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

En Route to Ubud

I have been living in Ubud in Bali for the last 9 months, and am really loving it. One of the many things I enjoy about it is that I get to travel without going anywhere, because friends regularly fly in from different parts of the world to visit. When I happen to be the one traveling places, I love being welcomed at the airport, and so I try to do the same for friends whenever I can.   Two days ago, I headed to the airport to pick up a friend who was flying in from Paris to visit for three weeks.  I don't own a car so I hired the services of my friend, Wayan Yoga, a really sweet Balinese driver. Wayan is also my informal Indonesian tutor, so I always look forward to riding with him.  We had a wonderful chat on our way to the airport about what ... Read Full Story >>

When Smile Cards Burn Holes in Your Pocket

I had my last smile card burning a hole in my pocket this morning. :) I was wandering around Goodwill and stopped to look at the costume jewelry.  This young girl was looking as well, and she immediately started talking to me.  We chatted about the jewelry and she asked if I could untangle a necklace for her. Then she blurted out that her friends were wondering why she seemed so depressed lately.  I asked her if she knew why and she said no. Then I asked her how old she was.  "Fourteen," she answered  I laughed. "That might be why," I replied, laughing. "My stepfather is always depressed, too," she said, "and he's in his mid-forties."  Being that age and knowing that feeling myself, I laughed and joked, "Maybe that's why he's depressed too!"  The girl ended up picking out a couple of necklaces and wandered away.  I didn't see who she came in ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness Blooms at the Airport

Last weekend at the airport, I had some extra time before going through security to catch my flight. While wondering what to do, I decided it was the perfect time and place to look for an anonymous act of kindness to do! One of the magazine stands outside security had flowers for sale. I told the clerk that I'd like to buy flowers for someone else, and she could decide who to give them to. She looked a little confused, so I suggested perhaps she could give them to someone who looked like they could use some cheering up, and then hand them the smile card with the flowers. At first, the clerk responded, That's weird." (Or maybe, "That's crazy," I can't remember which.) But then, I explained a little more about smile cards and the concept of doing something kind for a complete stranger, and she brightened up. "I'll never know how it turns out," I said, "but you will have the opportunity ... Read Full Story >>

Meeting Michael

I was sitting at my desk today, looking out the window. I saw an old homeless man crossing the street, carrying a suitcase.    I remembered the many times  I had looked on from afar, feeling sorry for the homeless but doing nothing. I do give money to homeless people when I walk by, but never really interact with them, beside a smile.    I came across this website and all your stories inspired me so much to get more involved. Sometimes we think about compassion but we push it into the deep corners of our heart because we're too busy with life, too shy, or too afraid of strangers. But all it takes is a little awakening from like-minded people like you!    I did what I never thought I could as I'm an introvert and afraid of strangers. I burst out the front door and ran after the old man. When I reached him ... Read Full Story >>

"Just A Smile, Sister!"

I was walking along a sidewalk in the city. A bit of a distance away I could see a woman walking along with a big signboard around her neck. I was naturally curious about what it said, so I deliberately slowed my pace so I could see.

A Day Full Of Blessings

Some days are just so full of blessings you don't know what to do! Today was one of those. My neighbor needed to avoid a utility shut-off, so I helped her round up the money to cover it. It was mutually beneficial and not really a favor but she appreciated the help. (I bought some stuff from her that she had no use for but I would have probably purchased anyway.)      When I got home I found a wet $20 bill plastered to the ground in the street.    Another friend had coupons and rewards and treated me to a good movie and wonderful dinner at a little cafe. At the diner, I saw a man and his three adorable little girls having a frugal meal. He looked a little stressed, so I used the $20 bill I had found and paid for their meal.    The waitress was so surprised by this that she ... Read Full Story >>

Chasing The Brighton Bus

This is a simple story. I was driving along one day when I saw a young couple running, frantically, for a bus. The bus pulled away from the stop just as they arrived!  I slowed down and noticed how upset they looked. So, I stopped and said, "Jump in! I'll overtake the bus and you can catch it at the next stop."    They looked amazed at the offer, but got into my car. We followed the bus but we just couldn't overtake far enough to ensure they would get on. It's surprising how difficult it is to overtake a bus that doesn't stop often!    After a while and some chat with my new passengers it became clear that they were new to the area. They were visiting friends and had to get another bus to the house they were going to. That's when I asked, "Where are you going, exactly," and decided to ... Read Full Story >>

The Receptionist's Smile

Being chronically ill, I have made quite a few visits to the doctor's office.

