I wouldn't involve giving a materialistic gift. My friend had said: "It should touch you deeply, it should have a story; otherwise, it's just a material experience".   That struck a chord with me, so I decided to step-it up  :) and looked forward to "doing" the act of kindness. I realized in the next 48 hours that "doing" an act of kindness, an intentional act of kindness, might be simple but letting it happen naturally wasn't as simple.  I found myself giving away my ... Read Full Story >>

A Compassion Connection at the Checkout

I was in the check-out line at a store with two cases of Ramen noodles, one case of Cup of Noodles, one case of bottled water, one pack of plastic spoons, and one box of large zip bags. 

While waiting to put them on the conveyor belt, the man in front of me put his two packs of beer on the counter and looked at the food I had placed on the belt. He asked me if that was all I had to eat and I smiled and shared that it was all for the folks that live in the camp under the freeway and behind the car wash.  He nodded, turned away and didn't look back. 

However, when the food came up to the register, he said, "I want to pay for this food also."  I stretched out my hand to shake his, but he hugged me instead.  I wanted to thank him but he hurried off and when he looked back I could see tears in his eyes. I knew that God had done something special in this man's life.

A Lunchtime Opportunity To Feed Me Plus Two

It has struck me, lately, how heightened awareness of the things going on around us can present many new helping opportunities!  Last week, I was driving through a local sandwich chain at lunchtime, when I saw two men sitting on the grass a few yards away conversing with each another. They very thin and seemed a little dirty and unkempt, and very thin. It seemed to me that they were homeless... but they were not standing around, with signs or asking for anything.    I immediately felt like I could not just buy myself a sandwich without helping them eat, too. I asked the person at the window if I could purchase two $5 gift cards. I then drove up to the two men and presented the gift cards to them. They were totally shocked! One man said "is this for FOOD?!" He immediately began thanking me, over and over again.    Both these men were tremendously grateful and verbalized ... Read Full Story >>

A 15 Year Blessing From A Homeless Person

This is a story that happened 15 years ago but it has always stayed with me since then.   On the way back from work every evening, more often than not there would be a homeless man standing at the exit of the freeway.  He looked to be in his late 40's but was probably a lot younger. He had shoulder length straight black hair a short beard, and he was of average stature.   His eyes were what struck me the most about him, they were brown and they had a sparkle. Like an inside light that was beaming out of his eyes.  His eyes, I thought, represented the man in general. People say they can tell a lot from a person’s eyes. It was certainly true in his case.  He always waved at every car, he was always happy and smiling and sometimes almost dancing.     Every day after work I would remember ... Read Full Story >>

A Silent Connection in a Beautiful Moment

My attention was divided between the book in my lap and the people passing by when  I saw her walking slowly towards my parked car.  She had a bright blue saree, a large nose pin, orange marigolds in snow-white hair, a large shoulder bag and a face that showed every wrinkle of her 70 or so years of age.  She stopped and put a hand out to rest against the car’s hood, gently closed her eyes, took a deep breath and wiped the sweat off her forehead. The sweltring day was taking its toll on her slight frame, and the large bag seemed to affect not just her gait, but also her breathing.  She reminded me of a delicate bird, struggling because of the weight someone had added to its wings.  Was there a way I could do something, anything, to stretch those wrinkles around her mouth to a smile?  But then, I wondered, ... Read Full Story >>

Pay-it-Forward Coffee Karma

Every day I go into the same coffee shop on the way to work. It's part of a large chain here in the UK. I am new to the anonymous act of kindness concept.  I came across it recently, and a few weeks ago I worked up the courage to ask the Barista if I could pay for a coffee for someone later that day. He looked at me kind of strangely and said "okay" and then put the  money in the till. I walked out feeling doubtful that this would ever happen (and privately thinking he might just add the money to his tips).  This chain stamps a card every time you buy a coffee and when you get 9 stamps, the 10th coffee is free.  I had just completed my card today and was due a free coffee next time, so I cheered up as I headed out of the ... Read Full Story >>

Two Quick Judo-Joy-Chops

I was on my way to the post office. I hadn’t found a parking place on my first pass up the street and was now making a left turn into a small parking lot in order to loop back towards the post office, in effect accomplishing a U-turn legally. It’s a tight space and there’s a mail box set up right inside the lot so people can pull in, roll down their window and reach out to stick a letter into the box without getting out of their cars. As I completed my turn into the lot, I saw a four-door Buick pulled up alongside the mailbox in front of me. I would be delayed while the driver ahead reached out to put mail into the mail slot. I happened to be in a high-energy mode and at first was impatient as I watched the hand tentatively trying to get a small ... Read Full Story >>

