Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Something As Simple as Giving Directions

I  try to walk everyday -- usually in the afternoons, around my company.  There are some walking paths, trees and man-made ponds outside.

With 6 buildings that house 3 different companies, we share the cafeteria, the gym and can not access other company's buildings as you need badge access to open the doors.

As I'm out walking, I normally I don't pay no attention to the cars cruising by.  But I do try to be vigilant to kindness opportunities.  And so I noticed a car slowing down and stopped by the curb.

The driver rolled his window down and I asked if he needed help. "Yes," he said.  "I am lost and looking for  Bldg 6 Lobby."  I gave him directions and he was on his way.

Later last week, same thing happened so I again stopped to offer directions to a lost visitor.

It felt good to be able to assist another when lost.  I know I am grateful to others when I too am in unfamiliar areas looking for a store, house, etc and someone stops or assists me.

My First Time Being Generous

Many moons ago , when I was 19 years of age , I had very little, in the way of material goods.  I had popped to the local shop to get some nappies for my youngest child, when I got into a conversation with a lady and her 5 year old child.

I could tell things were not going well for her, so I asked her a few questions about her situation.  Apparently, her boyfriend was meant to pick her up from the bus station 2 days ago but he just hadn't shown up.  And the poor lady had a one way ticket, and no money!  A local group offered to help but she was staying on cold bathroom floors. 

I couldn't just walk away.  So I asked her to get her things together and come with me.  She stayed with me and my family for 2 days until her social security was due.

Today, I willingly would do the same again without even batting an eyelid.  The lady in question wrote me a letter thanking me for my kindness ... and I replied by saying, "Just remember to do the same for someone else."

Helping My Lil Brother Swim

Yesterday, I helped my awesome baby brother to swim in the pool.

I showed him how to kick his feet and blow bubbles and float too.  He was a little scared at first but then he trusted me.  And he did really really good.  The sun was so hot and he got pooped really fast and he took like a 2 hour nap afterwards.  He was soooooooooo tired but I felt good because I taught him a little bit.

I will keep teaching him until he knows how to swim and not drown.  And then, one day, when he gets bigger, perhaps he can help another kid too!

Closure For A Searching Family

I do people search as a hobby to reunite family and friends. I search out postings from people that are trying to find a loved one and do research to reunite them if this is desired by both individuals.

Last week I found a posting from a young lady looking for her grandmother who had left her family and headed to Florida in the 1980's. In searching, I found that this troubled woman passed away homeless, seven years ago. She lived in a tent with 15 cats on the side of a major highway.  A newspaper article mentioned that she was known in the community, and that she volunteered at a soup kitchen and waved to motorists as they drove down the highway. It also mentioned that she was a member of a local church. I contacted that church and was able to share with this family that she had joined the church two years before her death.

I believe that although the news was a shock and sad, they were able to find closure and were comforted knowing that before her death she had been baptized.

Encounter with an Albino Blind Man

Strolling down the streets of New York can be jarring reflection about the state of humanity -- a business man in suit and tie tries to optimize his time by walking and reading newspapers at the time, a thirty-something waitress zips by with her restaurant apron half off and is intently looking at that handheld blackberry; a high school girl is on her cell phone cussing at someone in her Brooklyn accent. Trying to catch my subway train to Penn Station, I felt the New York Minute rush also. Until I notice an albino man ahead of me, walking very purposefully, taking very small, slow, intentional steps. He was blind. For every step he took, he would swing his stick couple of times to get the lay of the land in front of him. I passed him in no time, like everyone else. But then, ... Read Full Story >>

Baby Shower For A Co-Worker

I work in a place of mostly women. We love to celebrate ... birthdays, weight loss successes, bridal showers and of  course baby showers. We have little parties or cakes. Not too long ago, one of our "friends" from work , Joy -- a young, 22 year old -- became pregnant. We've know her for over 4 years, since she started work here right after High School.  But she wasn't married and my women co-workers weren't supportive of her pregnancy. As the months rolled on, Joy was clearly happy to be having this baby. I asked if anyone was going to give her a baby shower and for the most part they thought it would NOT be in good taste to do so since she wasn't married. Because I knew the financial burden would fall on me,  I discussed it with my husband.  And we decided that I would give her a baby shower ... Read Full Story >>

My 24 Hours With Hope

Yesterday, was a beautiful Saturday morning, Memorial Day Weekend in New Jersey.   My partner and I decided to invite our friends for an all Day BBQ, cocktails, food and some volleyball.  In the summers, we love to have lots of people visit us. While I was in our patio, setting up the volleyball net, I saw this little tiny newborn bird that appeared to have just fallen from a huge tree.  I was amazed at how tiny he was! He was not moving at all, but his little eyes were open  and looking all around.   So I grabbed him and he just stayed there in my hand and opened his mouth really wide. :)   "Oh yes, he's hungry," I said to myself.   I went inside the house, and gave him water with a little baby pump and tiny pieces of bread. He ate it all. Although I couldn't see any ... Read Full Story >>

Kind People Are The Strongest People There Are.

