Stories of Kindness from Around the World

I am currently participating in a "30 acts of kindness in 30 days" challenge which I set for myself. Let me explain. A dear friend of mine recently celebrated her 30th birthday. Rather than doing what most women of her age would might do -- drinking, hiring a stripper, or even buying a fabulous new dress and having a swanky dinner out at an expensive restaurant -- she decided to host a "random acts of kindness" party, inviting her friends to participate in spreading some kindness in the world, and to spend money they'd have spent on a gift instead on gestures of kindness. At the restaurant, she had a drawing so that everyone received instructions for an act of kindness they had to carry out anonymously. She'd also prepared cards for all those present, where she'd written to each guest personally, saying what they meant to her as a friend, and then passed them around the table for everyone else to add nice comments about each other. She explained to me that she was in the process of entering a new phase in her life, one of being more in service to others, and she wanted a birthday celebration which reflected this. So my gift to her was that during the following month, I'd do 30 acts of kindness in 30 days in honor of her 30 years on earth. My personal challenge is that I don't count any kind acts I would normally do so the goal is really 30 ADDITIONAL acts of kindness in the world. So far: 17 days and 13 acts! It's been an interesting journey. Sometimes thinking up a new kindness is actually more of a challenge than I would have thought. At other times, ideas come in a rush. It's definitely stretching me, encouraging me out of my comfort zone, and helping me make connections I would not otherwise have made. A hearty "thanks" to all on the website. Although this is my first post, I've been reading ideas and stories for the past three weeks, and you've given me loads of ideas.