Taken By Surprise By A Course In Miracles

Arriving in a new city last Thursday, I had the strangest first week of graduate school. I fell and broke my leg within 48 hours of arriving there! I was really amazed by the kindness shown by my new roommmate, someone who I had only just met. "We are family now", she said when she found me lying in my room with a swollen leg, unable to move, in a strange city with no family except across three oceans. She took me to the student health center by cab to get my leg examined. The cab driver was so nice and said to me how lucky I was to have a friend like that.  After that, my roommate didn't stop helping me - she made me amazing meals and brought them to and made me comfortable despite my insistence that I could do things on my own. When I protested, "I really like helping people", she said , "I believe ... Read Full Story >>

Spreading Love on Labor Day

On Labor Day last year my husband went out for a meal at a restaurant.  After we had finished, I asked him if he'd ever given a waiter/waitress a 100% tip.  He gave me this funny look (probably because he was thinking about how much our dinner added up to be!) and said he hadn't. I said that since it was Labor Day and our waitress was working this holiday, it would be fun to give her a 100% tip and see what her reaction would be.  He told me I was crazy but agreed anyway! Our dinner bill came to $32.18 so that's the exact tip we left, $32.18.  We tried to hand her our dinner bill folder but she kept telling us to leave it on the table and she would get to it.  So we left and we never got to see her reaction. I wondered off and on, and still do to this day, what ... Read Full Story >>

Paying Forward A Little Bicycle

A couple of weeks back, my friend had a yard sale, and she offered to sell some of our stuff for us.  I thought it would be a good opportunity to clean my 7 year old son's room and get rid of some toys that he had long outgrown.  We agreed that whatever we sold in toys would be his money. The night before the sale, we loaded up the truck with toys and a little bike that he was now too tall for.  He had taken the bike for a final spin before we left home but happily put it on the truck for the sale.  This little bike had had at least 2 previous owners that we knew of.  It was not in the best shape and it certainly was not shiny new but it was still a bike, and the tires were still good.  We put a price of $10 on it but it didn't sell.  So, after the ... Read Full Story >>

A Reminder of the Kindness in the World

I stopped at a huge yard sale and was looking for that hidden treasure.  A blouse caught my eye, and as I approached the "cashier" I heard her say, "Well, can't you get some more money from someone?"  I looked over and saw that her comment was directed at a child holding a nice looking pair of shoes in one hand, his other outstretched palm displaying a few coins.  I was instantly annoyed that the lady was witholding a pair of unwanted shoes for a few more cents.  I remembered my smile cards, and asked  "how much are they?" .  "Two dollars" she replied.  "Oh, here ya go," I said, handing the boy two dollars and a smile card.   As I walked away I heard her say to the boy,   "Can I see your card?"  I decided to buy the blouse and when I went to pay the lady was clearly chagrinned.  "Where did you ... Read Full Story >>

A Rainy Afternoon Brightened With Little Acts of Kindness

If you are on the lookout, you can almost always find an opportunity for kindness.  I filled my afternoon with small gestures today, they didn't take much time or effort, but I hope they made a small difference to the people who received them. I was out and about because I had to do a few errands this afternoon.  My first stop was the supermarket.  I wanted to buy some croissants with chocolate on them for my daughter Rita.  I also decided to get  a few plain ones for my husband, my mum and me. Armed with the croissants, I went on to my second stop - a local charity bookshop.  I wanted to see if they had any books on Unicorns, since Rita loves them (and, I have to admit, so do I).  While I was there, I struck up a conversation with the lady at the counter during which she commented on the smell ... Read Full Story >>

Smile Card Magic In The Sky

I was at Karma Kitchen, a gift economy project, when a volunteer asked if anyone could use some free drink coupons for a particular airline.  I enthusiastically accepted, knowing that even though I don't usually drink, I could use those free drink coupons to "tag" someone with a smilecard.  I loved the idea of "tagging" someone with a smilecard and a free drink coupon on an airplane! Fast forward a month or two later, when my girlfriend and I were on a flight to Las Vegas as the first stop of a trip to the Grand Canyon.  I had several drink coupons and smilecards ready, and it was just a matter of figuring out the "Who" and the "How" of tagging someone on an airplane, while still trying to stay completely anonymous. As luck would have it, we had an awesome, amazing, hilarious flight attendant, who was very, very funny (he really could have been ... Read Full Story >>