Most of the world view kindness as a weakness.  I am here to say that this is not so! 

Kind people are the strongest people I have ever had the honor of meeting.  Kind people are taken advantage of on a daily basis.  I take pride in the fact that I am considered kind.

To reach the age of 42 (or any other age) and still remain kind is indeed a testamony of kindness!  A weaker person would become bitter and hard-hearted and lose the ability to be kind.  I want to leave this world a better place than I found it. 

My Grandma used to tell me, "Live your life like you want to be remembered on your tombstone."  I know what I want remembered on mine.  Do you know what you want written on yours?

Gift Bags Are Awesome. ^_^

My friend usually runs out of money for food at the end of the month, she doesn't make that much money, and her sister is staying with her the next two weeks. So as I was filling up a bag of boxed foods I know she likes, I thought, hmm... I should add some surprises! So I added a couple books, envelopes with stamps and paper because they like to write letters, bracelets, necklaces, and some other random things. They loved them, yay! It actually made me a heck of a lot more excited just giving the bag to them than if I had gotten a bag myself.

Sometimes I feel bad writing these stories, because I don't believe it's right to talk about your good deeds. But I know it's a good way to give ideas to people (and I know myself how hard it is to think of nice things to do sometimes), and it's nice to be able to read a story and say, "Hey, there's something I can do!" lol. Yeah. So continue writing your stories, even if you feel bad, because it gives the rest of us kindness ideas!! =D

Will You Be Johnny Today?

I am a Sales Manager at a large company. I absolutely LOVE my job, and I do my job to the best of my ability. However, I sometimes forget that it's not always about just "doing your job" - but it's about doing things in your daily life that make a difference.  Yesterday, I was motivated to do something a little different.  Someone sent me the link below, and after watching it I realized that I had once again fallen into the weekly routine, and needed to do something to spice up what I do.  So I researched quotes. I researched some really fantastic quotes.  And then I printed them up and have decided to include one in every piece of literature and every gift bag that I give to a client.  That way, the client is not only getting something that says our company's logo, and they are not only getting ... Read Full Story >>

Compliments Because of a History Teacher

A few days ago, my history teacher suggested that since it was getting to be the end of the year and the weather was crummy outside, we try an indoor activity.  She asked everyone to take out a piece of paper and a pencil and asked everyone to write something nice about 10 random people in the class. Later, she typed them all up and everyone got a little slip of paper with a bunch of compliments on it! When I read mine I felt so great about myself that I decided to bring this wonderful idea to our local community service group, Minga.  It is a completely student run group -- which is great most of the time but also means that we quarrel a lot, especially when we plan things like yard sales and it rains. :)  Anyhow, I thought that it would be a good idea to ... Read Full Story >>

Happy Birthday And A Gold Coin

While eating lunch with my 4 year old daughter this afternoon at a fast food restaurant, i noticed an old man walking to the table with a cane. The manager kindly carried his food for him. During the meal I overheard the man tell a woman it was his birthday. So I whispered what I heard to my daughter. She loves when people have birthdays. I told her it was ok for her to wish him a happy birthday. He obviously was spending this special day alone. At first she was shy and decided against it. No problem. As I was emptying our tray into the trash she turned to him and quietly wished him a Happy Birthday.  I could tell he was touched by the way he looked at her. I came up behind her and gave him my own wishes. He was grateful. As we walked away he called my daughter back ... Read Full Story >>

Garbage in, Garbage out

One early morning, I woke up to the sound of a garbage can being dragged on a driveway. I come out later to discover that my garbage cans, in their regular spot, are now empty.

No knowing that in this town sanitation workers pick up the cans from your yard and drop them back, I draw in my mind the only plausible picture: My neighbor, aware that the newly moved in family next door hasn't yet figured the garbage pick up schedule, did it for us and brought them back.

5 years later, my neighbor on fixed income cannot pay for this service now optional, and his limited mobility makes the garbage chore a struggle. It is especially painful for him to bend down and pick up the lid lying on the curb at his feet.

So each time I have the opportunity, I return the favor I imagined him doing 5 years ago, and discreetly bring back his empty can from the curb to his yard.

Unwarranted positive thinking begets kindness. Its opposite would be unwarranted negativism.

