Stories of Kindness from Around the World

I have been going through a difficult patch recently and a friend told me this story when we spoke one evening. I am sharing the story with you because it gave me a little bit of hope when I was in need of a positive perspective. I hope that the ripples of this lovely story give you some hope if you need it too.

He said that he was standing at the entrance of his building that evening, on his way home from work. He was talking to the building porter, when an old couple entered to go towards their flat. They stopped to talk to the porter and since my friend was standing there too, he overheard their conversation.

Earlier in the day, the old couple was trying to stop a taxi to take them somewhere. The old man was severely handicapped and could barely walk without any assistance. A taxi stopped when the  driver saw the old lady, but when he saw the old man, he said that he would not take them as passengers because it was too much trouble for him to assist the old man to get into and out of the taxi. He then drove off very abruptly. This, of course, really hurt and upset the old couple.

After a while another taxi stopped for the old couple. The driver helped them and took them to their destination. When the old lady asked the driver how much she owed him for the fare, the driver said that it was a privelege for him to be able to assist the old man and he did not want to take a fare from them. Instead he thanked them for the opportunity to do something small for another person.

The couple was totally amazed and very touched by this gesture. They wanted to share this story with the porter to tell him about how there is as much hope as there is despair. There is as much positivity and kindness as there are those who hurt and inflict negativity.

The couple told the porter this story and my friend heard it and was deeply touched by it. He then told me the story when I needed a liitle bit of hope. I am now telling all of you this story. Look at how these ripples are spreading from a building in central London to all over the globe as a result of a small act of kindness by that generous taxi driver. And he has absolutely no idea of how many people his small act has touched. It is interesting to see how much light a small act can create to dissipate darkness.

I guess it is true when they say that you should continue to do your random acts of kindness...you have no idea how many lives you are touching. You may not always see the results of your acts but if you can spread love and do it with the right intentions, then have faith that the ripples of light will spread much further than you can imagine!