Stories of Kindness from Around the World

"I have a package for Jonathan," Tom says. "Um, ok, let me page him," the person behind the counter says. This is an independent book store, and they generally don't get random deliveries like this.

Wearing a buttoned shirt over a pair of jeans and black sneakers, Tom might've been taken for an errand guy. A closer look, though, and Tom's mystique is evident with the serenity on his face and the depth of his voice and the span of his geniune smile.

On paper, Tom has a ton of accomplishments to his name, but in spirit, he identifies to something subtler -- "I grew up in love with stories of the invisible worlds that surround us, whispering to us of greater potentials than most of us ordinarily recognize. I have learned about silence and the world’s soul through years of walking in the woods, on mountains, and by the sea." So, this is not your run-of-the-mill Pizza delivery guy, but then again, this isn't your run-of-the-mill Pizza delivery either.

You see, three of us were supposed to have a 2PM meeting at a local coffee shop. Right as I walked in, though, I look to Tom and ask him, "Tom, can you do me a favor?" This was only the second time I was meeting Tom, yet he generously-yet-quizically looks to me and says, "Yeah, sure?" And I handed him an address and a box. "Can you deliver this?"

Instead of partaking in an exciting meeting that was planned several weeks ago, Tom is now waiting in a lobby of a small book store for a person he doesn't know, holding a blue box he has never opened.

Fifteen minutes pass and no Jonathan.

They page him again. Eventually Jonathan does show up. Jonathan is a big guy, big heart and a free-spirited artist. But he is a struggling artist, trying to connect his love of creativity with the external realities of making a living.

Looking at Tom, he's a little confused. He's never received a random package, let alone at work. So here they are, two guys who don't know each other, for a hand-off full of uncertainties.

Tom introduces himself rather spontaneously, "Twenty five years ago, I had this idea of paperless organization called 'A Society of People Who Care For Each Other'. It's an anonymous organization and I am its member. I have come here to deliver this to you." Tom is stunned that in a breaking-the-ice moment, he flashed to a 25-year-old part of him that he hadn't accessed before.

A slightly perplexed Jonathan holds the small blue box in his big hands. The note on top is a ripped up paper with this note on top:

"Through a long series of coincidences, this 'art box' finds you. When I had to give a gift for my sister, I realized her two loves. Her first love was art, the joy of creative expression, the connection with a subtler force. During a talk at her high graduation speech, she used a quote that summed up her perspective: an artist isn't a special kind of a person but every person is a special kind of an artist. Her second love was helping people, especially artists.  To my little sis, art was always about giving but she would sometimes doubt -- if an artist gives everything away, how do they survive? How will their spirits continue to soar? She sure is an innocent spirit. :)

So, I am at a store and find a box acrylic paints, brushes, palettes, and all the little things that are necessary to start on this new "art" venture for my sister. "Perfect," I say to myself. But then I pick up another one just like the first one. As in this box. This box is like the one my sister has, but it is for someone else she doesn't know. Perhaps someone like you who can resonate with the spirit of joy that is bundled in this box. If you aren't an artist, please pass it on to a budding artist . If you are an artist, perhaps a struggling artist, please make something inspiring with these supplies and gift it to the world. If you aren't sure what to do with it, please hold it with stillness and trust that the answer will find you at the right time. The box comes with a lot of love of a brother and a sister. "

Slightly stunned at the random act, slightly nervous about being in front of an unknown person, slightly analytical about "who could it be", Jonathan still smiles.

Tom and Jonathan parted ways.

I don't know what happened to the blue box or what Jonathan did with it, but Tom joined our meeting half an hour late only to eagerly share his experience and express deep gratitude for renewing his membership in the "Society of People Who Care For Each Other."

"I feel like a happiness entrepreneur," he added with a big smile.