Over the visits, I've noticed how big a difference it makes when the receptionist greets me with a smile and a pleasant tone. It just makes my entire day a little better, and the illness a little easier to bear! Plus, it puts me in a mood to smile at other people and spread the joy.

While thinking about this, I had a follow-up thought: I wish these individuals, who are only bypassers in my life, knew how much their smiles actually mean to me!

And as soon as I had the thought, I realized that it is possible-- I can tell them. :)

So I gathered some materials, sat down, and wrote cards to all the different offices-- from taxi companies to doctors' offices-- thanking them for being so pleasant and helpful. As soon as I finished, I eagerly mailed them off.

Though I won't be there to see their faces when they read the cards, I hope they feel appreciated and that the notes put smiles on their faces the way they put a smile on mine!

Hands Like Sandpaper

On an overcast morning a couple of days ago, I was walking through the city center of my home town in central Germany. The gray sky didn't bother me because trees were finally putting on their green spring dress, and flowers strew gentle touches of color here and there. I was on my way to catch a bus, walking quickly, and easily outpaced a man whose stumbling gait had already caught my eye. While passing him by, I cast a glance towards him, and saw that his head was hanging so low, his chin touched his chest. He was holding a bottle of beer in his left hand. The cap was on, but the bottle was already missing a third of its content. He looked like he could fall over any minute, and hurt himself. I stopped a couple of yards ahead of him, wanting to offer him my help to ... Read Full Story >>

Vulnerability Brings New Appreciation for Kindness

I think my mom raised me to be considerate. Growing up in a rather well-off family, where in a material sense I was wanting for nothing, kindness wasn't something I especially noted. I might have taken it for granted. As a teenager, to cope with some emotional challenges in my family, I taught myself to be a perfectionist, and developed a rather negative attitude towards myself. I always saw what was lacking in myself, or what I imagined to be lacking, in others, and in my life. You might gather it was difficult being this way. I lived this way well into my 30s.  Due to health problems, I left college without a degree, tried for an apprenticeship, fell ill again and left my employer.  After sick pay ran out, I ended up drawing something closer to welfare than unemployment benefits, though it was technically the latter. The family lore was ringing in ... Read Full Story >>

Sharing Water In The Nature Park

I took a long walk in the local nature park this morning. I do that most mornings. It really makes a great start to the day! I usually walk up this nice long road that goes back into the woods. It's so quiet and pleasant and there are so many green trees. 

Free Money At Walmart

I hand-designed some of my own Smile cards. One is for "hiding" money in unexpected places. It basically says I hope that this will be found by someone who really needs it.  So, I went to a local Walmart here in Hawaii and placed a $20 bill with the card behind a product. I then went to another aisle to see who found it. I so wanted to see how they reacted!    After a while a lady found the money and the note. Then she looked around to see if she could identify who left it. To my surprise she put it back! I guess she really didn't need it. She then went to another aisle to watch who would find the money!   After about another seven minutes a lady with a young boy found the money. They too started looking around and even at the ceiling! I guess they were looking for ... Read Full Story >>

18 Holes Of Happiness

There is a golf course a couple miles from where I live and I used to go fishing at a pond there, usually first thing in the morning.    There used to be a guy named Daniel who would come every morning and do maintenance work. It's an 18 hole golf course, really big. He had a morning routine of things he had to do including mowing the grass, putting up the flags at each hole, etc.    He's a really nice guy. We often chatted about different things and we got used to seeing each other there. This morning, I decided that I would do something for him. So, I drove down to the golf course at about 6:30 am and got all the flags for the golf course (which they keep outside by the clubhouse) and went and put them up at each of the holes. This is one the main things ... Read Full Story >>

Always Remember To Listen

  After three months of working weekends I had my first full weekend off work and a beautiful sunny day to spend how I wanted.     I found myself awake early and decided to wander down-town, have breakfast, catch a bus to the markets, go to the beach, and just genearally relax.   I made it to the bus stop at about 8.30am and was waiting with another passenger who was dressed for business when an elderly women slowly wandered up to the bus stop. She was dressed a little eccentrically and peering around happily.     "Hello. How are you today?" she asked.    I glanced at the business man waiting at the stop thinking she may know him but found him looking at me, obviously thinking the same thing.   "I am fine thanks," I said, half turning to her while trying to see the number on the bus that was approaching. "How are you?"   "I am fine. It's ... Read Full Story >>

Playing Smile Tag

I happened upon HelpOthers.org a couple of weeks ago and immediately fell in love with the idea of Smile cards. 