Getting a Taxi At the Mall

I live in a rural area but sometimes we go to the city to check it out at the mall.  One day, my daughter and I decided we needed a day of it.  We sure made the most of it.  For anybody that likes to go shopping, you know what I'm talking about.  After a full day of the mall, it was time to go.  On the way to the exit doors, there was a lady by the pay phones that wasn't able to talk English very well.  She tried getting help from people but she kept getting ignored.  Seeing the frustration in her face, I stopped to see if I could help.  I didn't really understand much of what she was saying but I finally got the idea that she wanted a taxi.  She gave me the coins and I called one of the taxi companies.  I explained that the ... Read Full Story >>

Helping A Child In Need

About a week ago, my 4 year old cousin and I were playing basketball at our local park. The weather was warm, and many other children were outside as well. As we played, I noticed a small group of boys picking on a smaller, skinnier--and possibly younger--boy. They were calling him names and even pushed him to the ground and kicked dirt in his face. When I saw that, I grabbed my cousin by the hand and walked over to the group. I stepped between them and the smaller boy, and asked them politely what this boy had done to deserve what they were doing to him. One of the boys replied, "He's weird." At that, I asked them if they thought I was weird (I have black and pink hair and quite a few piercings, but I'm also an intimidating 5'11"), and their response was a semi-frightened "No." I then ... Read Full Story >>

Survivor Flowers

A few weeks ago, my mother, brothers and I went to Wal-Mart to get some things for my upcoming trip. It was pretty late, and the store, although huge, was very empty. However, as we approached the checkout lane, I noticed a lady wearing a baseball cap over her bare head. She looked tired, and it was pretty obvious that she was going through chemo.. .that, and my mother approached her and asked her. You see, a few years ago, my mother was also diagnosed with breast cancer. It was really hard for all of us, exspecially since we were in the middle of my parents divorce. But she got through it...but I always remember how stressful that time was. So when I saw that lady, I turned around, back out of the check out line, and headed to the flower section! I found the prettiest bouquet of pink (breast cancer survival ... Read Full Story >>

Families Are Forever

Once there was a little boy named Jamey. He had some great friends, but his greatest friend was his mom. Not in some sissy way or anything like that. She was just different than the other moms. While they were busy going to their fashion shows and their bridge parties, she was home with him. They'd play in the backyard together, go on bike rides, have long talks. She was the best football player on the whole block. At least that was what the other guys said. They really thought she was special. You know, they wished their moms were more like that. Then one day Jamey was called home from school. There was a big white ambulance in the driveway. When Jamey walked in the front door his dad was talking to the doctor, and Jamey was scared. They said he could only talk to his mom for a minute, and when ... Read Full Story >>

Who's Thirsty?

A group of us walk dogs every week at our local Humane Society.  It's a fun thing to do and the dogs always express their appreciation! 

But it can be grueling in the hot humid summer here.  It's not quite summer here yet but we have had some hot days ... and many of us wish we had some cool refreshing water to quench our thirst in the heat.

But this is something that I can change -  I decided that I will be the water point person and try to keep my team cool so that they can stay committed.  So I've brought a cooler with water bottles for the last two weeks and intend to do that the entire summer.  It's a small and easy thing to do.

Last week everyone had some water and I think it helped us all physically and mentally!   Just look around - it's these little things that count!  :=D 

Sharing With Tots

After visiting  my daughter at the daycare where she works I noticed the tots where playing with little toy horses and blocks. Some were having a hard time because they only had a few horses and others wanted to play too. 

Then I remembered how much my daughter loved to play with her toy horses when she was little and I mentioned to her that I think we still had a bag in the basement at home with her horses it in.  She said it was ok to look when I got home and I could donate them to the daycare if I found them. 

The next day when I emptied the bag of horses on the rug at daycare the little tots were so happy to have some new toys. Their faces were beaming and they immediately started playing.

Both my daughter and myself felt good to share the toys that brought hours of happiness in the past and would  now continue to do so once more.

Sending Smiles And Support

I  just heard from a dear, old friend that after getting laid off her last job several months ago, she finally landed a new one with benefits. She is relieved but oh so weary and sound very sad.

She is in her 50's and it is getting tough for her as the last four jobs she had were outsourced and she was laid off each one.

She told me her nest egg is now depleted, she qualified for a low rent apartment and she has special health insurance til the benefits from her new job kick in after 3 mths. No money for any extra and she's staying close to home due to gas price increases.

I decided to send her an inspirational card, book and $100 today to provide a lift of spirit and hope.  I do not want her to know its me and feel beholden so am mailing to another buddy out of state who will forward to her....did not sign the card and no return address.

I am cheered this Wed AM knowing my RAOK will bring her some needed sunshine!