Compassionate Cakes for the Community

I entered the monthly Kindness contest, answering the question, "What would you do with $100 to help your community?" I said that I would buy 100 cake mixes and bake 100 cakes and deliver them to 100 different blocks in my community, encouraging the recipients to share their cakes with their neighbors! I wanted to deliver not only food for their bellies, but food for their souls! I wanted to show the love that I had for my community and encourage others to talk with or meet their neighbors! I named the idea, "Compassionate Cakes". To my surprise, my idea was chosen and a $100 check was sent to me to do my project! Now, I had to get to work. I bought the cake mixes and made "tags" telling the recipients about the project and encouraging them to visit the website, www.helpothers.org. I added a "tag" to each cake delivered. ... Read Full Story >>

Hot Chocolate And Two Equals

Last week, I went to work very early as I had a lot to do, and early mornings, before others get to work are the times I can be most productive.  I arrived at the Embarcadero station in San Francisco from the East Bay around 5:30am and as I surfaced from underground, I checked my BlackBerry and noticed the next SF Muni bus was in 10 minutes.  Instead of waiting around for 10 minutes in the cold, I felt inspired to go buy this (possibly homeless?) man in a wheelchair something from the Starbucks.  I had seen him before sitting outside in his wheelchair trying to stay warm, and quietly and politely shaking his cup gently (I've never heard him asking for change though) hoping someone will contribute some more coins. I went up to him and asked "Brother, can I bring you some hot coffee from Starbucks?"  He replied with "Hot Chocolate," immediately, ... Read Full Story >>

A Soldier, His Wife, And Their Service

I had just entered the elevator on the third floor of the medical center after a simple check up.  As I entered I noticed an old gentleman in a wheelchair with a little old lady behind him.  I noticed his baseball cap with WWII on the front.  Most likely, a veteran of World War Two, I assumed.   Just making small talk, I said, "so, you were in the big one."  His answer stunned me.  He said, "Yes, I went overseas a strapping young newlywed and I came back in this thing,"  slapping each side of the wheelchair with his hands.  I stared at him, looked at his wife, and the magnitude of what he said to me hit me like a ton of bricks.  He married this woman, went to serve his country, was wounded and paralyzed and then returned to his wife and she stayed with him for all these years.  Overcome with ... Read Full Story >>

The Best Gifts Of All

Last weekend I was out walking with my dog. She loves poking around investigating everything and loves seeing other folks we meet. So it becomes more a social walk rather than an exercise. This day we ran into our neighbor who was preparing to sell her home. She was busy getting ready for her 'open house' that afternoon.  After talking a little bit we went our separate ways. I could tell it was a stressful day for her. After I got home I quickly cut some of the fabulous lavender in my garden.  Gosh, it smelled good and the purple flowers were so pretty.  I wrapped some tissue paper around the bunch and brought it to my neighbor for her open house. I loved her expression when she saw me there with the bouquet of lavender! It completely made my day. It  made her stop and take a big deep breath and maybe reduced her stress for a second. The next ... Read Full Story >>

How I Like To Use My Smile Cards...

Thank you so much!! I had sent a request for 30 smile cards for all my Christmas acts.  In the request I said that if it's not possible for them to send me these cards I totally understand because after all I do live a long way down in New Zealand.  I didn't hear anything more and just happily accepted that I won't be receiving any smile cards. Last night I arrived home to find a package with about 278 smile cards inside!! This arrived a few weeks after I placed the request...I couldn't believe it!! That was something I sooo wasn't expecting! I was so overwhelmed, thinking is this a mistake? Here is what I use my smile cards for.... - Whenever I send out cards or presents in New Zealand or around the world I always include a smile card inside. I have sent out quite a few cards out to quite a number ... Read Full Story >>

Acting On The Voice Of Kindness

I was riding my bike around lunch time today and passed a man sitting just off the sidewalk with his face in his hands.   My first thought was: "Stop! See if he needs help." But I was riding fast.  I slowed down and looked back.  It  looked as though he was either praying or crying, maybe both.  I decided that meant that I had to turn around.  I rode up and asked if he was ok.  No response.  For a second, I thought he might be a drunk or a bum.  But I asked again. He looked up with clear eyes and bright teeth, and gave me a big shiny smile.  He was about 55-60, wearing denim overalls and a farmer's hat, and had the hands of a manual laborer.  I quickly discovered that he spoke no English but I was able to make out that he was hungry and he had no ... Read Full Story >>

A Little Bit of Extra Love on Valentine's Day

My church was assigned Valentine’s Day to serve a meal to homeless people.  After reading a HelpOthers.org story about giving flowers out at a meal program, I formed the idea to augment our church activity with some colorful floral life.  Building off of my intention, a fellow church member came forward to help pay for the flowers.  At the event, we fed the hungry souls until they were stuffed, and then we gave flowers to anyone who wanted one.  Our pastor even joined in to pass out flowers at the tables.