Mangoes Filled With Love

I had just read a story on this site in which there was the encouragement "to extend your generosity a little further today." But,  nothing struck me immediately as to how I could do that.  Then I heard the trash truck outside our  house. I could hardly hear the usual loud sound of the truck collecting the trash in front of every house because it was just thundering rain so loud it felt like the rain  would come through the roof at any moment.    Then it hit me - I could give them something other than trash!    So I gathered up an armful of really delicious mangoes and ran through the rain to catch up with them. We made it a game of throwing the mangoes up to the trash man through the rain.He was catching them and sharing them with the other trash collectors.    The smiles on their faces seem to wipe away ... Read Full Story >>

Envelopes and Smiles

A couple of months ago, I made a promise with myself. I had put some money in an envelope in my wallet and set an intention to give this envelope away to the first eligible person I came across. Months passed by, and as I got busy with my daily life, I was unable to keep own promise. Whenever I opened my wallet and saw the envelope, I was reminded of my intention for it, and I would feel a little disappointed for having not acted upon it. The voice within pulled me to do something. Today, while walking to work on a busy street, I passed by a blind elderly lady with her hands outstretched on the sidewalk. Seeing her weathered face and sightless eyes, I stopped dead immediately. Waves of compassion washed over me, and I remembered the envelope of money that had been lying dormant in my wallet all these months. I ... Read Full Story >>

A Free Ride To Scotland

I was employed as a Housing Officer, dealing with housing and homlessness issues.    A young man aged 18 came into our office in Yorkshire, England. He had been visiting the area with friends when his wallet was stolen. Now he couldn't get back home to Scotland. He asked for help.    My job was assessing housing applications and dealing with homelessness, not providing money for travel. When I explained to the young man that we couldn't help him he stated to cry! He said his mother was disabled and didn't know where he was. His phone had been stolen with his wallet and he hadn't contacted her for the past two days.    I asked him to wait outside until I finished work at 5.30pm. Then I tried to think of a way to help him.   After work I drove him all the way to Scotland! We arrived at his mother's house at 10.30pm. She was ... Read Full Story >>

A Man Without Shoes

Today, as I was riding a transit bus from Unicity to downtown, I did not realize that I would be a witness to something amazing. The ride was, as usual, long and uneventful, until we reached the corner of Portage and Main Street. That's when the driver pulled over. This, of course, surprised all of the passengers on the bus. But, what happened next still brings tears to my eyes. The bus driver jumped off the bus to chat with a man that looked to be down on his luck; by all accounts, a homeless man. I first thought the driver was going to offer the man a ride until our driver took off his own shoes and gave them to the man on the sidewalk. That is when I realized that the man the driver was chatting with was barefoot. The bus was dead silent. I think we were all stunned and ... Read Full Story >>

The Best Meal I Never Had

As I was leaving the health club the other day, I overheard some older women talking about going to a nearby restaurant for lunch with some friends.

I happened to have a $25 gift card to that restaurant, and had been holding on to it for a long time.  It just happened that I had the gift card in my car, so I ran over, picked it up, and ran back over to the women in their car.

After I assured them I wasn't carj-acking them, they rolled down the window.

I handed them the card, and told them to enjoy their lunch on me! It was the best meal I never had! 

A Turkish Meal In Germany

 It was a Thursday in Germany. My friend and I were taking an autumn walk through the fields.  As we neared the more populated area again, a little bit off the street, I saw a handbag lying on the ground. It looked like it might have belonged to a middle-aged lady - there was no one around.   Thinking it had been stolen and thrown aside, I picked it up. Maybe there were some papers left that the owner still needed. But when I opened it the contents seemed intact and undisturbed.   The papers showed it to belong not to a middle-aged German as I first thought but to a young woman of Turkish origin. (Let's call her Lale.) She appeared to live on the other side of town.   I took the bag home, and tried to contact Lale. However, she wasn't listed in the phone book. Now what?   A prescription inside showed her doctor's address. ... Read Full Story >>

Lesson from the Check-Out Line

A little part of me thought about going to another checkout line. This one had the shortest queue, there was only one guy in it, but he was in a wheelchair and there seemed to be some complications going on. Well, I stamped on that little part, and we stepped in behind him. At first, he seemed to be having difficulty getting his groceries onto the conveyor belt. But after a while, I realized that what he was actually doing was separating it into two lots. Still, getting the stuff up there was no easy task in itself. I offered to help, but he and the checkout lady had it under control. He asked Julie if she would mind putting his empty basket away. Then he reached for his wallet which was in a pouch on one side of his chair. The way he was positioned and the fact he only had ... Read Full Story >>

It Only Takes A Minute

My neighbor of thirty years is stressed out waiting for the results of a biopsy.

