Stories of Kindness from Around the World

There's a woman I work with who is very shy.  She doesn't usually share much about herself so I don't know her very well.  At the beginning of the week, a group of my co-workers and I were gathered around the water fountain.  This woman was there too.  Usually she is fairly quiet, but today she was unloading all her woes.....I listened (without interrupting) while she shared  her  many concerns and life challenges with the group. Some of the group rolled their eyes or tried to change the subject I suspected because they did not want their precious break time spent on someone else's problems. I could tell she was really stressed and disheartened. Even, her appearance spoke volumes - her posture was poor with slumped shoulders, she has deep furrow lines on her forehead, her eyes had no sparkle and she had dark circles. She seemed to be surrounded by a dark cloud.

She needed to resolve her issues personally, but I decided I could bring her sunshine by becoming her personnal CHEER-LEADER every day this week!

I began my cheer mission that Monday itself.  I went out at lunch to buy a card. I found a fantastic card covered in huge sunflowers with a bright yellow envelope. It was blank  inside so I wrote some encouraging words and included a fantastic inspirational story and quote that I clipped from a magazine. I taped it to her computer before others were due back from lunch so she would see it as soon as she got back to her desk.

Tuesday, I wrapped a sunflower pin in brightly colored tissue and enclosed a smiley stick-um. I attached a note which instructed her to wear the pin when she needed a lift, some sunshine in her life.  I explained in the note that sunflowers are a symbol for cheerfulness and hope.  I also added a second note which said that someone was praying for her - sending her rainbows and wishing her well.

Today - I  got in early and left some homemade baked goodies for her to munch with her coffee.  I also left her a bunch of jokes and laugh notes to cheer her up.

Thursday, tomorrow, I will go in early again before she arrives, and I will leave a small potted flowering plant to enhance her work cubicle space.  The flowers are yellow.

As for Friday, I am still thinking about it ...I need something to end the week with a BAM! so it has to be the best one.

I didn't sign my name on any of the gifts nor have I asked her about them BUT I can see that she is smiling more and now has more of a spring to her step so it looks like my little surprises are bringing some much needed sunshine to her cloudy days.