Later that day, I saw a lady with a carnation in her hand hugging the pastor, which led me to believe that the flower must have touched her in a special way.  It is great that through a simple idea on this website, we were able to bring the food serving experience to a deeper level with some flower power!

Small Gestures in the Workplace

One day, while I was walking to work, I decided to bring some flowers that I had picked from my garden that morning. I came across a random stranger, and was inspired to give the bunch to him with a smile card.  Struck by the sense of joy I felt from giving flowers to another person, and maybe brightening his day, I wanted to do it again. When I got to my office, I had the idea of anonymously leaving flowers around the workplace. Sometimes, the impersonal atmosphere of the building where I work numbs my spirits a little. It's a nice building, with great light, but it just feels a little sterile sometimes. I figured lots of people might feel the same way, so why not put a little beauty there, and throw in an inspirational quote while I'm at it? After all, who doesn't like flowers? So, for the past month, I've been putting flowers ... Read Full Story >>

The Power of a Simple Smile

I work in a pharmacy, on the main cash, full time. I love it, it's the perfect job for where I am in life, I feel like I'm learning so much from people. I always tell everyone who I serve to "have a great day" as they leave, and I always add a smile. A few weeks ago a lady was in the pharmacy.  She wallked by me close to the end of the night, looking concentrated, but calm. I told her to have a great day, and as usual, smiled at her.  To my surprise, she broke down in tears. I don't know why she was crying, but it was pretty obvious that she must have been having a horrible day. She quickly said:  "Thank you, that means more right now then you can imagine." And managed a smile, even though she was still crying. I wanted to go over and hug ... Read Full Story >>

My Experiment with Free Hug Friday

My scheduled day of kindness this week is tomorrow (yes, I’m still doing it each week, just haven’t written about them all!) but I was not sure what I would do. While catching up on some of the stories here today, I decided I will make it Free Hug Friday!  My catch phrase tomorrow any time I see someone a little down or frustrated is to say to them “Looks like someone could use a hug!” and then let them have it! I’ll certainly have to be a little careful so I don’t scare some of the people inmy office. Most of them think I am a little off anyway, so they will just add this to the list of strange things they’ve seen me do. I have noticed how much a touch or hug can mean to people, even if they don’t realize it at the time so I’m going ... Read Full Story >>

From Hospital to Home with some Help

The other day I found an old man and his wife sitting by a footpath looking exhausted. On asking I learnt that he had just been discharged from hospital and was going home ( I could make out some bandages around his neck, partially covered by the shirt ).

He and his wife had to walk some distance to reach the  bus stop and the hot and humid weather was obviously taking its toll on them both.

I made up my mind to help them and I put  them in auto rickshaw (a three wheeler taxi) and paid the fare to their house.

As he got into the auto,  I saw the look of relief and gratitude on his face. It was worth million dollars! I felt very blessed and felt  sorry for those who saw his condition but did not reach out to help. For  me it is very hard to ignore people in need, especially when I am in a position to help.

Who knows ..... some day I may be old .... needing help .....

One sure way to feel good is to do good.

A Bag of Chips Changes My Son

Performing acts of kindness seems to have been a theme in my life for a long time.  I started when I was a little girl, when I wrote a poem about friendship to a neighborhood lady who always seemed to be in a sour mood and was especially unfriendly to the neighbhorhood children. When I had children of my own, I continued to do acts of kindness in their presence, so that they might learn by example.  Sometimes they participated, and sometimes they just observed.  Afterwards, each time we would talk about it and it always brightened my day immensely. One day not too long ago, my son and I were in line at the Dollar store buying an assortment of products.  In a line next to ours, a woman was waiting to make her purchases.  She had a few necessities and one bag of chips.   She stepped up to register to make ... Read Full Story >>

A Hotel Manager Creates Some Magic

About nine years ago I worked at a large downtown hotel. Since we were connected to a mall and a public parking garage, anyone could just pretty much walk into the hotel area. We started having a big problem with homeless youth living in our stairwells at night. The stairwells went largely unused because of their hidden nature and the fact that once inside, you could only go down and exit to the street, all the doors locked behind you and you could not travel between levels and exit back into the hotel. As night manager, I ended up being the one to evict these youth, night after night after night. One night there were seven homeless young people and a puppy, in a total of three locations. I hated to do it on rainy nights, but it was my job, and some guests felt threatened when encountering tattooed and pierced youth ... Read Full Story >>