A Heart-Tug At Christmas

I had seen my old friend working at our local Wal-Mart for several months. She always stopped to say hi, then hurried off saying she had to get back to work.   Through our brief conversations I discovered she had been down a pretty rough road but somehow had maintained her positive and cheerful outlook on life. One day she told me she was living in an apartment building that well known for alcohol and drug problems, but was all she could afford.  A few weeks later there was a fire at the apartment complex and all residents had to move to a hotel until they could clean it all up. As she would tell me these things she would always point out that it could be worse and ended with a positive point about her situation.    I felt a pull in my heart to do something to help, because I had ... Read Full Story >>

Top 10 Kindness Stories of 2012, Story #9 - Never Too Late

Nearly thirty years ago, I was a high school student. I was also an alcoholic. I was using alcohol to self-medicate pain from a childhood abuser, and it wasn't working. Instead, it made me angry, obnoxious, and rude. Needless to say, I don't like the person I was back then. (I didn't like myself back then, either.) But with a lot of therapy and a lot of love, I have moved on and though I am financially poor, I find myself rich with the blessings and love of family and friends. I try each day to be the kindest person that I can, and to help wherever and whenever I can.  Recently, I helped a young friend with a bake sale and raffle to benefit a middle school student who is battling brain cancer. I didn't do it for the recognition, but because it just felt like the right thing to do. ... Read Full Story >>

Top 10 Kindness Stories of 2013, Story #1 - When I Hugged a Homeless Person

I spent most of my early adult life looking through them.  I was busy. I was working. I was raising a family and running errands. I had things to do.  If you didn't look at them they weren't there, right?  You know, those bedraggled looking people on the corner with a sign in their hand.  I only wanted the light to turn green fast enough so that I wouldn't have to keep pretending not to see them.  They were mostly invisible to me. I refused to see them, and that's how I wanted it. Because I just didn't have the time.  Then, one day, as I was holding the hand of my best friend who was way too young to be dying of breast cancer, she told me that she made every moment count by slowing down-- by being in the moment, and by seeing everything.  I held her hand for five years ... Read Full Story >>

A Powerful Tool

One of my next-door neighbors is a sweet and frail-looking grandmotherly 92-year-old Polish lady who lives with three cats. She is a Holocaust survivor (and with due respect does not talk about that traumatic time), and has a daughter and grand-daughter who visit her every week.  She oftentimes brings us cherry tomatoes, comes over for chai, loves mangoes, and is in general a very sweet person. A few months ago, my friend and I drove down to LA to attend a dear friend's wedding, and came back home to the Bay Area the next evening.  As I was unpacking my clothes in my room, I heard a persistent, frantic knock on the door.  It was 10:30pm, and I wasn't sure who it could be.  I went downstairs and looked through the peephole, and saw that it was our sweet next-door neighbor. I quickly opened the door, and she seemed really distressed and kept ... Read Full Story >>

The Art of Waving

It began a year ago, around Christmas.   While driving around the corner of our townhouse complex, I always notice an old man sitting by his front yard. He is usually smoking or drinking and looks rather grumpy.   One day, while I was driving past him with my daughter, I decided to wave at him with a lot of excitement. Initially, when he noticed me waving at him, he looked a bit shocked. Then, I saw his hand go up and he waved back.   "Why did you wave at him?" my daughter asked.   I told her that it's just an act of kindness that doesn't cost anything, and it gives both him and me a sense of joy. She responded by saying that she was a bit embarrassed to wave to a stranger, but next time she would try it as well.   Lucky for us, we live close to the old man, so we saw him ... Read Full Story >>

A Special Delivery to the Post Office

Though I am a little late in posting this, I would not want to miss sharing it. For my final day of World Kindness Week I wanted to do something in honor of all of the wonderful volunteers here at HelpOthers who ship Smile Cards. Their hard work and dedication help spread smiles and enable others to do the same. How could I best do that? I had a few things to send out so I needed to go to the post office. They know me there as the "Smile Card guy" because of some of the things I send out. They know about Smile Cards as they have asked me in the past. I decided to bring them a dozen donuts. The clerk did not notice the box as I set it down while she stamped my packages being sent. As she rang me up, I slid the box of ... Read Full Story >>

160 Dresses

We are five women who wanted to make a difference in the life of our local girls.